Our Man In Havana (1959)

Set in pre-revolutionary Cuba, a vacuum cleaner salesman (Alec Guinness) is approached by a representative (Noel Coward) from British Intelligence to spy for them. In desperate need of money, he agrees. But when he has nothing to report, he makes up things to satisfy their need for information. But things turn deadly when innocent people are killed because of his creative reports. Based on the novel by Graham Greene, who also adapted his book into its screenplay and directed by Carol Reed who directed the 1949 film of Greene's THE THIRD MAN. What begins as a witty satire on the international spy genre grows darker as the film explores how good people are capable of evil things. Guinness's vacuum cleaner salesman is an innocuous gent that you probably wouldn't look at twice. He certainly doesn't intend the tragic consequences that he innocently causes because he doesn't take the whole thing seriously. The great Oswald Morris (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) does a splendid job of capturing bustling Cuba (this was filmed only a few months after Castro took reins of the government) in CinemaScope. The impeccable cast includes Maureen O'Hara, Ralph Richardson, Ernie Kovacs, Burl Ives, Jo Morrow, Gregoire Aslan, Ferdy Mayne, Maxine Audley and Rachel Roberts.