The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 Through 1999 (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This volume includes "films that deal with undercover agents of any government, including . . . FBI and CIA agents, postal inspectors, army and Department of Treasury investigators, and other special government agents." Mavis, a freelance writer, begins with an introduction that discusses the power of escapism, the history of spy films, and the reasons they attract an audience. He states, "When a genre character . . . not only makes manifest our secret desires of power and fluidity, but also manages to transcend, subvert and conquer the rules and formalities of our little lives, well, that's why we still have spies up on the screen today."

The 1,760 entries are listed in alphabetical order by film title. Each entry includes the year of release, running time, alternate titles, cast and crew members, and a brief synopsis. Entries conclude with comments from Mavis--statements about the film as a whole (such as "Forgettable" [Operation Lovebirds] or "A real find late at night" [Firestarter]) as well as commentary on acting, directing, and audience reception upon release. The length of this commentary can range from one or two sentences to one-third of a page. Occasionally, quotes from film reviews are also included. There are more than 60 black-and-white images with accompanying captions interspersed throughout the filmography; these include movie posters and stills.

The author provides a two-page bibliography of works consulted in his research. Two alphabetical indexes provide referencing by film entry number--one lists names of cast members; the other lists crew. The filmography would benefit from a chronological list.

Similar in scope and content to The Great Spy Pictures (Scarecrow, 1974) and The Great Spy Pictures II (Scarecrow, 1986) but much more up-to-date, The Espionage Filmography, although priced a bit high, is recommended for comprehensive academic collections and performing arts or film libraries. RBB
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Review

". . . Paul Mavis provides a massively detailed guide . . . .The author includes films that many readers wouldn't expect to find. . . ." -- Lou Gaul, Burlington County Times, October 11, 2001

". . . Paul Mavis provides a massively detailed guide to hundreds of spy films." -- Lou Gaul, Burlington County Times

". . . The Espionage Filmography. . . is recommended for comprehensive academic collections and performing arts or film libraries." -- Booklist, February 1, 2002

". . . his observations, especially about the Bond films and Austin Powers, are smart, brisk, insightful, and often very funny. -- Classic Images, 2002

". . . provides complete credits, synopses, and capsule reviews for 1,760 spy-related films. . . . Mavis' curt remarks are pointed and insightful." -- Kim Newman, Empire, March 2002

". . . value is its exhaustive listing of all known espionage films with enlightening comments. . . . couldn't find any film missing. . . . " -- Big Reel, December 2001

"In his thoughtful introduction, Mavis traces the evolution of spy film[s]. . . . Mavis' comments are both informative and highly subjective." -- David K. Frasier, ARBA 2002

"Mavis does not hesitate to give his biting opinion of these films." -- D. K. Blewett, College of DuPage, CHOICE, MARCH, 2002

"This reference filmography comprehensively covers movies involving espionage, from The Abductors to Zotz!" -- NEW BOOKS, Jan. - Feb. 2002, pg. 4

Great fun to flick through, with the expected credits, opinion and trivia well up to par. -- Film Review, June 2002, pg. 89

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 462 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786408618
• ISBN-13: 978-0786408610
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,417,359 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the definitive work, April 28, 2007

By	orvuus (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews

Not sure what better guides are out there, but this one has some serious flaws. It does have a good index (essential for any filmography, and a number of them suprisingly don't have good indices) and lists a fair number of films. The biggest letdown are the reviews themselves, which veer from descriptive to opinionated consistently. I have no problems with somewhat opinionated reviews, but the author seems to have some crippling prejudices: "worst kind of Regan-era simplified nonsense," is an example of a comment -- but the author also has an axe to grind against Bond films, Hitchcock, and Paul Newman as an actor! Peculiar, and annoying. Very weak in listing cast, crew, director, alternate titles, and other relevant information far more interesting than some of the commentary and remarks on box office draw.

Furthermore this book is very out-of-date now, since a number of good films have been re-released on DVD only recently. I would hesitate to buy an updated book by this author, and I think his audience would be better served by far less commentary and "critical" reponse and a run-down of how well a film did at the box office. I think this is a shame, because I bought this book on the strength of another interesting review by this author and the overwhelmingly positive reviews I saw here. Skip this one.


Better filmographies out there:
The quirky but extremely useful Overlook film seriesThe Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Horror (The Overlook Film Encyclopedia Series), The Videohound Golden Retriever books Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever 2007 (Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever), and the TLA Video guides TLA Video & DVD Guide 2005: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide (Tla Video & DVD Guide)

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, authoritative guide -- very entertaining!, July 10, 2003

By A Customer

Here's the best guide out there for spy and espionage films, and one of the best filmographies period. Mavis doesn't forget one film, and his comments are strong and persuasive; he's not afraid to say what he really thinks about a movie. He can also be very, very funny -- is he the only other person to see how bad Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves are??? Expert film analysis, as well, and great pictures. BUY THIS BOOK!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to spy movies!, March 19, 2003

By A Customer

Forget the previous customer review, and check out what the book critics and film historians think -- this book is the best single resource for spy films released in America. It's also one of the funniest film books I've ever read -- I can't wait for his next book. The credits are more complete than other film sources, the photos are fascinating, and the author's comments are really helpful -- and again, hysterical. Should be in every film lover's library!