Hopscotch

‘Hopscotch’ is a 1980 American comedy-adventure film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson. After serving 30 years as a CIA agent Miles Kendig (Matthau) is asked to ‘retire’ to a desk job by his new, uptight supervisor Myerson (Ned Beatty). Baffled by his bosses’ proposal Kendig decides, on his own initiative, to take leave and travel to Austria to visit his on/off lover Isobel (played by Jackson). After a few days relaxing in the countryside, he decides to get his own back on his former employers – as well as redeem some dignity after his humiliating demotion, by embarking on a mission to write a memoir exposing the inner workings of the CIA and KGB entitled ‘Hopscotch.’ After posting the first few chapters to various government agencies around the world, both the CIA and KGB are hot on his pursuit fully intent on capturing Kendig and preventing him from publishing his openly honest accounts. What develops is a classic chase around the world where Kendig remains half a step ahead of his pursuers as he teases and torments his fellow agents with clues to his whereabouts and sets up a series of booby traps which inevitably make a mockery of both the CIA and FBI.

Both amusing and exciting, ‘Hopscotch’ is a fast-paced adventure film which includes all the glamour and appeal of any James Bond film. With its luxurious locations, fast cars, fast planes and an extremely witty secret agent in Miles Kendig, ‘Hopscotch’ is an Americanised James Bond film with its tongue firmly in its check which all equates to a new dimension to the spy-adventure movie: ‘An Americanised James Bond film.’

With James Bond being the most famous secret agent character in the history of film, inevitably there has to be a certain standard to uphold when portraying future agents on screen. Good looks, an expensive suit, and a nice gun are perhaps the three most vital elements a secret agent needs when globe-trotting around the world. Whether it is Sean Connery, Roger Moore or Daniel Craig, all are similar in the fact that women want them, and men want to be them. The glamorisation in films of fast cars, fast women, and a licence to kill is the ideal platform to display on the big screen exciting car chases, beautiful women, and a great shoot-out between good and evil. All 21 of the James Bond films involve these traits time and time again yet also with a very British accent.

Derived from its very British creator in Ian Fleming, James Bond is a glamorised component of the British Empire where its secret agent is let loose on the world supposedly making it a better place to live. Constantly being suave and sophisticated and with an ability to hide emotion and focus on the job, being a British agent seems like a demanding 24-hour job. Indeed, it has its benefits: sleeping with beautiful women with no strings attached, great gadgets et al, but what happens when there are no bad guys to catch? Surely no bad guys mean no jet-setting, no women, and no reason to kill? Fortunately, there are enough insane people out there to keep 007 busy as they all strive to come up with new ways to take over the world. With an ‘Americanised’ version in ‘Hopscotch,’ there are no wild attempts by a madman to hold the world to ransom – just a middle-aged agent wanting to get even in such a manner you could simply believe he was on his holidays.

The way in which Kendig goes about his globe-trotting mission is simply extraordinary to say the least. As well as maintaining a healthy love affair with Isobel, he managers also to keep two of the most advanced and most intelligent government agencies guessing his every move (as well as making complete fools out of them in the process). On screen it is clear that Kendig is one of the best CIA agents around with mass amounts of experience and a huge international following (many of the younger agents, and the KGB, pursuing Kendig are all secretly in awe of him claiming: ‘I can’t help but like the guy’). However, Kendig never seems to believe his own hype. He is clearly having fun with what he is doing but never seems arrogant or superior when interacting with the public. Whereas someone like James Bond would stick out a mile in ordinary locations (an English pub, train stations etc…), Kendig’s agent simply looks like he is on vacation or on a typical Sunday morning stroll. In never going out of his way to feel the need to blend in, Kendig (a man clearly into his 60s) does not give off the impression of an international agent. Dressed in almost casual attire, including a large over-coat in most scenes, Kendig never appears glamorous on screen. You could argue that because James Bond is around 25 years younger, he has an excuse to be a real clotheshorse and that dressing fashionably is expected. Kendig in ‘Hopscotch’ just looks like your grandfather getting up to mischief. Even when acquiring fake identities and passports from a long-time acquaintance in Europe (a seemingly glamorous, if not illegal, activity if any), Kendig does so in a sort of care-free; if not non-professional like manner (in one particular scene where he negotiates the use of a charter-plane is hilarious to say the least). There are no skilful exchanges or anything of that sort, just a playfulness attitude on both parts as if the whole exercise were being performed by two cheekily misbehaved school pupils getting their own back on a teacher. By constantly being told he is making a fool out of himself and that he will eventually get caught, if not killed, Kendig just shrugs his shoulders as if nothing really matters. To him this is simply an ‘early retirement’ activity before he can eventually settle down with Isobel.

This seemingly ‘Americanisation’ of an agent in ‘Hopscotch’ is further emphasised by the CIA’s lack of professionalism in tracking Kendig. When meeting British Intelligence in London, CIA supervisor Myerson is clearly rattled by this whole charade and lacks any professionalism and composure – constantly losing his temper and issuing treats. Britain’s head supervisor however seems firm, straight talking, and (with a huge smirk on his face) maintains that this would never happen in Britain with one of his agents. In the end he offers to help out in the matter – ‘hands over the sea and all that’ he states.

This brashness of behaviour by senior American officials is constantly acquired by Kendig in order to mislead local authorities when either border-crossing or arriving at airports. With genuine opinion of Americans being loud, brash, and larger than life, Kendig dons this stereotypical persona when crossing the border into Switzerland. Pulling up to the checkpoint with opera music blaring out of his car, attention is immediately drawn to him. When issuing his fake passport to the guard the loud music seems to distract the official as Kendig continues to play the fool by mispronouncing the title and composer as the two strike up a polite conversation. As he drives away from the checkpoint the guard must simply assume yet another American tourist, whilst shaking his head in disbelief. Yet for Kendig this has worked a treat has he is free yet again to enter a country undetected.

Kendig’s ability in acting the fool is brought of by years of experience as an agent – managing to deceive officials and governments is perhaps his strongest forte. However, with ‘Hopscotch’s’ Americanised tomfoolery on show, we see, at some points during the film, Kendig at his clumsily best when sat writing his memoirs. Whether it’s the small things such as him spilling beer over his work, these are little glimpses into world of Kendig ala Leslie Nielson’s Frank Drebin in ‘The Naked Gun’ films. Although not as completely brain-dead as police squad’s Drebin, these little slips simply make Kendig seem more human on screen and, in turn, make the audience route harder for him.

Another film which shares the same amount of non-professionalism in terms of being a secret agent is Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’ (1959). Starring Cary Grant as an innocent man mistaken for a secret agent, he reluctantly dons the role of the made-up agent and, in turn, is forced to act on impulse as he deals with the authorities on both sides of the law. Both ‘North by Northwest’ and ‘Hopscotch’ share a similar tone in that both ‘agents’, (real or not), attain a certain boyish, perhaps, amateurish role as powerful figures with an authority that both men do not quite know what to do with. If you compare that approach to Britain’s James Bond you get the exact opposite: a hundred per cent commitment, professionalism, and the ability to maintain respect on behalf of his villains, his allies, and the watching audience. Is cinema trying to state that Britain leads the way in powerful authoritative figures? Looking back over British history there are plenty of leading personnel to borrow from: Henry V, Lord Nelson, T.E. Lawrence etc… Many films portraying these figures present them in a typical British way: stiff upper lip and all that. James Bond, and the agency he works for, is just another branch off that historical figures tree.

As for the Americans, they certainly have their own leading historical figures to look up to: President’s Lincoln and Kennedy to name a few. However, they decide not to present their James Bond-type characters in the same way Britain does. Instead, they opt for a less professional, more humorous approach which seems to reflect their more easygoing outlook on life which, in turn, has produced hugely enjoyable films such as ‘Hopscotch’ and many more.

Watch

Country: USA
Budget: £
ength: 101mins

Filmography:

‘North by Northwest’, 1959, Alfred Hitchcock, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Pub/2008

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