The Cape Town Affair
The Cape Town Affair is director Robert D. Webb's 1967 glamorized spy film produced by 20th Century Fox at Killarney Film Studios in South Africa. The film stars Claire Trevor, James Brolin and Jacqueline Bisset. The film is a remake of the 1953 picture Pickup on South Street.[1]
| The Cape Town Affair | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert D. Webb |
| Produced by | Robert D. Webb |
| Written by | Dwight Taylor |
| Screenplay by | Samuel Fuller Harold Medford |
| Starring | Claire Trevor James Brolin Jacqueline Bisset |
| Music by | Bob Adams Joe Kentridge |
| Cinematography | David Millin |
| Edited by | Peter Grossett |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It was Brolin's first starring role. Both he and Bisset were under contract to Fox. He later said "I didn't like it much but we [he and Bisset] weren't bad."[2]
Plot
South African secret agents try to save a confidential microfilm before the Communists get hold of it.
Cast
- Claire Trevor as Sam Williams
- James Brolin as Skip McCoy
- Jacqueline Bisset as Candy
- Bob Courtney as Capt. Herrick, Security Branch
- John Whiteley as Joey
- Gordon Mulholland as Warrant Officer Du Plessis
- Siegfried Mynhardt as Fenton
- James Gordon White as Sgt. Beukes
- Gabriel Bayman as Mohammed the Fence
- Raymond Matuson as Lighting Louis / Espinosa
- Patrick Mynhardt as Myburgh
Production
Some of the Cape Town locations include Long Street, apartments along Beach Road in Mouille Point and Green Point, the harbour docks now within the Waterfront, the town centre near the railway station and city hall.
Reception
Commentators describe the film as dull, slow-paced, poorly acted and tedious. The film does, however, paint an interesting picture of life in South Africa under apartheid as seen from the point of view of official government policy. All the leading characters are white and even street scenes contain few non-whites.[3]
See also
References
- CAPE TOWN AFFAIR, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 36, Iss. 420, (Jan 1, 1969): 8.
- BIDING HIS TIME: James Brolin Looking for Role Outside Weekly TV Rut Murphy, Mary B. Los Angeles Times 2 Sep 1970: h17.
- FILM AS EVIDENCE, FILM AS HISTORY AND FILM IN HISTORY: SOME AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES Bickford-Smith, Vivian. African Research & Documentation; London Iss. 110, (2009): 17-27.