Rent Our Man in Havana (1959)

A Cuban tale - Our Man in Havana review by CP Customer

There are the usual fine acting performances that you would expect to see in a British film of this era and the storyline has merit as does the odd injections of humour, but for me it felt short of being a Classic.

Spy Satire. - Our Man in Havana review by Steve

The last of Carol Reed's three Graham Greene adaptations is an eccentric cold war spy satire filmed in Cuba around the time of the revolution. It's an unusual and complicated spoof with many offbeat, ironic flourishes, though these are all cerebral rather than providing much spectacle.

Alec Guinness plays an agreeable vacuum cleaner retailer in Havana who is recruited by the British secret service to keep an eye on political instability. And he finds that by inventing his agents and their intrigues, he makes far more money to spend on his teenage daughter (Jo Morrow). But these creations have real world consequences.

The unassuming spy is a stand in for the author. He contrives a narrative which leads to conflict and then unexpected outcomes. What we now call 'meta'. But the interesting premise is marred by dull acting. Guinness is unusually inert. The mostly Hollywood support cast is fine, but poor substitutes for, say, Denholm Elliott and Michael Hordern.

It is the least of the Greene/Reed collaborations, but then the others are immortal. It works better as a novel. But the location CinemaScope photography of Cuba at a turning point in history is artistic and the rumba soundtrack brings atmosphere. There is an outlook of sharp political cynicism and wit. And actually, a few clever laughs.