Models & Mayhem - CROSSPLOT (1969)

Imprint Films have offered up another dose of pre-Bond Roger Moore with the casual thriller Crossplot – which made its worldwide Blu-ray debut back in August.

It’s a case of models and mayhem for ol’ Rog who plays big-time advertising executive, Gary Fenn. He has his sights on a gorgeous Hungarian woman for a new campaign, but little does Gary know that the mysterious beauty has overheard the details of a political assassination plot.

Crossplot was surprisingly difficult to follow, despite sounding simple on paper. What’s more concerning was how bland the film was. There’s a superficial quality that stems from the hip-swinging 60s scene that had all but taken over London at the time, which our jovial protagonist has embraced as he galivants from one social engagement to another. Fenn takes very little seriously which undercuts the grave plot that’s unfolding. It’s all just a bit silly for the sake of it, even digressing into a sequence that’s lifted straight from The Great Race.

On a positive note, the film has a very lavish style, that’s very similar to the TV series The Persuaders that followed only two years later, and Fenn does bear striking similarities with Moore’s character of Lord Brett Sinclair, who is far more refined. While this may be a back-handed compliment, watching Crossplot did get me excited to re-visit the program, that’s also available from Imprint Films, under the British-heavy Imprint Television sub-label.

I imagine that Moore probably didn’t think much of this movie or role in retrospect, but he’s having fun playing the flamboyant Fenn. I wouldn’t say has much romantic chemistry with his female co-star, Claudie Lange, although the two have a nice rapport.

SPECIAL FEATURES

NEW Audio Commentary by Roger Moore’s biographer / talent agent Gareth Owen and film historian Henry Holland (2024)
NEW Bond Practice – Interview with director Alvin Rakoff (2024)
NEW Off The Charts – Interview featurette with actors Norman Eshley, Michael Culver,
Prudence Drage and Stephen Garlick (2024)
NEW A Dressing-Down – archival audio recollection by actor Francis Matthews (2010)
NEW The New Look Sixties London: Paternoster Square and London Wall – a personal view by Jonathan Wood (2024)
NEW Restoring ‘Crossplot’ – restoration featurette with film grader Jonathan Wood
Textless Titles
Restored Theatrical Trailer
Photo Gallery
Limited Edition Slipcase
Miniature reproduction of the film’s original pressbook

Imprint have outdone themselves in the supplements department for Crossplot with a series of all-new and/or exclusive featurettes. Despite his age, director Alvin Rakoff shares some interesting anecdotes about working on this “Bond”-esque adventure including how he got the job and how a majority of the cast were his friends in an extensive 20-minute sit down. However, sometimes those with the smallest roles are the best sources of entertaining information as shown in the 11-minute featurette, Off the Charts, which combines three interviews from supporting actors who all had different experiences working on Crossplot. If you ever wanted a history lesson on little-known, but recognizable London landmarks, then you’ll love Jonathan Wood’s overview of Paternoster Square and London Wall—to our host’s credit, he’s never boring and the 30-minute supplement goes by quickly! – by Hannah Lynch

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Crossplot’s 1080p presentation comes from a NEW 2K scan of an interpositive by Imprint Films which yields an impressive 1.85:1 image of an otherwise underwhelming film. It’s beautifully bright with strong colours and texture, capturing a lot of details from the scan. All the interior and many outdoor scenes look the best, but the quality does tend to take a noticeable l dip during the many “blue screen” shots that increase in frequency towards the film’s climax.

Volume is frustratingly low mainly when it comes to dialogue, but the English LPCM 2.0 Mono track is clear nonetheless and optional English subtitles are included.

Crossplot was disappointing, but the edition itself from Imprint is exceptional, which is a nice fit for their catalogue that’s largely made up of obscure classics. It’s films that are not lacking in mood and even if you just have it on for background noise, you might just find yourself subconsciously vibing to the beat.

CROSSPLOT
(1969, Director: Alvin Rakoff)