I Was Montys Double

Publish date: 2024-06-12

I Was Monty's Double tells about a great and important wartime hoax, almost incredible in its audacity. Clifton James, a smalltime stock actor serving as a junior officer in the Royal Army Pays Corps, bore a startling resemblance to General Montgomery. This was used in a daring scheme devised by Army Intelligence to persuade the Germans that the forthcoming Allies' invasion might well take place on the North African coast.

I Was Monty’s Double tells about a great and important wartime hoax, almost incredible in its audacity. Clifton James, a smalltime stock actor serving as a junior officer in the Royal Army Pays Corps, bore a startling resemblance to General Montgomery. This was used in a daring scheme devised by Army Intelligence to persuade the Germans that the forthcoming Allies’ invasion might well take place on the North African coast.

The deception proved so successful that the enemy moved several divisions to the North African coast, a move which helped the actual invasion tremendously. The film has several moments of real tension.

Plenty of news footage has been woven into the pic and it has been done with commendable ingenuity. Bryan Forbes’ taut screenplay [based on James’ book] is liberally spiced with humor. James plays both himself and Montgomery. Apart from his uncanny resemblance to Monty, James shows himself to be a resourceful actor in his own right.

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I Was Monty’s Double

UK

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