In
the early 60's, the new Action-stuffed film on the adventures of the
world's most famous secret agent: James Bond 007, perfectly interpreted by
a great Sean Connery, could not avoid to be followed and imitated by
Antonio Margheriti, especially because they were exactly the kind of entertainment he likes
and preferred among all others.
Antonio
directed two Spy movies: "Killers are challenged"
(in
the Italian version was added before the title an Agent
077, to recall the British secret agent), and "Lightning Bolt" (this one
in Italy was entitled:
Operazione Golman, to imitate a sort of Goldfinger sequel). Lightning Bolt was
more similar to a Science-Fiction film instead of a Spy movie. Do not
forget the passion and the love that Antonio had all his life for
Sci-Fi and Fantasy film.
For
Killers are Challenged,
Antonio call
Richard Harrison, famous in Italy to be a lead
character in many western films of that period. Richard has worked already
with Antonio in the Peplum
"The Giants of Rome"; and he will be called again in 1968
for one of Antonio's best westerns: "Vengeance"
The film
was an extreme low budget, compared to the 007 mega production of
Saltzman & Broccoli, but Antonio uses his huge fantasy and passion
making a pretty good film, full of good ideas and well done.
In the
career of Antonio Margheriti, he used
to imitate the American or British box offices, but often he was able to
articulate the structure of the film giving it something more than a
simple "copy", sometime he was anticipating the official sequel,
arriving at certain conclusion which the original author will discover
only after, (or maybe copying the "copy"
of their own film). For example: in "Killers
are Challenged" he describe a deep cooperation, and not
only... between the leading agent 077 and a very beautiful Russian spy (interpreted
by the gorgeous Susy Anderson), like what will happen in: "007,
the Spy who loves me", but only ten years after. Or like
the dozens of little gadgets that Richard
Harrison uses during the film, a lot more then 007 used in his
first films.
Edoardo
Margheriti
