Part of QUAD Essentials - Cinema Rediscovered on Tour
In her first English-language role, Italian star Monica Vitti incarnates the British comic-strip heroine Modesty Blaise blending Barbarellastyle allure with Bond -style espionage capers.
Joined by a cockney sidekick (Terence Stamp), Modesty sets out to thwart a diamond-theft scheme hatched by super-villain Gabrielle (Dirk Bogarde). But forget the plot, it’s the least important part - instead immerse yourself in the riot of colour, Vitti’s outfits and the outrageous sets and props. Modesty Blaise is not a film you would immediately identify with the exiled American director Joseph Losey (whose 1967 film Accident, more typical of his work at that time, is also available to book as part of the tour), but he crafts a visually playful pop-art fantasy that puts the swing into the Swinging Sixties.
