Cinema Sunday: Fathom

Here in my Cinema Sunday posts, I write about movies I've seen.  What trips my interest in any given movie can vary. Sometimes a noble reason may be involved. It's a classic film I've heard about and I've always wanted to watch it. 

Or the premise intrigues me and classic or dud, I'm intrigued to see how a movie might unfold.

And sometimes a movie catches my attention for more admittedly purient reasons. 

The movie for today's Cinema Sunday features Raquel Welch as a buxom skydiver. 

I should point out the descriptive "buxom skydiver" is exactly how Raquel's character is described in the cable listings.  

Being "buxom" is a interesting attribute to highlight for "skydiving" but when you see Fathom, a 1967 British spy comedy film, well, you get the idea why. 

Professional (and buxom) skydiver Fathom Harvill (Welch) gets caught up in a deadly competition in Spain between competing forces who are after a deadly nuclear device hidden inside an ancient Chinese figurine known as the Fire Dragon.

There's Douglas Campbell, British agent working for NATO looking to recruit Fathom to find the Fire Dragon.

There's Peter Merriwether, a mysterious private operative who seeks to finagle Fathom into recovering the Fire Dragon.  

And there's the Armenian man named Serapkin, a rich (and very weird) private collector who wants the Fire Dragon for himself and it would save everyone a lot of fuss and bother if Fathom would just hand over the dang thing.  

And Fathom would just as soon not be involved in any of this mess.  Serapkin is clearly not to be trusted but both Campbell and Merriwether take turns each trying to convince Fathom he is the good guy and the other is the rogue agent.  

Eventually the damn Fire Dragon falls into Fathom's hands and she spends most of the movie running around in mini dresses and bikinis so if you want to know more about the plot, don't look to me, I stopped paying attention to such nonsense. 

Who needs a plot?

You've got Raquel Welch as a buxom skydiver. 

The "It's That Person Who Was In That Thing" Department 

Ronald Fraser who plays Col. Douglas Campbell did time on Doctor Who in the 1988 episode "The Happiness Patrol"

Clive Revill who portrays Serapkin got some nerd cred for his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Sir Guy of Gisborne in the 4th season episode "Qpid".   

Fathom was made by 20th Century Fox to cash in on the success of the Modesty Blaise comic strip and it's film adaption. 

Fathom was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr and directed by Leslie Martinson who had just made the film of the TV show Batman. The Batman movie proved Semple and Martinson could make a movie quick and cheap so they got the green light to make Fathom.  

But the Modesty Blaise film flopped, Fox lost faith in Fathom which was released with little studio support and it too flopped at the box office. 

Despite having Raquel Welch as a buxom skydiver. 

Here's what Lorenzo Semple said about the film:  "It could have been very good. It's so confused. I watched it a couple of times, and I really didn’t know what was gonna happen! I didn't know who done it or what they'd done!"

This from the man who wrote the damn thing.  

Interesting quirk for the credits: despite being the title character in Fathom, Raquel Welch gets second billing behind Tony Franciosa who played Merriwether.  

Raquel Welch didn't get top billing in her own movie, even though she was Fathom Harvill, buxom skydiver. 

Fathom is a stupid mess of a movie but it makes for a pleasant enough diversion with some flashes of humor and wit and the most considerable charms of Raquel Welch.