Marianne Brauns
- 1964
In this thriller, an carefully engineered bank robbery goes awry. The plan is masterminded by an American visiting Britain; his accomplices are three unstable fellows. Things go wrong when they must kill the night watchman and kidnap his daughter. They then flee to their secret lair to await the getaway boat. Two days pass and the boat does not come. More trouble ensues when the American finds himself deeply attracted the young woman, and she to him even after he rapes her. He then begins trying to protect her from the others. This makes the men feel slighted; enraged, they decide to steal the loot and a fight ensues. It is a brutal battle and as they tussle, the old building begins to collapse. All of the criminals die. The American dies while saving the girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Naked Fury is a 60-minute British crime quickie. Four robbers kill a night watchman while knocking over a warehouse. They kidnap the daughter (Leigh Madison) of the murdered man and hole up in a squalid shack. One of the robbers (Kenneth Cope) falls in love with the hostage, triggering a falling out with his fellow crooks. Final score: Hostage 1, Crooks 0. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Ex-mental patient Jeff Martin (Griffth Jones) holds his loving wife Kay (Maureen Connell) responsible for all his troubles. He'd like to murder Kay, but knows full well that he'd never get away with it. Fate intervenes in the form of Connors (Marc Lawrence) and Svenson (George Mikell), two escaped convicts who invade the Martin household. Taking advantage of the situation, Martin offers to help Connors and Svenson elude the law, if they will kill his wife in exchange. But the scheme doesn't go off as planned, partly because one of the convicts happens to have the glimmer of a conscience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Lawrence, George Mikell, (more)
- 1956
Writer/artist Roland Searle's diabolical "belles" of St. Trinian's Girls School return in this raucous British comedy. Because the girls cannot behave themselves, their headmistress (Alastair Sim in drag!) has been thrown in jail, and the school is surrounded by police and army troops. The students escape their durance vile by winning an all-expense-paid trip to Europe (by cheating, of course). While laying waste to the Continent (with Terry-Thomas driving the bus), the girls are enmeshed in a diamond theft instigated by the father (George Cole) of one of the students. The film ends with an elongated water polo game, played with the ladies' usual sense of sportsmanship and fair play. In the 1950s and 1960s, the "St. Trinians" series was as popular a British movie attraction as the "Carry On" films--but unlike "Carry On", they don't play quite as well with American audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terry-Thomas, George Cole, (more)
- 1956
X the Unknown is a well-crafted imitation of the Quatermass British sci-fi pictures of the 1950s. A group of soldiers on maneuvers in Scotland stumble across a gravel pit which emanates an unusual amount of radiation. Several deaths occur before the radioactive material is mysteriously stolen. Researcher Dr. Adam Royston (Dean Jagger) speculates that the thief is some sort of inhuman monstrosity dwelling at the Earth's core. He points out that past radioactive disturbances have been occurring at 50-year intervals, each followed by sudden deaths and the disappearance of the material. Royston suggests that the unknown monster has been resuscitated by humankind's recent atomic experiments. Sure enough, the monster manifests itself as a huge slab of glowing radioactive mud (laugh now if you must -- you won't laugh when you see it). X the Unknown works well within its limited budget; unfortunately, many TV prints have been truncated, robbing some of the best horrific moments of their full impact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, (more)
