Hijack! | |
---|---|
Directed by | Michael Forlong |
Written by | Michael Forlong |
Produced by | Michael Forlong |
Starring | Richard Morant James Forlong Tracy Peel |
Cinematography | William Jordan |
Edited by | Frederick Ives |
Music by | Harry Robertson |
Production company | Michael Forlong Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 59 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Hijack! is a 1975 children's drama film directed, written and produced by Michael Forlong and starring Richard Morant, James Forlong and Tracy Peel. [1] [2]
Three children are taken hostage by a man armed with a hand grenade and flick-knife. He takes them to sea aboard their father's yacht. [3]
The film was sponsored by the Children's Film Foundation. [3]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Technically, this is one of the best CFF films yet made, with lively location shooting (under clearly difficult and cramped conditions) on board the yacht, excellently controlled colour and a fine narrative pace. Although the story rather obviously cashes in on current newspaper headlines, the predicament of the children is never exploited in a melodramatic way, and they respond in a realistic and spontaneous manner. Richard Morant as the fugitive (we never discover what he has done) has a more difficult task, starting off in a somewhat actorish style, but later investing the character with just the right degree of desperate confusion. The film again demonstrates how a resourceful director and cameraman can turn out a neat little film within a well-prescribed format." [4]
Robert Shail wrote: "The film is packed with enough detail to pass for a visual manual on how to sail a small craft at sea ... ranks as one of its best seafaring adventures." [5]
Larry Jeff McMurtry was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry's works earned 34 Oscar nominations. He was also a prominent book collector and bookseller.
The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 minutes long. Over time the organisation's role broadened and its name changed, first to the Children's Film and Television Foundation in the mid-80s and to the Children's Media Foundation in 2012.
The Killer Elite is a 1975 American action thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant, adapted from the Robert Syd Hopkins novel Monkey in the Middle. It stars James Caan and Robert Duvall as a pair of elite mercenaries who become bitter rivals and are caught on opposite sides of a proxy war over a foreign dignitary in the streets of San Francisco.
No Deposit, No Return is a 1976 American crime comedy film directed by Norman Tokar and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film was written by Arthur Alsberg and Don Nelson, and stars David Niven, Darren McGavin, Don Knotts, Herschel Bernardi, Charles Martin Smith, Barbara Feldon, Kim Richards, and Brad Savage. Inspired by the O. Henry short stories "The Ransom of Red Chief" and "A Retrieved Reformation", the film follows two children, Tracy and Jay, who hold themselves for ransom, reluctantly aided by a couple of inept petty criminals, expert safecracker Duke and his bungling sidekick Bert. It was released in theaters on February 11, 1976, accompanied with a reissue of the animated film Dumbo (1941).
The Other Side of the Mountain is a 1975 American drama romance film based on the true story of ski racing champion Jill Kinmont. The film was titled A Window to the Sky in the United Kingdom.
The Last Hurrah is a 1958 American political satire film adaptation of the 1956 novel The Last Hurrah by Edwin O'Connor. It was directed by John Ford and stars Spencer Tracy as a veteran mayor preparing for yet another election campaign. Tracy was nominated as Best Foreign Actor by BAFTA and won the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Review, the latter which also presented Ford their award for Best Director.
In Search of the Castaways is a 1962 American adventure film starring Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills in a tale about a worldwide search for a shipwrecked sea captain. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Robert Stevenson from a screenplay by Lowell S. Hawley, based upon Jules Verne's 1868 adventure novel Captain Grant's Children.
Duffy is a 1968 British-American comedy crime film directed by Robert Parrish and starring James Coburn, James Mason, James Fox and Susannah York. Originally called "Avec-Avec", French for "with-it", according to 1967 press reports, Columbia Pictures changed the title of the movie, despite the protests of the stars.
Raising the Roof is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Michael Forlong and featuring Michael Gould, Patricia Davis, Roy Kinnear, David Lodge and Patricia Hayes. It was written by Forlong based on a story by Norman Taylor.
Petticoat Pirates is a 1961 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and starring Charlie Drake, Anne Heywood, Cecil Parker, John Turner and Thorley Walters. The film had its premiere on 30 November 1961 at the Warner Theatre in London's West End.
The Dog and the Diamonds is a 1953 British family drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Kathleen Harrison, George Coulouris, and Geoffrey Sumner. The screenplay was by Patricia Latham. It was produced by Peter Rogers and distributed by the Children's Film Foundation.
Professor Popper's Problem is a 1975 British children's science fiction comedy film directed by Gerry O'Hara, starring Charlie Drake in the title role. Featuring a number of child actors, Todd Carty, Milo O'Shea, and Sydney Bromley also appear. The serial picture was produced for the Children's Film Foundation (CFF) by Roy Simpson of Mersey Film Productions, presenting a screenplay by Leo Maguire and soundtrack by Kenneth V. Jones. The story concerns an eccentric science teacher named Professor P. Popper, miniaturised with a group of pupils after accidentally consuming shrinking pills. A student apart from the group volunteers her help, as, separately, does a colleague of Popper's. As they search for an antidote, Popper and his entourage must see off multiple dangers, including criminals determined to steal his shrinking formula.
Penny Gold is a 1973 British crime film directed by Jack Cardiff and starring James Booth, Francesca Annis, Nicky Henson and Joss Ackland.
The Adventures of Hal 5 is a 1958 British adventure film from the Children's Film Foundation (CCF). It was an early directorial effort from Don Sharp.
For the 1952 Fritz Lang film of the same name see Clash by Night.
Rangi's Catch is a 1972 children's adventure film directed by Michael Forlong. It was based on a book by Margaret Ford. The eponymous role is played by a young Temuera Morrison in his first role. Originally made as eight episodes for television, it was re-edited and re-cut for a theatrical release. The series was also broadcast in Czechoslovakia with dubbing in Slovak language during the 1970s and 1980s
Shoot to Kill is a 1960 British crime film directed by Michael Winner and starring Dermot Walsh, Joy Webster and John M. East. It was Winner's first film as a director, and Lynn Redgrave's first speaking role.
Gabrielle and the Doodleman is a children's film, that was released in 1984 and directed and written by Francis Essex. It was produced by the Elstree (Production) Company Ltd for the Children's Film Foundation and was one of their last productions.
Suicide Mission is a 1954 British-Norwegian war film directed by Michael Forlong. It was also known as Shetlandsgjengen.
Lionheart is a 1968 children's adventure film directed by Michael Forlong and starring James Furlong, Louise Rush, Robert Dean amd Pauline Yates. It was written by Forlong based on the 1965 novel Lionheart by Alexander Fullerton.