Our Man in Havana (1960)
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85% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
76% of users liked it
(1,472 ratings)
Graham Greene wrote this witty comedy inspired by Cold War paranoia. Jim Wormald (Alec Guiness) is an Englishman selling vacuum cleaners in Cuba on the cusp of the revolution. Hawthorne (Noel Coward), a British intelligence agent, is looking for information on Cuban affairs and recruits Jim to act… More Graham Greene wrote this witty comedy inspired by Cold War paranoia. Jim Wormald (Alec Guiness) is an Englishman selling vacuum cleaners in Cuba on the cusp of the revolution. Hawthorne (Noel Coward), a British intelligence agent, is looking for information on Cuban affairs and recruits Jim to act as a spy. Jim has no experience in espionage and no useful knowledge to pass along, but Hawthorne is willing to pay for his services, and since Jim's daughter Milly (Jo Morrow) has expensive tastes, he can use the money. To keep Hawthorne happy (and his paychecks coming in), he turns in reports on the Cuban revolution that are copied from public documents, "hires" additional agents who don't exist, and presents blueprints of secret weapons that are actually schematics of his carpet sweepers. However, Hawthorne and associate "C" (Ralph Richardson) think that Jim is doing splendid work and encourage him to continue; meanwhile, Capt. Segura (Ernie Kovacs), the elegantly corrupt chief of police, has been fooled by Jim's charade into believing he's a real spy -- and has also become attracted to Milly. Our Man in Havana also features Burl Ives and Maureen O'Hara in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Carol Reed
- Written By
- Graham Greene (I)
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1959 Wide
Critic Reviews
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, TIME Magazine
The mixture of mayhem and heehaw is particularly tricky to handle, and not even the sure hand of Director Reed has always achieved a smooth blend.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Polished, diverting entertainment, brilliant in its comedy but falling apart towards the end when undertones of drama, tragedy and message crop up.
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, Time Out
A real 'winds of change' film, with traditional values crumbling in the heat of pre-revolutionary Cuba. Guinness is wonderful.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
For those who regard Alec Guinness as the niftiest little con man on the screen, we will guarantee Our Man in Havana to be a source of immeasurable fun.
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Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Guinness is in above-average form, and Ernie Kovacs is wonderful as the callous but charming government official with a soft spot for Guinness's daughter.
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Cast
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Alec Guinness
as Jim Wormald
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Burl Ives
as Dr. Cart Hasselbacher
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Maureen O'Hara
as Beatrice Evans
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Ernie Kovacs
as Capt.Segura
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Noel Coward
as Hawthorne
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Ralph Richardson
as "C"
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Jo Morrow
as Milly Wonnald
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Paul Rogers
as Hubert Carter
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Grégoire Aslan
as Cifuentes
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Joseph G. Prieto
as Lopez
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Timothy Bateson
as Rudy
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Duncan Macrae
as MacDougal
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Maurice Denham
as Admiral
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Raymond Huntley
as General
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Hugh Manning
as RAF Officer
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Maxine Audley
as Teresa
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Yvonne Buckingham
as Woman
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Karel Stepanek
as Dr. Braun
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Gerik Schjelderup
as Svenson
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Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne
as Prof. Sanchez
- Rachel Roberts
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Elisabeth Welch
as Beautiful Woman
