Operating as what could be described as an “anti-Dr. Strangelove,” The Unknown Man of Shandigor is a Cold War-era oddity that works more than it doesn’t, but may still be an acquired taste for those not in tune with some of its more farcical elements. Director Jean-Louis Roy revels in camp and ’60s atomic paranoia as his cartoonishly devilish Dr. Von Krantz (Daniel Emilfork) subverts the spy genre by inventing a formula capable of preventing nuclear war, which he cleverly calls the “Canceler.”
The proceedings become increasingly bizarre as various espionage agencies vie for control of these very important atomic secrets. Russia, the U.S., and even a mercenary group working for the French government called the “Bald Heads” (led by Serge Gainsbourg, who ritualistically and sadistically serenades his minions as he embalms a fallen comrade) are all in the picture, each operating in their own peculiar ways.
The crux, though, is Sylvaine Von Krantz (Marie-France Boyer), lonely daughter to the famed inventor of the Cancler. As she pines for her lost love Manual (a clearly non-French-speaking Ben Carruthers), she inadvertently lets slip where the formula is hidden, instigating yet another shadowy cabal of spies to join the fray, culminating in the use of one of the weirdest James Bond-style gadgets I can think of.
All told, The Unknown Man of Shandigor is a wild ride through Cold War spy tropes, but its many moving parts often bog down the fun. Don’t get me wrong, though: watching Gainsbourg act the villain is alone worth the effort, but when you factor in the absurd knowledge that the film’s bodycount — including a man melted by chemicals and another succumbing to an unseen sea creature — is based on the world’s superpowers competing for the ability to end war rather wage it, the oddity and subversion at hand takes on a whole new meaning.
Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.