Crosstrap

Last updated

Crosstrap
Crosstrap (1962 film).jpg
Opening title
Directed by Robert Hartford-Davis
Screenplay byPhilip Wrestler
Based onnovel The Last Seven Hours by John Newton Chance
Produced by Michael Deeley
George Mills
Starring Laurence Payne
Jill Adams
Gary Cockrell
Cinematography Eric Cross
Edited by Harry Booth
Music by Steve Race
Distributed byUnifilms Ltd.
Release date
  • January 1962 (1962-01)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Crosstrap is a 1962 British B-movie [1] crime film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis, starring Laurence Payne, Jill Adams and Gary Cockrell. [2] The screenplay was adapted from the 1956 novel The Last Seven Hours by John Newton Chance. [3] The film was unusually graphic for its time in its on-screen depiction of violence, with The Daily Cinema describing a "climactic blood-bath where corpses bite the dust as freely as Indians in a John Ford western". [4]

Contents

Plot

Novelist Geoff and his wife Sally rent an isolated countryside bungalow to enable Geoff to finish his latest book without the distractions of life in London. On their arrival, they are horrified to find a dead man in the property; before they can report the discovery they are confronted by Duke, a gangland boss, and his henchmen who have, it transpires, been using the empty property as a hide-out for stolen valuables which they are planning to smuggle out of the country. A rival gangster, Juan, also has his eye on the goods and has discovered their whereabouts. The dead man is one of his minions.

Geoff and Sally are held captive, and matters take a turn for the worse when Juan and his men also arrive on the scene, forcing a stand-off between the two factions during which Geoff and Sally are roughly-treated by both sides. Duke starts to fall for Sally, and his obvious interest in her antagonises his girlfriend Rina. Eventually there is a bloody shoot-out between the rival gangs, with Duke's men getting the better of the exchange. Duke and his gang board the plane to make good their escape with the valuables, but the plane is shot at before takeoff by the jealous and vengeful Rina, first shooting the pilot and then hitting the fuel tank, after which the plane bursts into flames, killing all 4 people on board.

Cast

Reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said "Overacted, ludicrous and amateurish, this so-called thriller finally explodes in a merry crescendo of guns, fists and bloodletting. The build-up, on the other hand, is laboured in the extreme." [5]

Kine Weekly said "Brawny, but brainless, British romantic crime melodrama. .. The picture, cheap crime fiction, takes a long while to unravel its plot and then goes to the other extreme and polishes off the bad lads with ludicrous haste. Laurence Payne fancies himself much too much as Duke, and Jill Adams and Gage Cockrell are no great shakes as Sally and Geoffrey. The rest also lack finesse. The country exteriors are, however, impressive, and cameraman Eric Cross definitely deserves a hand." [6]

The Daily Cinema lebelled it an "incredible but lively tale of gang-warfare, packed with hearty action and intrigue, plus a spot of sex for flavour" offering "robust ... programme support".

Post-release

Crosstrap was originally released to cinemas as a supporting film in January 1962 by Unifilms Ltd. Unusually for a supporting feature, it was later picked up by Monarch Films for another cinema outing as a double-bill feature in 1967. There was no record of the film after this point. There was no indication that it was ever shown on television in the UK, and attempts to trace a print of the film proved fruitless for decades.[ citation needed ]

Crosstrap is viewed with great interest by film historians as the debut of Hartford-Davis, who would go on to direct a number of cult 1960s films which pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable at the time in terms of sexual content ( That Kind of Girl (1963), The Yellow Teddy Bears (1963)) or violence ( Corruption (1968)), alongside others that provide a very time-specific depiction of Swinging London ( Saturday Night Out (1964), The Sandwich Man (1966)). It was one of two Hartford-Davis films – the other being Nobody Ordered Love (1971) – that the British Film Institute (BFI) included on its "75 Most Wanted" list of missing British feature films. [4] The BFI reported that a black-and-white negative of the film was discovered in the early 2010s and digitally scanned. It was screened on Talking Pictures TV on 9 March 2018 and 3 October 2019. It is also available for screening on the BFI player website. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurence Harvey</span> Lithuanian-British actor (1928–1973)

Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in the United Kingdom after World War II. In a career that spanned a quarter of a century, Harvey appeared in stage, film and television productions primarily in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurence Payne</span> British actor and writer (1919–2009)

Laurence Stanley Payne was an English actor and novelist.

<i>Cosh Boy</i> 1953 British film by Lewis Gilbert

Cosh Boy is a 1953 British film noir based on an original play by Bruce Walker. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and featured James Kenney and Joan Collins. It was made at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

<i>Trouble in Store</i> 1953 British film by John Paddy Carstairs

Trouble in Store is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom in his cinema debut. The film also featured Moira Lister, Margaret Rutherford, Jerry Desmonde and Lana Morris. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Although it was shown at a West End venue, the film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios with sets designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky. It was released by Rank's General Film Distributors and was later released in America by Republic Pictures. The film's success led to Wisdom appearing in a string of films for Rank beginning with One Good Turn.

Robert Hartford-Davis was a British born producer, director and writer, who worked on film and television in both in the United Kingdom and United States. He is also sometimes credited as Michael Burrowes or Robert Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Adams</span> English actress, artist and model (1930–2008)

Jill Adams was an English actress, artist and fashion model. She featured or starred in over 25 films during the 1950s and 1960s.

<i>The Dock Brief</i> 1962 British film by James Hill

The Dock Brief is a 1962 black-and-white British legal satire directed by James Hill, starring Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough, and based on the 1957 play The Dock Brief by John Mortimer.

<i>Pool of London</i> (film) 1951 British film by Basil Dearden

Pool of London is a 1951 British noir crime film directed by Basil Dearden. It stars Bonar Colleano, Earl Cameron and Susan Shaw. Set in post-war London, the film is of note for portraying the first interracial relationship in a British film.

<i>The Frozen Limits</i> 1939 film

The Frozen Limits is a 1939 British comedy western film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Jimmy Nervo, Bud Flanagan, Teddy Knox, Chesney Allen and Charlie Naughton a group of entertainers commonly known as The Crazy Gang. It was written by Val Guest.

<i>The Breaking Point</i> (1961 film) 1961 British film by Lance Comfort

The Breaking Point is a 1961 second feature British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Peter Reynolds, Dermot Walsh, Joanna Dunham and Lisa Gastoni.

<i>The Yellow Teddy Bears</i> 1963 British film by Robert Hartford-Davis

The Yellow Teddy Bears is a 1963 British exploitation drama film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Jacqueline Ellis, Iain Gregory, Raymond Huntley and Georgina Patterson.

<i>Gonks Go Beat</i> 1964 British film by Robert Hartford-Davis

Gonks Go Beat is a 1964 British science fiction/musical fantasy film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis, starring Kenneth Connor and Frank Thornton. It is loosely based on the Romeo and Juliet storyline and features 16 musical numbers performed by a variety of artists, including Lulu and The Luvvers, The Nashville Teens and the Graham Bond Organisation including Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Dick Heckstall-Smith. The film includes an early appearance by the actor Derek Thompson performing with his twin sister Elaine.

<i>Murder at 3am</i> 1953 film by Francis Searle

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British crime film second feature directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner. A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

<i>Brothers in Law</i> (film) 1957 British film by Roy Boulting

Brothers in Law is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough, Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas and Jill Adams. The film is one of the Boulting brothers successful series of institutional satires that begun with Private's Progress in 1956. It is an adaptation of the 1955 novel Brothers in Law by Henry Cecil, a comedy set in the legal profession.

<i>Ambush in Leopard Street</i> 1962 British film by J. Henry Piperno

Ambush in Leopard Street is a low budget 1962 British 'B' black and white crime film directed by J. Henry Piperno. It stars James Kenney, Michael Brennan, and Bruce Seton.

Escape Route is a 1952 British black-and-white second feature thriller film, directed by Seymour Friedman and Peter Graham Scott, and starring George Raft, Sally Gray and Clifford Evans.

<i>The Diamond</i> (film) 1954 British film by Montgomery Tully

The Diamond is a 1954 British film noir crime film directed by Montgomery Tully, and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Margaret Sheridan and Philip Friend. It is based on the 1952 novel Rich Is the Treasure by Maurice Procter. It was released by United Artists in Britain and in America, where it was known as The Diamond Wizard.

<i>Death Over My Shoulder</i> 1958 British film by Arthur Crabtree

Death Over My Shoulder is a 1958 British 'B' crime film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Keefe Brasselle, Bonar Colleano and Jill Adams. It was written by Norman Hudis based on a story by Alyce Canfield.

<i>Stranger in the City</i> (1961 film) 1961 film

Stranger in the City is a 1961 British short documentary film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis. The film has a music score but no dialogue. It is notable for its contemporary views of London including the Soho music venue The 2i's Coffee Bar.

References

  1. McFarlane, Brian, ed. (2013). The Encyclopedia of British Film (4th ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 336. ISBN   9780719091391.
  2. "Crosstrap". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. "» A Movie Review by David Vineyard: CROSSTRAP (1962)".
  4. 1 2 75 Most Wanted - Crosstrap Archived 3 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine BFI National Archive. Retrieved 09-09-2010
  5. "The Yellow Teddy Bears". Monthly Film Bulletin . 29 (336): 39. 1962 via ProQuest.
  6. "The Yellow Teddy Bears". Kine Weekly . 537 (2835): 24. 1 February 1962 via ProQuest.
  7. "Crosstrap on BFI Player". Archived from the original on 28 March 2017.