Fathom (1967)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fantastic!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

FATHOM is a frothy, silly spy adventure clearly taking advantage of the spy craze of the 1960s. It follows the misadventures of Raquel Welch's Fathom, a female agent sent in to recover a secret atomic device that has the power to destroy the world in the wrong hands. Treachery, adventure and battle ensue. Sadly, it's all a bit of a bore, and not a patch on the two Bulldog Drummond movies that Richard Johnson knocked out at around the same time.The problem with this film is the script. It's listless and inconsequential, focusing on unengaging characters and throwing in enough twists, turns and betrayals to bore even the most ardent viewer of thrillers. It's a succession of sunny locales and overacting characters, with bizarre scientists and outlandish fellow agents.Raquel Welch, bless her, is extremely limited as the main attraction and simply required to parade a series of form-fitting outfits on her admittedly impressive frame. For the most part I found her airhead character to be vacuous and irritating, almost unwatchable in places. There's a stalwart cast of British dependables, including, bizarrely, Richard Briers as a key ally, but that doesn't save this from being a pointless and plodding movie.

Lightweight spy yarn about the search for an atomic device or something. But nobody cares about that. You aren't going to watch this for the plot. If you're going to watch it, you'll be watching for sexy Raquel Welch in bikinis, jumpsuits, and dresses that show lots of cleavage. There's some nice support from Clive Revill and Richard Briers. Tony Franciosa I could do without. A particular plot twist with his character I predicted in his first scene, solely on the basis of his being the best looking man in the movie. It's a fun movie, for the most part, with lots of opportunities for Raquel to show off her sparkling personality and, of course, curvaceous body.

The sixties saw a craze for spy movies – the Bond films, the Harry Palmer films, plus countless others. Some were serious (e.g. The Defector, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold), others were very tongue-in-cheek (e.g. Our Man Flint, Operation Kid Brother) – but for a while the genre literally overflowed with releases. The twist in "Fathom" is that the all-action leading character is a girl. This is essentially a female variant of the James Bond movies, with sexy actors, sunny locales, a deliberately implausible bubble-gum plot and, of course, characters with outrageous names!American lady skydiver Fathom Harvill (Raquel Welch) is touring Southern Europe when she is approached for a difficult espionage mission. Scottish colonel Douglas Campbell (Ronald Fraser), who claims to work for the top secret agency H.A.D.E.S, informs Fathom that a device for triggering atomic weapons has fallen into the hands of someone working for Red China. The device has allegedly been hidden inside a Ming dynasty dragon statuette, which is housed in a guarded villa close to the Mediterranean coast. Fathom's job is to parachute into the villa unobserved and recover the device. However, she meets Peter Merriweather (Tony Franciosa) – an agent in the employ of the Red Chinese – and he tells her that she has been hoodwinked by Campbell. Merriweather's story is that Campbell is not a government colonel at all, but a con man who is trying to pull off a jewellery heist by involving her (unwittingly) as a burglar. Poor Fathom cannot know who to trust, nor even which side she is on, as she gets drawn deeper into the plot….."Fathom" is a light, breezy addition to the genre. The plot is absolute nonsense, of course, with characters that change sides more often than they might change underwear, and over-the-top action sequences between the plot twists. Welch isn't remotely challenged as an actress by her role as the titular character, but she is put through her paces as an international sex symbol. It's a test she passes with flying colours, looking ravishing throughout in her blinding array of dresses and bikinis! Franciosa as the love-interest-who-might-be-a-villain smiles toothily a lot, and that's about all, in his easy-going role. The locations are appropriately gorgeous, Johnny Dankworth provides a jazzy score, and the film skims along brightly. When you sit down to watch a movie like this, you know just what you're getting. There's no grand intention here – these people simply want to entertain, and that's just what they've done in their simple way. Give it a fortnight and you'll have forgotten you've ever seen "Fathom"…. but it's harmless fun whilst on.

I'd never seen or even heard of this offering in the 60's comedy spy genre until Film 4 padded out their evening schedule with it. How dated it all looked, understandably. But it was a jolly romp, great locations and with pretty good enthusiastically staged stunts. Ms Welch was very decorative as usual and the Britsh character actors excellent in support. Good to see Tom Adams in a solid supporting role, Clive Revill was always good value in this sort of movie too. Amazingly the two aircraft flown in this movie, a Cessna 172 and a Piper Cherokee 180, are still active and licenced in the UK, wearing their original registrations, forty years after the film was made.