How far removed can one be from a film and still enjoy something about it? This review – and the fact that I bought this CD – will be an exercise in answering that question. For, you see, I’ve seen this movie – but I’ve only seen it with the benefit of a guy and two robots sitting in the bottom right corner of the screen, cracking wise at the movie’s ample supply of foibles. Mystery Science Theater fans will instantly recognize this movie as Operation Double 007, while most parts of the world know it as Operation Kid Brother. The idea behind the movie was simple. Step one: get Sean Connery’s little brother (whether he has any acting experience or not) and as many supporting players as you can from the James Bond movies, and put them in a Bond-esque superspy spoof. Step two: ??? Step three: profit!
How much profit did OK Connery pull in? The existence of this album seems to be proof that, not long after the film’s release, it was at least popular enough for composer Ennio Morricone to get everything together that one would need to release a record of the soundtrack. And really, it’s fine music – it’s a bit much in places, but that description could just as easily apply to the movie as a whole. Morricone and Nicolai do a fine job of sending up John Barry’s already-nearly-over-the-top style, and it’s a testament to their work that, even despite having only ever seen this movie with the MST crew cracking wise over the movie audio, the music is so memorable. It’s all here, from the theme music (presented in English, Italian and instrumental forms on this CD, just in case you feel the need to sing along), to the brass-with-60s-electric-guitar action cues, to the hilariously extravagant music from the scene where Adolfo Celi’s supervillain waltzes around in a bathrobe, lights a cigar, and admires what seems to be a personal collection of reclining nude women. Everybody needs a hobby, but man, this guy and his hobby get some killer theme music!
The sound is surprisingly crisp (the master tapes are nearly 40 years old now) and everything has been remastered until it sonically shines. It’s a stunning amount of effort for a movie that, even in regions where it’s better-remembered, was an extremely marginal footnote in cinematic history (and even then, probably only due to the leading man…and his brother). Now, to be fair, you can be sure that the work was undertaken to preserve an unreleased score by one of the cinema’s most famous composers, and I really do appreciate that – but you can also bet that around half of the copies of this CD that have been sold to date have probably been bought by folks who, like myself, have only seen it with Joel and the ‘bots taking well-observed potshots at the movie.
OK Connery sports some dandy music – if you’re in a specific superspy spoofin’ kinda mood. I just hope that I can someday accumulate my own collection of reclining nudes so I, too, will be worthy of the music on track 2. (I’ve already got a bathrobe.)
- Man For Me (3:19)
- Connery (1:58)
- Allegri Ragazzi (1:44)
- Primo Amore (4:37)
- A Passo D’uomo (2:39)
- Varco Nel Muro (1:36)
- Connery (2:19)
- Missione Segreta (1:07)
- Verso Il Mare (1:48)
- Fiori Gialli (1:17)
- Gli Enigmi (1:11)
- Diapositive (1:24)
- Can Can Delle Amazzoni (1:46)
- Connery: Congiura (2:42)
- Contrabbando (1:15)
- Turbinosamente (1:25)
- Gatto Parlante (1:14)
- Missione Segreta (1:44)
- La Preda (0:50)
- Man For Me – Italian version (3:04)
- OK Connery – Sequence 1 (1:44)
- OK Connery – Sequence 2 (2:03)
- OK Connery – Sequence 3 (1:58)
- OK Connery – Sequence 4 (1:13)
- OK Connery – Sequence 5 (1:26)
- OK Connery – Sequence 6 (3:05)
- Man For Me – Instrumental (3:11)
- Man For Me – Alternate version (3:10)
Released by: DigitMovies / Beat Records
Release date: 2004
Total running time: 57:02
