Agent 69 Jensen

In The Sign of Scorpio

1977, re-released 2009

Denmark

Music Video Distributors

R1 DVD

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

Danish with subtitles

With the spread of the video recorder in the late 1970s it seemed only natural that the adult film industry would take advantage of it to open up a whole new market of erotic films for home use. Until this period there were very few erotic films available publicly. Any new film had to first find a distributor, then get a rating from the local censors, then find cinemas willing to show it. In Australia and much of the rest of the world this usually meant after-midnight showings at the local drivein theatre. In 1969 the Danish government made a brave move and decided that what people wanted to watch was none of the Government’s business. They removed censorship on adult films and this encouraged a rapid development of their native film industry. Such films as I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967), Danish Escort Girls (1976) and Sexual Freedom in Denmark (1970) gave the country a bit of an undeserved reputation for being sex-obsessed. When the films were translated to video the market flourished.

In the United States the same thing happened. The wowsers complained about the drop in moral values and predicted the end of civilisation, but distribution of these films on videotape was too strongly entrenched before they could become organised enough to try to prevent it. Both countries had capable local film industries from which to draw technical and production staff and many U.S. films resemble a standard feature movie of that time – good sets, high-quality cinematography, recording on film, and with at least some emphasis on acting ability. Often they took their inspiration from mainstream films of the time and reworked the plot to produce either a spoof like Flesh Gordon (1974) or a copy of a well-known film like Sex World (1978)

There was a strong difference between the types of films from the two countries. The Scandinavian films generally depicted the sexual content as good fun in the context of a semi-serious plotline. The U.S. productions very quickly degenerated to a relentless progress towards the “money shot” and gradually any pretence of a plot faded. Their industry became straight pornography rather than entertainment. Such is the appeal of some of the earlier films that they are now getting a new lease of life on DVD.

This film comes from the period when Danish filmmakers could still produce a good, funny romp. It is part of the Agent 69 Jensen series which is something like a cross between Get Smart and Inspector Clouseau, with naked women. Jensen is an agent for Danish Intelligence and manages to bumble his way through convoluted plots, larger than life villains, and very attractive young women to complete his mission. The baddie in the film is the evil Skorpion, who has an enjoyable habit of ripping the clothing off his young female assistants when angered.

The plot revolves around a missing microfilm that Danish Intelligence wants to hand over to Agent Horsepower of the CIA. Unfortunately it is given to the wrong man and the hunt is on to recover it. All the protagonists finish up in the Skorpion’s hideaway. Here a long-drawn-out but quite funny set of sex scenes ensues as they look for the microfilm. Although the sex content is close to what you would expect from an American film it is done with taste and style, rendering it quite inoffensive and allowing you to enjoy the humour. The film is full of predictable clichés, farce and good fun.

Its stars were mostly quite well known in the genre. The attractive Anna Bergman also appeared in Adventures of a Taxi Driver and Intimate Games. Torben Bille plays a demented dwarf henchman, and later did The Sinful Dwarf (1973). Ole Soltoft as Agent 69 continued through the series and went on to appear in more than thirty films including the Bedroom Mazurka series. If I have a criticism to make of the film, it is that all the young women are tall attractive blondes and after a while you lose track of which is which. As if it matters. The film appears to have been shot on film stock rather than direct to video, which at that time had some serious technical shortcomings. As a result we get a crisp, clean print with vibrant colours which really shows off some of the lavish sets (and the tall naked blondes).

Don’t expect great cinema from this film. It is simply a happy little piece, a good example of its times, with quite a lot of inoffensive sex content. Since it’s not trying to out-porn anyone, it is good entertainment.

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This review will appear in Volume 2 No.4 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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