Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Our Man in Havana Blu-ray Movie Review

Wormold. James Wormold.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 14, 2017

If Graham Greene’s proffering of a vacuum salesman masquerading as a secret agent in Our Man in Havana strikes some as patently ridiculous, keep in mind that anyone you might meet could potentially have a little espionage in their past. At a recent gathering I attended, I got to talking to a gentleman who had already mentioned a career in both solar panel installation and plumbing work. However, he then went a bit further back into his history and mentioned (to my evident shock) how he had been recruited into the Central Intelligence Agency during the Reagan administration, serving for several years, continuing into the George H.W. Bush administration, an admission I believed without question due to the gentleman's matter of fact way of talking about it. When I asked him what his assignment was, he rather cheekily answered, “Unauthorized breaking and entering.” I picked up the distinct vibe that I probably shouldn’t delve any further into this line of inquiry. The upshot to all of this is that “secret agents” often are secret, crafting alter egos that allow them to spy surreptitiously while they supposedly go about whatever their pretend career is. Greene takes this inherent subterfuge and twists it comedically, presenting a mild mannered salesman named James Wormold (Alec Guinness) who is plying his trade in a pre-revolutionary Cuba (although the film was evidently shot at least partially during the Castro uprising and bears a quick text card alerting viewers to its timeframe which can be seen in screenshot 19), and who is rather unexpectedly recruited to be an MI6 agent by a mysterious guy named Hawthorne (a decidedly arch Noël Coward) for reasons which are never made overly clear. Wormold of course has absolutely no experience in anything of this kind, but he’s struggling to make ends meet and to provide supposedly “necessary” luxuries for his spoiled daughter Milly (Jo Morrow), and so reluctantly agrees to the scheme. Unfortunately for Wormold, there’s a monolithic bureaucracy back in London expecting fruits of Wormold’s spying labors, and that’s when the trouble really starts, with Wormold inventing an intricate web of lies that becomes increasingly hard for him to maintain.

The film quickly introduces a number of characters whose interactions will color much of the fanciful plot proceedings. The extremely natty Hawthorne is seen traipsing rather quickly through hordes of poor Cubans trying every which way to elicit a buck or two from the recalcitrant Brit. A Cuban officer named Segura (Ernie Kovacks) is seen keeping a tail on Hawthorne, which leads him to question Dr. Hasselbacher (Burl Ives), an expat German who had the bad timing to stand next to Hawthorne in the vacuum shop of Wormold. (Keep your eyes peeled when the camera shows the alleyway where Wormold’s shop is, specifically for a canopy with a business name that bears the single most famous surname in (fictional) spying history—could that have been a sly joke on the part of director Carol Reed?).

It’s probably part of Graham Greene’s subtly satiric take on the spy business, and the British temperament in general, that there’s really no sufficiently compelling reason given as to why Hawthorne, an MI6 operative, chooses Wormold to be his “man in Havana”. Wormold is a Brit in good standing, with a passport and at least some kind of virtuous history as evidenced by a passing comment or two, and that, evidently, is enough for the perhaps less than choosy Hawthorne. The film occasionally doesn’t devote quite enough development or even explanation for certain elements, as when Hawthorne suddenly shows up back in London to consult with his superior “C” (Ralph Richardson), lamenting that Wormold isn’t providing regular reports and has in fact only managed to ask for a membership in the local Cuban country club.

Wormold is obviously completely and utterly unqualified for the job he’s been tasked to complete, and when he tries to recruit sub-agents (in traditionally fussy British style, Hawthorne informs him how to codify them by number), he comes off as a madman. When he confides in Hasselbacher, the good doctor simply gives him the advice that making everything up will no doubt suffice and keep the lucrative spy gig pay filling his coffers, which in turn will continue to allow Wormold to spoil his daughter even further.

Things take a turn for the supposedly more farcical when London sends a bit of help for Wormold in the form of Beatrice Severn (Maureen O’Hara), after Wormold’s attempts to provide London with something leads to him inventing a fictional weapon which looks awfully like a giant vacuum cleaner, but which the dunderheaded “C” is certain will be more deadly than any bomb man has invented. (This particular plot point seems almost weirdly prescient of the looming Cuban Missile Crisis which would cause the world to be pushed to the brink of a nuclear holocaust just a couple of years after Our Man in Havana was filmed.) Greene’s dryer than dry humor probably doesn’t resonate with quite the force it needs to, despite a cast who knows how to spell the joke without even the hint of a wink, and instead Our Man in Havana has a slightly forced feel at times that, while perfectly enjoyable, doesn’t quite rise to the ebullient levels of, say, some of the Ealing Brothers comedies with Guinness.

The film also tries to engage in a bit more of a traditional espionage ambience when some of Wormold’s supposed fabrications turn out to be closer to the truth than he thought. The film veers a bit uneasily from its already wobbly comedic ambience into something at least a bit more angst ridden, with a couple of deaths supposedly offered to prove that spying is, after all, no joking matter. Greene’s always trenchant analysis of some of the peculiarities of British culture, and specifically British government, are rather broadly on display throughout Our Man in Havana, and whether reeling from his own self inflicted wounds or struggling in his nascent role as a spy, Wormold typifies that stolid “keep calm and carry on” ethos that defines Brits to many world citizens to this day.

Our Man in Havana Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Our Man in Havana is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Culled from the Sony — Columbia library, this black and white CinemaScope production shows the kind of beautiful quality in a high definition presentation we've come to expect from this studio. Elements are in great condition and Oswald Morris' sumptuous cinematography is rendered with a gorgeously organic appearance. Contrast is consistent and the film segues surprisingly seamlessly between some of the location work and set bound pieces (there are very slight clarity variances in some cases). There's just the barest hint of image instability a couple of times—watch the horizontal pinstripes on the man's t-shirt in the film's opening scene (as well as the horizontal lines on a garage door in the background he passes in front of), and things tiptoe right up to the edge of aliasing without ever totally falling over. Aside from these very brief and transitory issues, this is another fantastic looking transfer from the typically reliable folks at Sony — Columbia.

Our Man in Havana Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Our Man in Havana features a workmanlike DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track (the insert and menu incorrectly advertise a 1.0 mono track). Dialogue and effects are rendered well, if just a tad boxily at times, but the music, which features some nice source cues, sounds full bodied, albeit unavoidably narrow. There aren't any age related issues with regard to distortion or dropouts.

Our Man in Havana Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:07)


• Isolated Music and Effects Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

Our Man in Havana Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Greene's jaundiced take on his homeland hasn't always translated easily to the screen for some reason, and that may be the case here as well, though the film is undeniably smart and often at least somewhat slyly provocative. A cast of unparalleled charisma and talent helps to sell the material even when it's patently outlandish, and the Cuban locations give Our Man in Havana a nicely exotic ambience. Technical merits are first rate, but supplements are on the slim side. Recommended.