Where the Spies Are (MGM) (1965)

| WHERE SPIES (AND LOVELY MODELS) ARE Dr. Jason Love (David Niven), whom circumstances have turned into a secret agent, has an encounter with beautiful fashion model Vikki (Francoise Dorleac), little dreaming of the eventful part she will play in his dangerous adventures in the Middle East. The scene is from -G-M’s excitement-filled espionage thriller, ‘‘Where the Spies Are,’’ filmed in Panavision and color. Still MGM 85-25 Where the Spies Are Mat 2-A EVEN ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN TOWN OF BYBLOS KNOWS ABOUT WOLF-WHISTLES! One of the most unusual location sites ever chosen for a motion picture was used by producer-director Val Guest for his Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adventure-thriller, “Where the Spies Are,” starring David Niven and Francoise Dorleac. It is the ancient town of Byblos, a small fishing village on the shores of the Mediterranean, some 25 miles north of Beirut in the Lebanon. Located on a ridged plateau ending in a cliff overlooking a sheltered bay, Byblos, to the casual visitor, seems no different from any one of a hundred similar Lebanese villages. The narrow, cobbled streets branch off haphazardly from a central market square; lowceilinged shops display their wares on sidewalk stands and vendors shout against the incessant buzz of conversation from the jostling townspeople. But it is here that the similarity ends. Byblos is different because it is generally regarded as being the oldest inhabited town on earth. Because it has never been completely depopulated the citizens of Byblos can trace their origins back to an early Phoenician settlement, about 3,000 years before the birth of Christ. Moreover, recent archeological excavations have unearthed, in an excellent state of preservation, ruins of much earlier civilizations with traces of a Neolithic village dating back 7,000 years. : Byblos, with thousands of years of history engrained in the solid granite walls of its Crusader Castle and the implacable Phoenician defense system, is used to surprises. MGM’s “Where the Spies Are” location unit certainly added a few. Four-hundred Lebanese _ villagers turned actors to play extras in the picture’s crowd scenes. Because the surrounding villages are miles apart, runners had to be sent from Byblos to engage the required number of men. Pepe Abed, proprietor of the Byblos Fishing Club Cafe, found himself saddled with a unique responsibility because of the film invasion. He had to wine and dine more than 450 men. His SHE'S HIS DISH David Niven, currently starring in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s | spy-thriller, “Where the Spies Are,’ has found a simple phonetic solution for those who have trouble pronouncing the name of his lovely Swedish wife, Hjordis. “It’s quite simple, really,” he explains. “Just try saying YOUR DISH and lisp a little. “But,” he quickly added, “please remember, she’s MY DISH.” 6 previous limit had never exceeded twenty-five. Claims Abed, “The week the movie people spent in Byblos cost me five years of my life!” However, with typical Lebanese business acumen, he coped, Highpoint of the location filming was an army helicopter. The sight of an ultra-modern French helicopter slowly descending amid the ruins of a 7,000-year-old civilization to pick up David Niven and fly off with him is something that the inhabitants of Byblos will never forget. Nor will they forget beautiful Francoise Dorleac who, in her character as a photographer’s model in “Where the Spies Are,” posed on the castle battlements in a semi-diaphanous pink dress. Byblos may have more history than most places, but it shares the universality of the wolf-whistle. Dr. Jason Love (David Niven), an espionage agent, falls for the charms of lovely fashion model Vikki (Francoise Dorleac), uncertain whether she is on his side or secretly working for the enemy. It’s one of the suspenseful situations in ‘*Where the Spies Are,’’ MetroGoldwyn-Mayer’s spine-chilling adventure in danger and intrigue. The exciting Panavision and color attraction was photographed on arresting locations in the Middle East. Where the Spies Are Still MGM 80-67 Mat 1-D SPINE-TINGLING ADVENTURES MIX WITH LAUGHS IN “WHERE THE SPIES ARE,” STARRING DAVID NIVEN AND FRANCOISE DORLEAC Thrill piles on thrill in “Where the Spies Are,” and in between the spinechilling moments there are plenty of laughs and sizzling love scenes in this exciting romp in espionage, a Val Guest Production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, starring David Niven and the French beauty, Francoise Dorleac. Filmed in Panavision and color on exotic locations in the Middle East, the suspenseful film is based on James Leasor’s best-selling novel, “Passport to Oblivion,” revolving around the mild English country 4-~’ whom circumstan service agent for ment and who r remarkable adver London to Ror Baalbeck and B: Niven portray Dorleac seen as CAST DRS JASON LON Eis sees DAVID NIVEN VIKK Seek eee FRANCOISE DORLEAC ROSSER es ee CYRIL CUSACK COL. MACGILLIVRAY....JOHN LE MESURIER PARKINGTON .............NIGEL DAVENPORT FAROUKG 28) cae ce ERIC POHLMANN SIMMIAS) 252). PAUL STASSINO OSE ee RICHARD MARNER ASSASSIN. ..3:.: 2222 aed GEORGE MIKELL STANISLAUS: ous eee RONALD RADD NOEL HARRISON ALAN GIFFORD BILL NAGY Co-Produced by Val Guest and Steven Pallos. Directed by Val Guest. Screen Play by Val Guest and Wolf Mankowitz. Based on the novel ‘Passport to Oblivion’’ by James Leasor. Music by Mario Nascimbene. Conducted by Alfredo Antonini. In Panavision and Color. A Val Guest Production. Presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. JOIN NIVEN AND SEE THE WORLD “Join the Niven and see the world,” punned David Niven, whose most recent film, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s comedy-thriller, “Where the Spies Are,” in which he stars with exciting French newcomer Francoise Dorleac, took him to Beirut in the Lebanon for location work, The picture, produced and directed by Val Guest, is based on James Leasor’s best-seller, “Passport to Oblivion,” and tells the tongue-in-cheek story of Jason Love, an English doctor who finds himself unexpectedly entangled with dangerous men and beautiful women in an adventurous romp in the Middle East. As to Niven’s pun on the Navy, it is far from being an idle boast. The mileage he’s chalked up as an actor is little short of astonishing. Niven started working in movies as far back as 1935, but achieved his first major global experience with “Around the World in 80 Days.” “That film certainly took us around the world,” he says, “but it took a lot longer than 80 days. We were the better part of a very pleasant year on the picture. “Some time later there was ‘Guns of Navarone,’ which was shot on Rhodes in the Greek islands. Then came ‘The Best of Enemies,’ which took me to Anzio, Israel and Rome, and ‘Guns of Darkness,’ which entailed location filming in England, South America and Spain. “For ‘Captive City’ I traveled to Athens; for “The Pink Panther’ to Venice, Florence and the Italian Alps. When Samuel Bronson filmed ‘55 Days at Peking,’ he recreated that Chinese city in Spain, Then, on completing ‘Where the Spies Are,’ I was off again on a tour of England, France, Monte Carlo and the Swiss Riviera for ‘Lady L’ with Sophia Loren and Paul Newman. This itinerary, of course, excludes all the pictures I] made in Hollywood in between.” fashion model who crosses his path and become inextricably involved with him, both romantically and in espionage intrigue in which she plays a game of cat-and-mouse, Is she on Jason’s side or is she secretly working for the enemy? This is one of the film’s suspenseful situations which keeps the audience guessing right up to the explosive climax. But before this arrives, the spectator will be sitting on the edge of his seat "quences as the crash of h Jason Love had heen ‘enger; a cold-bleoded place amidst the eerie k; a love tryst between ‘ which is interrupted ; the episode in which he assassination of a ‘e during the latter’s rut; the hair-raising thraieh «-- scen > which Jason, escaping from pursuers, is rescued by a helicopter from which he dangles in the sky at the end of a rope; and the deadly machinations aboard the “Dove of Peace,” a Russian aircraft supposedly on a global goodwill mission, on which Jason has been made a prisoner. Does the doctor-turned-agent reveal what he knows about. the British espionage system or will he live to love another day? And how does the alluring and enigmatic Vikki come out in the proceedings? These are among the questions that are resolved before the pulsating action ends. “Where the Spies Are” was co-produced by Val Guest and Steven Pallos, with Guest directing from a screen play written by himself and Wolf Mankowitz. Playing leading roles with Niven and Miss Dorleac are Cyril Cusack, John Le Messurier, Nigel Davenport, Eric Pohlmann, Paul Stassino and Richard Marner. The picture’s appropriately suspenseful music was written by Mario Nascimbene. BREATHTAKING SCENE IN SPY THRILLER Pursued by deadly killers in a Middle East country, David Niven, portraying Dr. Jason Love, is hauled to safety via helicopter in one of the thrill scenes of ‘‘Where the Spies Are,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s espionage drama in Panavision and color. Beautiful French star, Francoise Dorleac, plays a mysterious model who complicates Jason’s dangerous adventures. Still MGM 85-27 Where the Spies Are Mat 2-B David Niven, as he appears in the role of Dr. Jason Love, who becomes involved in thrilling espionage adventures in MetroGoldwyn-Mayer’s *‘Where the Spies Are.’ Beautiful French actress Francoise Dorleac also stars in the spine-chilling drama, photographed in Panavision and color on arresting locations in the Middle East. Where the Spies Are Still MGM 85-44 Mat 1-C THIS HOUSE PROVED TO BE NOT A HOME! For location scenes of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Where the Spies Are,” filmed in Beirut, Lebanon, a small house was rented for night scenes of the spythriller, starring David Niven and Francoise Dorleac. The house, a white stucco building in the busy Rue Chateaub was_ transformed into a night club called “Le Chat Nor.” Although the area had been cordoned off by police, the film unit was constantly interrupted by men determined to enter the make-believe club. It was only after filming had been completed for the evening that the owner of the house shyly revealed his business. The house was—and is once again—Beirut’s busiest bordello! Beautiful French actress Francois Dorleac, co-starred with David Niven in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s ‘‘Where the Spies Are,” only learned to speak English a scant four months before shooting began on the spy-thriller on locations in Beurit, Lebanon. In order to gain a complete understanding of the more intricate phrasing of the picture’s dialogue, Miss Dorleac had the screen play translated into French. Her knowledge of English prior to studying the language for her role in “Where the Spies Are”? consisted of “Yes” and “Hokay.”