Love Is a Woman (1966) Online

Striking title… stunningly exotic Mediterranean backdrop… beautiful women led by the voluptuous, but venomous Trisha Noble. Other than that, this unusual 60s British spy drama while seductive is methodically languid and openly predictable in its murder mystery layout. Blackmail, murder, drugs, money and women. It's a shame the plot isn't as entertaining like its scenery and intrusively bombastic musical score, as it's quite a stiltedly talkative stop and go affair with much narrative distractions and suspicions, but very little in the way of sustained suspense and thrills. An undercover English agent is sent to the Mediterranean islands to investigate dope smuggling, but instead finds himself the main suspect in a murder case when that man he is investigating ends up dead. So he goes about trying to clear his name, by finding the killer/s. The suspects are there, but it's just trying to connect the dots to how they did it. Director Frederic Goode executes some stylish camera shots getting plenty of local flavour, but outside of those strokes it's safely mechanical all round. The cast give able performances with Mark Burns, William Dexter, Shaun Curry and Wanda Ventham. But it is indeed Noble who steals the limelight ("You must admit. She's quite a dish"). A hypnotic, if too laid-back psychedelic 60s spy fare.

"It doesn't matter who he is or who's he working for. He's trouble. "

So what do you expect from a movie with a title like this? A deadly femme fatale who kills repeatedly and without remorse? You'll get that....but only twice, at the start and at the end of the film. Patsy Ann Noble is perfectly cast, and she is equaled, if not surpassed, in the hotness department by the two other female cast members, Wanda Ventham as the good girl and Caron Gardner as a ditzy conquest for the bad guy; this film comes from the era where the thick, strong, curvy, healthy look was the "in" look for women. But the story, after setting up an intriguing locked-room mystery, meanders, the underwater scenes are - as usual - boring, and there is FAR too much screen time given to an old drunk character, who turns out to be of no consequence to boot - was this actor a friend of the producers or something? This film would have been better without him. ** out of 4.

A lot of money must have been spent on this film, which was filmed on location in Malta in full glorious colour. The result, however, is an utter disaster. For a start, one wonders why the film makers hired Anita Harris to sing the film's one song, when they had an excellent girl singer playing the villain.

The acting is not good. Only one character, who plays a drifter, stands out. The rest of the cast are not good actors, and they struggle with an unexciting script.

Some of the underwater scenes look good, and are probably the best parts of the film. Patsy Ann (Trisha) Noble, who comes from Australia, looks as though she swam her underwater scenes herself, and did not use a double. Great frogwoman she may be; as a singer she is flawless, (whether she sings in English or in French) and has perfect vocal technique. But I don't think she is a good actress at all, and I am surprised that her acting career lasted so long - and in America, too. The only significant features of her character, Francesca, is that she is a dead shot with an harpoon gun, and that she sleeps in a bed with black bedsheets.

The plot is forgettable. So, if you have something better to do, you would be better doing that instead.

This movie has got it all: stunning photography, excellent (character) actors, bikinis, superb underwater-scenes......and: a great musical score! Although the story could have been more exciting this off-beat pearl of 60s UK-crime is definitely worth an 8 out of 10.

Just a 1960's movie, with plenty of colour, action, cars, fashions (love the shirts guys), a soundtrack with bongos, killings, drug smuggling, secret agents, cheesy lines and girls in bikinis. What's not to like?

The 1960's was when they could now make cheap movies in colour, and the censorship laws were slowly being eroded, and this unashamedly cashes in on it, but not overdone.

Filmed in Malta (I understand) with much water involved. Patsy Ann Noble is looking good here as well as Wanda Ventham, who reveals all (the hussy). She also happens to be Benedict Cumberbatch's (born 10 years later) mother.

Other reviewers explain the plot adequately, and called it a second rate spy drama, and maybe that is why I like it. Frivolous fun, and if that's what you like, then watch it and enjoy. If you want a deep convoluted plot with tip top direction and acting then stay away. It's down to personal choice here.

DEATH IS A WOMAN is a second-rate British spy drama filmed in Malta to give it an exotic Mediterranean flavour. The story sees espionage taking place when an agent is shipped in to uncover a drug smuggling ring involving the transport of heroin shipments, and our man's job is to find out who's doing it and stop them in their tracks.

What sounds like it should be a light and breezy affair is in fact plodding and unworkable, suffering from wooden male leads and a leaden pacing. There's a dearth of action to boot that makes this tough to watch at times, and it's only the Swinging Sixties trappings that saw me through it. That, and an exemplary female cast, all of whom parade around in their bikinis and look exquisite. Actresses featured include Wanda Ventham, Patsy Ann Noble, and the arresting Caron Gardner. Watch out for typecast heavyweight Michael Brennan's cameo as a murderous butcher.

Dennis (Mark Burns), a British agent of some sort, is on "the island" (Malta but it's not named) to carry out an undercover investigation of two crooked casino owners. The suspicion is that they get guests who run up gambling debts to become the sort of smuggler Customs won't suspect. Dennis runs up a debt in the hope he'll be induced into the racket. The film opens with the murder of one of owners by Francesca (Patsy Ann Noble), a femme very fatale indeed, and her lover Joe (Shaun Curry ), who want all the ill-gotten gains for themselves. The other owner, Malo, is found dead just after he'd given Dennis an advance in return for his passport. The local police naturally suspect Dennis. The thing is Malo was found in a locked room, seven floors up with no sign of the murder weapon. The solution to this locked-room mystery is about as good as this film gets. Priscilla (Wanda Ventham) is sent out from the UK to help Dennis while posing as his fiancé. So far, so good. But that's as good as it gets. We get to see sunny skies and sparkling seas, we get to see another of Joe's girls topless in a scene that seems to be included because they'd an actress who'd go topless back in 1966 or maybe to get a 1960's X rating, we get to see the good girl and the bad girl in their bikinis, and - not much else. The film is padded out to barely feature length with Anita Harris singing a song, multiple sequences of our hero darting down side streets trying to dodge the most visible police tail in history and of our villainess swimming underwater. Cut out the padding and the topless scene and you'd have had a good hour-long episode of a Sixties TV series.

This film was distributed by Associated British Paths who were on their last legs as is evidenced by this abysmal film.This is the company that made many fine films in the fifties including The Dam Busters and Ice Cold In Alex.Now they were reduced to making films like this.It is a very pale imitation of the James Bond films.Notwithstanding the fact that there is some location filming on Malta it would seem that every expense was spared.The film is poorly written acted and directed.It is quite difficult to believe just how badly Patsy Anne Noble tries to act.It shows how desperate the producers must have been.It is also difficult to understand why the film was given an X certificate.Presumably the brief nudity qualified it.However this would have reduced its potential audience.Mind you that must have been small enough to begin with.

A very clunky policier set on an unnamed island in Europe. The best sequence is probably the pedestrian chase, with The Prisoner-esque music and atmosphere. The underwater sequences are mainly good because they don't involve much acting. Really quite flimsy. I appreciate kitsch but I would recommend giving this film a miss.