Frank Blaine Movies
In this early martial arts action-drama, Matt Carver (Joel Holt) is an American who studied in Japan and is returning for his first visit in quite some time. Not long after he arrives, Matt comes into the possession of an unusual coin, which soon makes him the target of British ne'er-do-well Ivan Mayberry (Frank Blaine) and a band of Japanese toughs. After becoming reacquainted with his old friend Akira (Akira Shiga), who now runs a karate school in Tokyo, Matt learns just why the coin is so valuable -- it features code that, if correctly unraveled, will lead its bearer to a fortune in platinum. As Matt tries to sort out the good guys from the bad guys, he's forced to put his skills in karate to use. One of the first feature films centered on the martial arts (and certainly the first in English), Karate, the Hand of Death was made with the cooperation of the Japanese Karate Foundation. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joel Holt, Frank Blaine, (more)
Alan Burgess' novel The Small Woman was the source for the British/American co-production Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Set in the China of the 1930s, the film stars Ingrid Bergman as real-life missionary Gladys Aylward. Against the advice of practically everyone, Gladys heads into the war-ravaged interior to spread the Christian gospel. She finds a powerful ally in the form of an elderly Mandarin (Robert Donat) who, despite his early efforts to rid himself of the troublesome Gladys, eventually converts to Christianity. Gladys' burgeoning romance with Chinese army officer Lin Nan (Curt Jurgens) is interrupted when she is obliged to guide a group of Chinese children to safety over some of the most treacherous of Northern China's mountain regions. Inn of the Sixth Happiness retains its entertainment value some four decades after its production, even allowing for the preponderance of Occidental actors in Oriental roles. The film also served to breathe new life into the old children's nonsense song "This Old Man" (aka "Knick, Knack, Paddywhack"). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, Curd Jürgens, (more)
