Upcoming Spy DVDs: Network Announces Hot Enough For June

One of my favorite wrongfully obscure Sixties spy movies is getting its first official DVD release courtesy of friend-to-spy-fans UK company Network. Hot Enough For June, a 1964 spy comedy from producer Betty Box and director Ralf Thomas (the prolific team behind Deadlier Than the Male), will be out on Region 2 DVD in Britain on July 20. (Why not June?) The great Dirk Bogarde (who played the scene-stealing villain Gabriel in Modesty Blaise) stars as an out-of-work writer who checks in at the unemployment office unaware that it also functions as a recruiting station for MI6. Robert Morley is the spymaster who tricks Bogarde into taking an assignment behind the Iron Curtain–without bothering to tell him the true nature of the assignment. Other spy alums Leo McKern, John Le Mesurier and Deadlier's luscious Sylva Koscina round out the cast in exactly the roles you'd expect them to be in. The Network release will be widescreen, and extras include three image galleries, (including behind the scenes and publicity shots) and PDFs of the original pressbook, poster and flyer. It may sound hackneyed, but the best word to describe this comedic Cold War romp is "delightful." It really is. This is a thoroughly enjoyable film long overdue for DVD release. If you've seen it, then you're probably just as eager as I am for this disc. If you haven't, I highly recommend seeking it out. Hot Enough For June was also released as Agent 008 3/4.