Product Details

• Actors: Alexandra Staden, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Raymond Cruz, Fred Pearson, Valentin Teodosiu
• Directors: Scott Spiegel
• Writers: Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler
• Producers: Marcelo Anciano, Michael Berrow, Michelle Sy, Paul Berrow, Quentin Tarantino
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Miramax
• DVD Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002L57XC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,154 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "My Name Is Modesty" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

MY NAME IS MODESTY - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modesty Done Right -- Who'd'a Thunk It?, October 12, 2004

By 

Daniel H. Bigelow (Cathlamet, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Name Is Modesty (DVD)

For fans of Peter O'Donnell's character Modesty Blaise, screen adaptations have been very frustrating. The Sixties flick sacrificed O'Donnell's vision in favor of the campy cool that was in back then, which entertained fans of Sixties cool while forcing livid Modesty Blaise fans to wonder why the movie's producers bothered to pay good money licensing Blaise if they weren't going to use the Blaise they licensed. A later, barely-noticed small screen adaptation similarly put the beloved name of Blaise to the service of a generic action plot about generic characters.

When the highly regarded moviemaker Quentin Tarantino announced that he was a fan of O'Donnell's books and comics about Blaise and wanted to see the Modesty Blaise property done right on the big screen, that gave fans some hope. But he said that ten years ago, and little has been done since -- until this cheap, direct-to-video Modesty Blaise prequel, which was shot in less than a month solely because Miramax would lose the rights to the property if it hadn't made a movie within a certain time. That's right -- this movie is a hurry-up, zero-budget flick about a character that others couldn't get right on a big budget with plenty of time. And it's a prequel, to boot. A recipe for diaster if there ever was one.

But something went wrong with the recipe, and the movie turned out to be the only one so far that deserves fan approval. While its shoestring budget means low production values that will turn off those who don't care much for the character, the script's fidelity to O'Donnell's vision of Blaise will make fans slap their foreheads and shout, "At last!"

This is mostly due to a faithful script that cleverly manages to work O'Donnell's enjoyable account of Blaise's childhood into a conversation between the teenage Modesty and a sadistic thug who takes her hostage at the casino where she works. Also, care went into casting Modesty. Alexandra Staden is clearly not the athelete Blaise is supposed to be -- for all her slenderness, her arms are flabby -- but she otherwise bears a striking physical resemblance, she carries herself well, and she does a good exotic accent.

For those looking for a high-class flick, though, the low production values will be a sticking point. The movie looks like it was made for ten bucks, and though the script manages to justify the low number of sets, the movie is stagebound enough that justification was required. Plus, the action sequences, though rare (this is more of a suspense movie), are not particularly well-staged or effective. This is definitely direct-to-video fare.

But for Modesty Blaise fans, it is direct-to-video fare that will be a blast, and a relief, to watch. If this much care went into putting the Modesty Blaise that O'Donnell fans know and love into a rinky-dink video just made to preserve the producers' rights to the franchise, then we can have confidence that when they finally manage to make the big-budget one, it will be one the fans will love. (Heck, by that time, Staden may be old enough to play the early-thirties Modesty that movie will require.)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good--for Modesty fans, October 4, 2004

By 

Stephen Barnes (Longview, Wa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Name Is Modesty (DVD)

I just finished watching the Miramax "My Name is Modesty", and, I'm afraid, actually enjoyed it. Understand something--it's not a full blown, big-budget action blowout. But it tells the story of fiction's most spectacular female agent, one rendered for thirty years in comic strips and more than ten novels. Peter O'Donnell's creation is brought more fully to life here than in previous live-action incarnations, but it's a small film, made so that Miramax could keep their movie rights. That said, I loved it, and real Modesty fans will as well. More to the point, I now have hope that someone might make a "real" full out Blaise film one day. This isn't a bad start at all!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modesty Blaise fans rejoice!, December 8, 2004

By 

Modblaiseguy - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Name Is Modesty (DVD)

For the uninitiated, this film will probably be hit or miss. For diehard Modesty Blaise fans like myself, however, it is manna from heaven. It is Modesty Blaise portrayed as she should be! I was skeptical when I heard it was shot in only 18 days on a low budget and was only 78 minutes long. On viewing it, however, I was more than delightfully surprised. The film is very much in line with the MB history and mystique the way Peter O'Donnell wrote it for so many years, and those in the know will recognize many of the elements (and a couple of characters) that have played a role in the novels and short stories.

Alexandra Staden was previously unknown to me, but she deftly portrays Modesty (a difficult role at best) true to character, though it's obvious the producers should have had her work with a trainer to build up and tone her body prior to filming. One important bit of lore that was overlooked was that Modesty was never shod until she was 14, but it's a small discrepancy to live with given the film's otherwise authentic portrayal of the character and history overall. Watch for the single, character-defining moment when Modesty rips her skirt. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Modesty Blaise fans like me have come to adore and cheer for! My only real complaint? One film is not enough; I want more!