Terence Young Movies
British filmmaker Terence Young, who was born in Shanghai, began working in the movie business as a screenwriter specializing in comedy at the age of 21 (in 1936). Shortly thereafter, he served in the military during World War II. He co-directed one documentary, Men of Arnhem (1944), during the war, and reportedly was one of Laurence Olivier's early choices to direct Henry V. But it wasn't until 1948 that he got to make his first movie, Corridor of Mirrors. He quickly became an expert at making thrillers, although he occasionally worked in other areas, including the award-winning dance film Black Tights (1960). In 1962, he suddenly emerged as a major filmmaker when he was chosen to direct Dr. No, the first James Bond movie. Its success, and that of the follow-up film From Russia With Love (1963), established the series and the hero (as well as Sean Connery), but Young pulled out of Goldfinger (1964) during pre-production when the producers refused to cut him in for a percentage of the profits. He was back for Thunderball (1965), which was the biggest-grossing Bond movie up to that time. His work on The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) was lively, but the film failed to find the same audience as Tony Richardson's Tom Jones, on which it had been modeled. However, his chilling adaptation of the stage thriller Wait Until Dark (1967) was a hit. Young's career from this point on went into gradual decline, as he became involved in difficult international productions, big-budget flops (Mayerling), or politically disreputable films such as Inchon (1982) (financed by the Unification Church). He made his last movie, the thriller The Jigsaw Man, in 1984. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide- 1957
In one of her few English-speaking appearances, French leading lady Martine Carol plays Tracy, the daughter of a political prisoner. Tracy hires soldier-of-fortune Carson (Van Johnson) to smuggle her into Albania by way of Greece. Once behind the Iron Curtain, Tracy and Carson enlist the aid of a group of freedom-loving Albanian outlaws, led by Trifon (Herbert Lom). The final third of the film details the desperate escape attempt involving Tracy, her father and Carson. Filmed in Spain and released in the U.S. by Van Johnson's home studio of MGM, Action of the Tiger was based on a novel by James Wellard. Watch for Sean Connery in a barroom-brawl sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Martine Carol, (more)
- 1956
In this desert adventure, a bandit chieftain roams the northwest deserts of India. Wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of ruin and raped women. A British major is assigned to capture the bandit and his gang. He succeeds, but soon the bandit, with the assistance of a sadistic nomad, escapes. The raiders then head for a British garrison where more bloodshed ensues as they begin slaughtering the hapless soldiers. The nomad captures the colonel and begins torturing him. The bandit, who has grown to respect his British adversary, sacrifices his own life to stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Michael Wilding, Sr., (more)
- 1956
This tense, uncompromising African actioner affords Victor Mature one of his best screen roles. When his family is wiped out by Mau Mau insurrectionists, white hunter Mature assembles an expedition to track down the tribal leader responsible for the massacre. The British authorities don't want Mature to foment further difficulty by seeking revenge, so they revoke his hunting license. Still, he manages to embark upon his justice-seeking safari by hiring himself out as a guide for millionaire lion hunter Roland Culver and Culver's fiancee Janet Leigh. The grimness of the proceedings is occasionally leavened by an incongruously upbeat musical score. Safari was photographed on location by Ted Moore and directed by Terence Young, who'd later collaborate on the James Bond epic Thunderball (1965). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1955
This fourth film version of A.E.W. Mason's adventure yarn The Four Feathers relies heavily on stock footage from the more famous 1939 adaptation (both were produced by Alexander Korda and codirected by Korda's brother Zoltan). Anthony Steel stars as 19th cntury British officer Harry Faversham, who begs off from serving with Kitchener's forces in the Sudan, preferring to stay in London with fiancee Mary Burroughs (Mary Ure). Almost immediately, Faversham receives the traditional "white feather" of cowardice from his three closest friends--and then is handed a fourth feather by Mary. Determined to prove that he is not a coward, Faversham heads off to the Sudan to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with his comrades. He also intends to return those dreaded feather to his three former friends, even resorting to native disguise at one point to do so. Laurence Harvey essays the old Ralph Richardson role of John Durrance, who is blinded by the sun and thus unaware of Faversham's true identity, while James Robertson Justice fills the shoes of Four Feathers' crusty C. Aubrey Smith ("War was war in my day, sir!") ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Steel, Laurence Harvey, (more)
- 1955
Based on a true event from 16th century Spain, this costume drama follows the tragic life of Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, (Olivia de Havilland) who is secretly loved by her good friend the King. Unfortunately for the monarch, she marries one of his ministers and bears his son. Her husband eventually dies and later the King asks her help train a replacement for her late husband. When romantic sparks begin flying between the woman and her protege, the king becomes terribly jealous and this sets in motion a terrible tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gilbert Roland, Paul Scofield, (more)
- 1953
After causing the needless death of another officer during a near-miss air disaster, a distraught army officer resigns from the military. Still, the American wants to serve in the war effort and so, calling himself a Canadian, enlists in the British military to train as a paratrooper. Revealing nothing about his past, he proves himself obedient and exceptionally skilled. This rouses the suspicion of his commanding officer who starts investigating the trooper. Later, the trooper more than proves himself during a dangerous mission to North Africa. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
A novel by Audrey Erskine Lindop was the source for the grim British drama Tall Headlines. The son of a middle-class family is executed for murder. The family does its best to kick over all the traces, moving to a different community under an assumed name and never speaking of their son. All of these preventative measures seem futile when the dead man's younger brother begins evincing the same antisocial traits that eventually destroyed his sibling. All suspicions seem to be confirmed when the brother's wife turns up dead. There are several plot twists that would lose their value if they were repeated in this space. An excellent all-character-actor cast includes Flora Robson and Andre Morrell as the grieving parents, Michael Denison as the brother and Mai Zetterling as the initial murder victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andre Morell, Flora Robson, (more)
- 1952
Valley of Eagles is set in northern Scandinavia, on the border between Sweden and Lapland. John McCallum stars as Swedish scientist Nils Ahlen, whose research data has been swiped by his assistant Nystrom (Anthony Dawson). Making things worse is the fact that Nystrom was aided in his perfidy by Ahlen's treacherous wife Helga (Mary Laura Wood). As he murderously pursues the thieves into the snowy wastes, Ahlen's trail is dogged by a police inspector (Jack Warner), who is sympathetic with the scientist but believes that the fugitives should be brought back alive. Nadia Gray co-stars as a pretty Laplander who offers aid and comfort to the embittered scientist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
In this action-adventure film, a Swedish professor searches for his treacherous wife and his assistant after they steal his research and head for the frozen wastes of Lapland. The scientist is accompanied by a police inspector. During their journey, they are attacked by wolves. Fortunately native Laplanders use their trained eagles to help rescue the two. Later the wicked lovers end up killed in an avalanche. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Warner, Nadia Gray, (more)
- 1950
This wartime drama recounts the training process of the British Tank Corps. The story concentrates on two recruits: Englishman Philip (Edward Underdown) and American David (Ralph Clanton). After a grueling training period and a long, frustratingly uneventful encampment on British soil, Philip and David are shipped to the Front. Both men have a rendezvous with destiny during the German offensive at Ardennes. R.S.M. Brittain etches a chilling portrayal of a merciless drill sergeant, while the splendidly mustached Michael Trubshawe is equally effective as a by-the-book major. Since there must be a romantic subplot, it is fortunate indeed that the heroes' ladies are played by two charming and talented actresses, Helen Cherry and Stella Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Underdown, Ralph Clanton, (more)
- 1949
George Gordon, aka Lord Byron, the clubfooted 19th-century poet with the uncontrollable libido, is played by Dennis Price in this lavish British chocolate-box epic. From the vantage point of his deathbed, Byron recalls his life and many loves, imagining that he's pleading his case before a celestial court. Joan Greenwood looks like she's just stepped out of a portrait frame as Lady Caroline Lamb (whose own sordid story would also be filmed in due time). Her performance is far more persuasive than that of Dennis Price, who seems less libertine than precocious as Byron. Roundly ridiculed by British film critics in 1949, The Bad Lord Byron has stood the test of time -- not really a classic, but an acceptable rainy-day wallow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, (more)
- 1949
A confirmed bachelor and a reclusive movie star tangle in this lively French comedy. The trouble begins when the bachelor vows to disprove the star's Garboesque claim that she wants to be alone. Saying that all women are alike, he sets out to seduce her. First he poses as a Realtor and offers to let her hide out in his lavish country estate. There he and she gradually get to know each other. Much to his surprise, she is quite sincere on wanting to be alone. When the woman discovers the "Realtor's" ruse she decides to teach him a lesson by promptly marrying him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Jeanne de Casalis, (more)
- 1948
In this musical, a renowned tenor meets a lovely woman at a British railway station. When the woman's dog gets in a fight, he saves it. Unfortunately this causes them to miss their train. Later, the tenor discovers that his suitcases by been stolen. The thief, a tramp, is then mistaken for the singer and taken to a Roman studio. Meanwhile, the tenor and the woman must somehow earn enough money to eat supper before the next train arrives. They do it by singing. Later they are arrested for passing a counterfeit bank note. Fortunately they are released in time to make it to Rome and find the tramp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nino Martini, Patricia Roc, (more)
- 1948
Based on a novel by Chris Massie, Corridor of Mirrors is a British attempt to match the poetry and lyricism of the French cinema of the late 1940s. Eric Portman plays a contemporary artist who tends to live in the past. He surrounds himself with Renaissance artwork, obsessed with the notion that he and his lady friend (Edana Romney) are reincarnations of the lovers in a centuries-old painting. Portman's delusions eventually lead to murder. Critical reaction to Corridor of Mirrors was split right down the middle: American critics found the film profound, while British commentators dismissed it as empty and ponderous. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Portman, Edana Romney, (more)
- 1947
The misery caused by a long-term feud between two Irish families provides the framework in this drama based on a book by Daphne du Maurier. The saga begins in 1840 as the father of the Donovan clan rebels against the Brodrick family, the owners of the copper mine located on what was formerly Donovan land. In the ensuing conflict, the mine is destroyed and the eldest Brodrick son is killed. His younger brother then becomes the clan leader. He cares not a fig for mining; instead he would rather spend his time wooing a beautiful local girl whom he marries. They have four children and when the brother dies, his eldest son succeeds him. The new patriarch and his mother are terribly greedy and eager to take control of the mine. His mother is distraught when her son suddenly rejects her. The unwanted woman goes to London where she soon gets involved with gambling and drugs to ease her broken heart. One day, her son travels to the city and runs into her. To ease his aching conscience he asks her to return home. Just as she gets there, the eldest son is killed by another Donovan during a labor dispute. She then has one Donovan arrested. An aging servant manages to talk the bereaved mother into dropping the charges so that the feud may finally end. She does. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eileen Crowe, Michael Denison, (more)
English actor Clive Brook's only directorial effort, On Approval, is based upon Frederick Lonsdale's frothy 1926 play, though reset in the late 19th century. Brook plays George, a titled duke whose wealth has largely been spent but who has no intention of settling further into genteel poverty. George is enormously appealing to Helen (played by Googie Withers), a good-natured American heiress, and is equally appalling to Maria (Bea Lillie), an Englishwoman of considerable means. The imperious Maria is dating the eternally devoted Richard (Roland Culver), who worships her. Maria decides that she will marry Richard -- after he spends a month with her in a secluded Scottish castle, where she will try him out "on approval." Maria, however, does not intend to discover whether they are suitable for all aspects of marriage; every night he is to row across the loch and spend his nights at a local inn. Neither Maria nor Richard will lack for company, though, as George and Helen invite themselves along. Things get complicated when it turns out that there are no rooms available at the inn, leaving the men to share the castle with the women -- a prospect that so horrifies the servants that they promptly leave the two couples high and dry. Left to their own devices, the foursome get to know each other -- and they don't necessarily like what they find. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Brook, Beatrice Lillie, (more)
- 1942
In this WW II actioner, two British Intelligence agents and a French agent follow their leader into Nazi-occupied France to see how strong the invaders really are; unfortunately, the only way to get that information is to break into the German headquarters. They do so by pretending to be champagne vendors. As soon as the Nazis figure out their scheme, they begin chasing the Allied agents who are assisted by the French Resistance to make sure the information is given to the British who use it to destroy the German supplies and munitions. During their flight, one of the agents his killed; later his sister vows to do everything she can to stop those evil Nazis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Williams, Carla Lehmann, (more)
- 1941
- NR
Dangerous Moonlight was the original British title for the wartime drama Suicide Squadron. Anton Walbrook plays a famed Polish composer who refuses to leave his homeland when the Nazis march in. His friends literally have to hoodwink him into leaving so that he will avoid extermination. Still anxious to avenge his countrymen, Walbrook joins a Polish air squadron headquartered in England. The film's romantic angle is personified by Sally Gray, an American newswoman whom Walbrook marries after a whirlwind courtship. The film itself is no better or worse than most others of its kind, but has remained etched in the collective memory of wartime filmgoers thanks to its omnipresent utilization of The Warsaw Concerto on the soundtrack. Financed by RKO Radio pictures, Dangerous Moonlight was distributed by Republic Pictures during the war years, though rights reverted to RKO in 1947. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Walbrook, Sally Gray, (more)
- 1939
In this British thriller, a barber must steal to fund his wife's addiction to spending money. She uses the cash he took to pay off a drape maker. The stolen bills are traced back to him. The unscrupulous seamster then begins blackmailing the couple and the barber kills him. He then has his wife leave town until the trouble blows over. Just as he hears that his wife was killed in a collision, police surround him and shoot him down. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Richardson, Diana Wynyard, (more)
