Aka - Upper Seven


One of the most important aspects about Euro-Spy films is if they have a good theme song over the opening credits and this has a catchy one. Upper Seven. I got to go. Upper Seven. Don't touch me so. It is up on Amazon from composer Bruno Nicolai. The film is quite good as well relative to many of the films I have seen in this genre. It has the usual good points - beautiful women, deadly gadgets, good bad guys, lovely cinematography, travel, cool cars but manages to avoid some of the typical weak spots. The plot actually holds together and makes sense, the hero is suave and Bondian and the English dub is not a huge distraction. Of course, it does rely on that old chestnut - the villains have him but don't immediately kill him. In this case not only do they not murder him but they forget to search him, they fly him from Copenhagen to South Africa and they bring him into the headquarters where missiles are being built. Not a good plan. Don't these guys ever go to the movies?



Upper Seven aka Paul Finney is played by Swiss actor Paul Hubschmid and he is very amiable in this role - good looking, polite (when he isn't slapping you around), charming and believable in his action sequences. He is a spy working for the British and is the man of Ten Faces. In other words, a master of the rubber face. No one in the opposition really knows what he looks like. He creates his own masks and when he wants to seduce a young lady he asks her if she wants to come up and see my faces. He is after Cobras who is head of an organization that sells its services to whoever needs a little villainy performed. In this case to de-stabilize Africa so that a major power can move in - who just happens to look very Chinese.


Upper Seven has the usual weapons at this disposal - a cane that shoots, an umbrella that gases, a lighter that fires and a belt that explodes. He is also given the help of a C.I.A. agent in the lovely form of Karin Dor. When they are introduced they practically strip and get it on right there. He does well in the woman seduction department - first Rosalba Neri who admittedly is setting him up to be killed, then Dor and finally Vivi Bach, the moll of Cobras. I don't know how ethical that was since he was disguised as Cobras at the time but all is fair in sex and war. And she didn't complain. Directed and written by Alberto De Martino. Nice style, good fun and lovely women.