Band of Thieves | |
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Directed by | Peter Bezencenet |
Written by | Lyn Fairhurst Harold Shampan |
Produced by | Lance Comfort |
Starring | Acker Bilk Geoffrey Sumner Jennifer Jayne |
Cinematography | Nicolas Roeg |
Edited by | Tristam Cones |
Music by | Norrie Paramor |
Production company | Filmvale Productions |
Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Running time | 69 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Band of Thieves is a 1962 British musical film directed by Peter Bezencenet and starring Acker Bilk, Geoffrey Sumner and Jennifer Jayne. [1] It was produced as a second feature in an attempt to cash in on the Trad jazz craze. [2] It was shot at Pinewood Studios, with cinematography by Nicolas Roeg.
Acker Bilk and his trad-jazz band are in prison. On their release they are persuaded by their promoter to burgle local stately homes while on tour. His girlfriend, a policewoman, finds out, and Bilk and his band go back to prison, as does the promoter.
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "It's the exuberance that matters. Like a seaside summer show, the film knows its place and its public and isn't ashamed of either. The plot is as zestfully slapdash as the production and the acting. But some cooler jokes suggest a knowing mind at work on the script, and Acker Bilk – both musically and personally – is a welcome addition to the screen ranks." [3]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Nicolas Roeg received his third credit as a cinematographer on this caper comedy. But jazz fans will be more interested in seeing Acker Bilk starring in the second of his three 1960s pictures. Ostensibly, the clarinettist plays himself. But the real Acker presumably didn't use his gigs as a front for stately home robberies! ... Slight, but fun." [4]
Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, was an English clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistcoat.
Trad jazz, short for "traditional jazz", is a form of jazz in the United States and Britain that flourished from the 1930s to 1960s, based on the earlier New Orleans Dixieland jazz style. Prominent trad jazz musicians such as Chris Barber, Freddy Randall, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine performed a populist repertoire which also included jazz versions of pop songs and nursery rhymes.
Kenneth Daniel Ball was an English jazz musician, best known as the bandleader, lead trumpet player and vocalist in Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen.
It's Trad, Dad! is a 1962 British musical comedy film directed by Richard Lester in his feature directorial debut. It stars singer and actress Helen Shapiro alongside Craig Douglas, John Leyton, the Brook Brothers, and Chubby Checker, among other rock-and-roll singers, as well as several Dixieland jazz bands. The film was one of the first produced by Amicus Productions, a company known predominantly for horror films.
Robert Wallis was a British jazz musician, who had a handful of chart success in the early 1960s, during the UK traditional jazz boom.
Touch of Death is a 1961 black and white British second feature crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Lucas, David Sumner, Ray Barrett and Jan Waters.
Malcom Bruce Turner was an English jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.
The End of the Line is a 1957 British second feature crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Alan Baxter, Barbara Shelley, Ferdy Mayne and Jennifer Jayne. It was released in the USA in 1959.
Jazz Boat is a 1960 British black-and-white musical comedy film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey, Lionel Jeffries and big band leader Ted Heath and his orchestra. It was based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Rex Rienits.
Recoil is a 1953 British 'B' crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Kieron Moore, Elizabeth Sellars and Edward Underdown.
Kill Her Gently is a 1957 British second feature thriller film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell and Marc Lawrence.
Francis David Parr was an English cricketer who played for Lancashire and a jazz trombonist with the Mick Mulligan Band.
Five Days is a 1954 British second feature film noir directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Dane Clark, Paul Carpenter and Thea Gregory.
Sentenced for Life is a low budget 1960 British second feature crime film directed by Max Varnel and starring Basil Dignam, Jack Gwillim, Francis Matthews, and Jill Williams.
Man Accused is a low budget 1959 British crime film directed by Mongomery Tully and starring Ronald Howard and Carol Marsh.
The Great Van Robbery is a 1959 black-and-white British crime film starring Denis Shaw and Kay Callard, directed by Max Varnel.
Cheer the Brave is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Kenneth Hume and starring Elsie Randolph, Jack McNaughton and Geoffrey Keen. It was made at Southall Studios as a second feature.
Dark Secret is a 1949 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Dinah Sheridan, Emrys Jones and Irene Handl. It was a remake of the 1933 film The Crime at Blossoms, also directed by Rogers.
Gaolbreak is a 1962 British second feature crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring Peter Reynolds, Avice Landone and Carol White. The film was released as a supporting feature to Tiara Tahiti (1962).
Two Letter Alibi is a 1962 British crime film directed by Robert Lynn and starring Peter Williams, Petra Davies and Ursula Howells.