| The Secret of Blood Island | |
|---|---|
.jpg) UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Quentin Lawrence |
| Written by | John Gilling |
| Produced by | Anthony Nelson Keys |
| Starring |
Jack Hedley Barbara Shelley Patrick Wymark Charles Tingwell |
| Cinematography | Jack Asher |
| Edited by | Tom Simpson |
| Music by | James Bernard |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK) |
Release dates | 27 April 1965 (US) 13 June 1965 (UK) |
Running time | 84 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Secret of Blood Island is a 1965 British war film directed by Quentin Lawrence and starring Jack Hedley, Barbara Shelley and Patrick Wymark. [1]
The film is a prequel to the 1958 film The Camp on Blood Island.
Premise
British Prisoners of War help a wounded female agent, Elaine, to escape the Japanese during the Second World War.
Main cast
- Jack Hedley as Sergeant John Crewe
- Barbara Shelley as Elaine
- Patrick Wymark as Major Jocomo
- Charles Tingwell as Major Dryden
- Bill Owen as George Bludgin
- Peter Welch as Richardson
- Michael Ripper as Lieutenant Tojoko
- Peter Welch as Richardson
- Lee Montague as Levy
- Edwin Richfield as Tom O'Reilly
- Glyn Houston as Berry
- David Saire as Kempi Chief
- Philip Latham as Captain Drake
- Ian Whittaker as Mills
- John Southworth as Leonard
- Peter Craze as Red
- Henry Davies as Taffy
Production
According to TV Guide, the film was shot in Eastmancolor and released that way in Britain, but the U.S. prints were in black & white. [2]
Reception
The film was not as well received as Camp of Blood Island. Michael Ripper later said, " “I thought the story was very dodgy. I don't give a damn how hungry you are, if you haven't seen a bird in four years, or whatever it was, she'd have been stampeded, wouldn’t she? Somebody must have had the strength. I don't believe the story at all, but I must admit I had a good part in it." [3]
The Monthly Film Bulletin called it a "grotesquely inefficient melodrama." [4] The Guardian called it "nasty". [5]
TV Guide called the film "fairly silly". [2] The Radio Times called it "lurid but fairly enjoyable." [6]
References
- ^ "The Secret of Blood Island". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009.
- ^ a b "The Secret Of Blood Island". TVGuide.com.
- ^ Sheridan, Bob. "History of Hammer Part 7". Halls of Horror. No. 27. p. 43.
- ^ SECRET OF BLOOD ISLAND, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 32, Iss. 372, (Jan 1, 1965): 112.
- ^ Bergman in lighter vein The Guardian 28 June 1965: 4.
- ^ Rose Thompson. "The Secret of Blood Island". RadioTimes.
External links
- The Secret of Blood Island at IMDb
- Secret of Blood Island at Letterbox DVD
- Secret of Blood Island at TCMDB
- Secret of Blood Island at BFI
- Secret of Blood Island at TCMDB
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