Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

“It's Dr. Evil, I didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School to be called "mister," thank you very much.” — Dr. Evil

The title sequence of Jay Roach's swingin’ spy spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery begins with the distinctive opening bars of Quincy Jones’ “Soul Bossa Nova” and a strut like no other. It’s Powers – Austin Danger Powers – with a spring in his step and a mission to resurrect the ’60s.

The creation of comedian Mike Myers, Austin Powers is a character born out of pure love for James Bond, a tongue-in-cheek send-up of secret agents and Swinging London. In time with Jones’ cheerful cuíca drum, Powers shimmies and shakes down the street, mobbed by vibrant and eager fans, his energy infectious and charming. Thanks to costume designer Deena Appel, the actors and dancers are a kaleidoscope of glorious hyper-chromatic colour, decked out in white go-go boots, velvet bell bottoms, and hot pink tights. The credits appear in bright drops of Cooper Black, a heavy serif that plays off of the psychedelic curves of the title card and its twirling flowers.

Like the film proper, this opening sequence borrows heavily from its inspirations, nodding toward figures like Bond, Derek Flint, and TV’s Jason King, as well as films like Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966).

The sequence shoot was a relatively low-fi and low-budget affair, involving a backlot designed to look like London, England, a marching band, a cast of shrieking extras, rear projection, and a team of dancers. The choreography was created by Marguerite Pomerhn Derricks, who worked with Myers to create the dance sequences in the film. “She is at once a great artist and a great pragmatist,” said Mike Myers of Derricks. “She can dream about the possibility and yet live within the reality.” When the reality of Austin Powers expanded to include not one but two sequels, Derricks was along for the ride, the ambitions and choreography of the opening titles growing with each film.

The character that began as merely a member of Ming Tea, a faux retro-mod musical group formed after Myers left Saturday Night Live, has now spawned a trilogy of films so popular that they have raked in more than $650 million worldwide. The character has also appeared in soda commercials and music videos, segments on TV shows, mountains of merchandise, several video games, a collectible card game, and even a pinball machine. In 2010, Austin Powers was ranked #23 in a list of the 100 greatest characters of the last 20 years. But our first proper taste of the randy, snaggletoothed superspy began here, in one of the most boisterous opening sequences of the 20th century.

A discussion with Austin Powers Director JAY ROACH and Choreographer MARGUERITE POMERHN DERRICKS.



First, thanks for being available for this interview! It's such a pleasure to highlight the Austin Powers titles because what you made with those movies is so exceptional and interesting.

Jay: Oh, thank you. I love title sequences, so it’s fun to talk about. I was just looking at the first one and I was inspired to remind myself what the other two were like and it’s pretty funny how we went from a deliberately low-tech thing that was inspired by a few low-tech films into increasingly…

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