Hopscotch (1980)

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Brian Garfield (novel)
Brian Garfield (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 October 1980 (Finland)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

The most dangerous man in the world. He's about to expose the CIA, the FBI, the KGB...and himself.

Plot:

A CIA agent tired of his incompetent colleagues retires and dares them to stop him from publishing an embarrassing book of memoirs.

Plot Keywords:

CIA | Memoir | False Identity | Cold War | False Passport

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Miles Kendig / James Butler / Mr. Hannaway / Leonard Ross
Glenda Jackson	...	Isobel
Sam Waterston	...	Cutter
Ned Beatty	...	Myerson
Herbert Lom	...	Yaskov
David Matthau	...	Ross
George Baker	...	Westlake
Ivor Roberts	...	Ludlum
Lucy Saroyan	...	Carla
Severn Darden	...	Maddox
George Pravda	...	Saint Breheret
Jacquelyn Hyde	...	Realtor
Mike Gwilym	...	Alfie
Terry Beaver	...	Tobin
Ray Charleson	...	Clausen

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | Australia:PG | UK:12 (tv rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2007) | UK:AA (original rating) | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | Finland:S | UK:15 (video rating) (1987/1991/2008) | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Edie & Ely Landau Inc.

Trivia:

The name of the character "Follett" is taken from author Ken Follett, a popular writer of spy novels and political thrillers.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Matthau first arrives at the Beatty house and is preparing to write on the porch he glances at a picture of Beatty. In the picture, stair railings are visible on the right and Beatty is looking to the right. When Matthau goes to pick up the picture Beatty is now looking to the left with the railing visible on the left. When he sets the picture down by his typewriter and looks at it the railings and head position are back to the original place. It appears the same in every other shot except later in the film when he is placing a call to Glenda Jackson, he looks at the picture and Beatty is facing left with the railings on the left. Later they are once again on the right with Beatty facing right.

Quotes:

Cutter: Suppose you let me talk you out of this, before you find yourself at the bottom of a river, sipping sewage.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Once A Night

Funny, charming, witty...don't overlook this one!

I agree with the above review completely: we watch this movie several times a year and it never gets old! It's like a fabulous view from a high place; you just never get tired of it. My rating of 10 reflects how much I love this picture. I don't think you can rent it but you can buy it. Recommended! As to picture quality: the movie was re-released on DVD with a complete remastering of both picture (fantastic!) and sound (good audio, but still monophonic; there's only so much you can do when the original is single-track mono) plus interviews with Ronald Neame (D) and Brian Garfield (writer of the novel and co-screenplay) a couple of years ago. The DVD is anamorphic widescreen, so all the stuff that was pan-and-scanned out of the VHS release is back, just like it was in the theater. I bought two copies as soon as it was available and sent one to my brother, who introduced me to this gem. One of my all-time favorites.

Note to producers: do NOT attempt to remake this picture. It would be folly. There are no actors on the planet who could pull it off. No one, I mean NO ONE has the charisma and charm of Walter Matthau, and the chemistry between he and Glenda Jackson isn't something you can fake. If anyone else had been the co-stars, this picture would have disappeared completely. You wouldn't remake It's a Wonderful Life, would you?