Modesty Blaise started life as a British comic strip in the London Evening Standard in 1963, written by Peter O’Donnell with art by Jim Holdaway. Featuring the character Modesty Blaise, a young woman with extraordinary talents and a shady criminal past, think of a female cross between James Bond and Simon Templar. As well as the comic strip her story has been adapted into a series of thirteen novels/short story collections and various comic books/graphic novels. With all this in mind it would be amazing if it hadn’t been made into a movie, what is truly amazing is that it has actually been filmed three times, they just aren’t that memorable.
Modesty Blaise (1966) was a comedy thriller (light on the thriller part and not very funny) directed by Joseph Losey and staring Monica Vitti as Modesty. Terence Stamp played her sidekick Willie Garvin, and Dirk Bogarde as the arch villain Gabriel. Hamstrung by script rewrites and a lack of cohesive vision the movie looks more like an Austin Powers movie than a James Bond one (and not as funny as either). Imagine looking back at Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels if Casino Royale (1966) was the only James Bond film to be made! Unsurprisingly the film was financially unsuccessful and a suggested film series never happened.
Modesty Blaise (1982): the next incarnation of the story was a one-hour pilot for a TV show that never got picked up. Set in America the characters and the actors who played them were American not British with TV regular Ann Turkel playing Modesty Blaise and Lewis Van Bergen as Willie Garvin. Slightly more serious and less camp than the 60’s version, I saw it many years ago and remember enjoying it but looking back now at clips online it looks typically cheep and cheesy like other 80’s TV.
My Name Is Modesty: A Modesty Blaise Adventure (2004) Miramax owned the rights to Modesty Blaise but they were about to expire. In order to retain them they decided to throw together a direct to video movie. Shot in just two and half weeks on a modest budget the movie acts as a sort of prequel to other Modesty stories; set before she ran the criminal organisation “The Network” and before her time with British Intelligence and before she met Willie Garvin. Typical B movie action, the movie is worth a look when it comes on TV but I wouldn’t bother buying/renting the DVD. With British actress Alexandra Staden taking the title role the cast is virtually unknown, the DVD box does feature a famous name, above the movie title it reads “Quentin Tarantino presents”. From what I understand Tarantino did no more than lend his name to the movie, he has however suggested on many occasions that he would like to direct a Modest Blaise movie. For those who haven’t spotted it, the book Vincent Vega is seen reading a copy of Modesty Blaise (the novel based on the first movie).
Has Quentin Tarantino got Modesty Blaise out of his system by making Kill Bill (2003-04) or is it still there in the background? When you consider he has been talking about Inglourious Basterds (2009) since around the time of Pulp Fiction (1994) I would suggest Tarantino isn’t one to let things go. The big question, who do you cast in a movie like this? As Uma Thurman proved in The Avengers (1998) and Charlize Theron in Æon Flux (2005) looking good (and they did look really good) isn’t enough, the movies were terrible.
Interestingly both these actresses have been suggested as a potential Modesty along with Kate Beckinsale and Jennifer Connely. Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez also expressed an interest around the time of the Miramax movie that never materialised after My Name is Modesty. If I can throw a few more names into the hat; Modesty should be in her late twenties or early thirties, tall, slender, drop dead gorgeous, very tenacious and slightly aloof; two actresses that fit the bill and have been brilliant in everything they have done recently: Anna Hathaway and Eva Green.
And if QT doesn’t make the movie someone else will sooner or later, who else can direct an intelligent action movie but retain a deeply cutting sense of humour? The one man who springs to mind: Joss Whedon! I would like to see the movie made as a period piece set in the mid sixties but accept the fact it will probably be undated to the modern day. The setting should include England (particularly swinging London of the mid to late 60’s) as well as more exotic locations around the world. Whatever happens Modesty Blaise is a character who deserves a big screen outing to rival Bond and Bourne.
Fandango Groovers Movie Blog 
Yes, well, that movie really wasn’t very good.
Eva Green might do well. I shall accept nothing less than Tarantino, though.
Rachel Weisz is for me a good cast for Modesty, but when it comes to mr Garvin there are two options: Simon Baker or Michael C Hall, depending on which drawer you base your Modesty Blaise-universe on. But the question remains: why has no one done a new movie yet?
I agree with much of what you’ve said, actually i was discussing it with my sister the other day and we said Eva Green is perfect for it – she has a neutral/English accent and commands a great presence. I for one am a vehement anti-Anne Hathaway, she’s a good actress but I wouldn’t cat her in anything, never mind as Modesty (No one would take her seriously). One the other hand, ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ – the backstory for Artemesia is very much like Modesty’s.
I haven’t zeroed in on a Willie Garvin though, I’m a traditionalist so I think he should be a British
As for the director, I like some of QT’s work, but he’s often lacks subtlety, looking at Django Unchanged (which I enjoyed) he just couldn’t resist his trademark effects in the closing scenes (the excess blood worked for this film though, its Django afterall). He leaves too much of himself in a project – plus I think Modesty should have a European director, I tend to stay away from American’s, unless its the Coen Brothers – becasue of the faith shown in the source material (or maybe David Fincher).
I agree, it should be set in around the 60’s, essentially making it like an old school Bond film, just with way better/more serious action.
I think the reason a proper film hasn’t been made (that does justice to Modesty), is because its such a delicate project. Get it right, and it will be immortal (a tantalizing film prospect), but get one element wrong and it will tumble like a stack of cards. A large issue has always been casting Modesty, and finding the iconic actress to do it. I believe Eva G is tailor made for this role. Modesty is a more complex role than many people think – able to break your neck, but then later seeming as innocent as a child playing in the garden (with genuine innocence and vulnerability). The chemistry and almost symbiotic relationship with Willie is also tantamount to the film. If that fails, then its not a proper MB film – these are elements that you cannot direct (& has already been written) its something the actors need to get right in auditions…
(sorry for the long comment. The film site I write for had a podcast on the topic last year of “great films that haven’t been made”, and Modesty came up)
This isn’t just a film that hasn’t been made, its a franchise (like James Bond) that begs for a half a dozen films or at least a trilogy.
S
Thanks for the comment, can you point me in the direction of that podcast, I would be interested in hearing it.
Hi there.
I’ve been looking for it, and checked with my friend Joel (and head honcho) at http://inthekan.net/ – looks like we didn’t publish it… He remembers the discussion but it could’ve been left on the proverbial “cutting room floor” with edits. But thanks for the interest, I remember we mentioned,along with Modesty, that they could now also apply the motion capture treatment to Asterix as they did with Tintin.
In any event it looks like the site InTheKan will be closing… as part of the ITK team we’ve had to make some life choices and sadly following the passion for films with this project just isn’t taking off the way we hoped it would (I think the South African film/Geek fandom-film community just isn’t big enough to sustain our dreams).
Great site BTW