Paixão de Espiões (1967)

Russian director Efim Gamburg’s short animated film Passion of Spies is a parody of the spy movies of the 50’s and 60’s. In the style of MAD Magazine’s Spy vs. Spy, this short features a lot of the silliness and exaggeration of the lengths to which spies will go. The action concentrates on two competing spies, while others lurk in the shadows. Secret agents and their contraptions spring out of hiding and there are clandestine meetings with questionable individuals.

Prior to the film’s original release, the Soviets were so nervous that they required a preview so that the film could be evaluated by one of their generals. To his credit, the general laughed and enjoyed the film. Still, the film wasn't seen in Russia until after Perestroika.