Passport to Treason is a 1956 British second feature[1] mystery thriller directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Rod Cameron, Lois Maxwell, and Clifford Evans.[2] It was written by Kenneth R. Hayles and Norman Hudis, based on the Manning O'Brine novel of the same name.[3][4]
| Passport to Treason | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
|
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | novel by Paddy Manning O'Brine |
| Produced by | Robert S. Baker |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Monty Berman |
| Edited by | Henry Richardson |
| Music by | Stanley Black |
Production company | Mid-Century Film Productions |
| Distributed by | Eros Films (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAfter the death of a friend, private investigator Mike O'Kelly investigates an organisation that claims to be working for world peace, but turns out to be a front for a crime syndicate.
Cast
edit- Rod Cameron as Mike O'Kelly
- Lois Maxwell as Diane Boyd
- Clifford Evans as Orlando Syms
- Peter Illing as Giorgio Sacchi
- Marianne Stone as Miss 'Jonesy' Jones
- Douglas Wilmer as Dr. Randolph
- John Colicos as Pietro
- Ballard Berkeley as Inspector Thredgold
- Andrew Faulds as Barrett
- Barbara Burke as Katrina
- Derek Sydney as Amedeo Sacchi
- Trevor Reid as McCombe
- Neil Wilson as Sergeant Benson
- Peter Swanwick as cafe proprietor
- Hal Osmond as club barman
- Salvin Stewart as travel agency manager
- Anthony Baird as nursing home orderly
- Tom Bowan as bargee
Critical reception
editMonthly Film Bulletin said "Opening with the private detective wandering through a London fog, this thriller goes on to introduce the corpse (stabbed) clutching the book with a vital clue, the private nursing home equipped with a good stock of "truth drug," the equivocally placed heroine, and the gun battle in a dockside warehouse. Such classic situations, here presented earnestly but humourlessly, make up a fairly routine melodrama."[5]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Hearty espionage melodrama ... Vigorously portrayed and realistically staged, it'll keep the crowd on the qui vive. Cast- iron British thick ear."[6]
Picturegoer wrote: "Rod Cameron, fhe Western he-man, made the trip to England to star in this espionage melodrama, set in London. Was his journey necessary? Yes!"[7]
Variety wrote: "Passport to Treason is a run-of-the-mill British whodunit with little to recommend it for the American market ... story line is blurry and frequently burdened by incomprehensible English dialog. ... Baker's direction doesn't help."[8]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Stock melodramatic situations straighforwardly presented make this a watchable support."[9]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Resolute thriller reminiscent of the late 1930s."[10]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "Western star Rod Cameron should never have packed his passport to play the private eye in this dire British B-feature with its sub-Hitchcockian plot about neo-fascists in London concealing their activities within an organisation for world peace. A better actor than granite-jawed Cameron might have breathed some life into the line-up of hackneyed situations."[11]
References
edit- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Passport to Treason". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Passport to Treason (1955) - Robert S. Baker | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
- ^ Goble, Alan (September 8, 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Passport to Treason". Monthly Film Bulletin. 23 (264): 118. 1956 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Passport to Treason". Kine Weekly. 471 (2554): 16. 26 July 1956 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Passport to Treason". Picturegoer. 32: 17. 6 September 1956 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Passport to Treason". Variety. 204 (3): 22. 19 September 1956 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 784. ISBN 0586088946.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 360. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 707. ISBN 9780992936440.