The Big Chance (1957 British film)

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The Big Chance
The Big Chance 1957 1.jpg
British film poster
Directed by Peter Graham Scott
Written by
Based onnovel The Big Chance by Pamela Barrington [1]
Produced by
  • John Temple-Smith
  • Francis Edge (uncredited)
Starring
Cinematography Walter J. Harvey
Edited byTom Simpson
Music by Eric Spear
Production
company
Major Pictures
Distributed by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK)
Release date
  • September 1957 (1957-09)(UK)
Running time
59 minutes
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish

The Big Chance is a 1957 black and white British second feature ('B') [2] drama film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Adrienne Corri, William Russell, and Ian Colin. [3] [4] [5] It was written by Scott and Barbara S. Harper.

Contents

Plot

Bill Anderson is disillusioned with his job as a travel agent and marriage to a wife who is content with a quiet life. When a customer calls to postpone his flight, Anderson decides to escape it all by using the customer's ticket to Panama as booked and assuming the identity of the man, who left his passport because it required renewing. This has conveniently coincided with him having access to his employer's safe which is storage for all the foreign currency used to supply customers leaving the country. He stays late on a Friday night after everybody else has left and, after emptying the safe of the currency, he heads to the airport for his flight to Panama. However, the airport is closed down because of fog, and he meets a woman, Diana, who is also planning to escape from a marriage to a new life.

Cast

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Unpretentious and well-played, this slight crime-adventure has one or two effective scenes – notably the one at the airport – but fails to maintain any consistent pitch of excitement." [6]

Picturegoer called the film a "bright little suspense drama", adding: "The Corri part is just a cliché, but, incredibly, she makes the character grow: with complete conviction, the melting romantic is revealed as a hard-faced schemer. Her intelligent performance is matched by a well-judged portrayal from Wiliam Russell. And Penelope Bartley has a few poignant moments as the sad little wife." [7]

Picture Show wrote: "Well acted pocket melodrama ... It is a holding film, ably directed." [8]

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References

  1. ↑ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN   9783110951943 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 139. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  3. ↑ "The Big Chance". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  4. ↑ Keaney, Michael F. (2008). British Film Noir Guide . McFarland. p.  15. ISBN   978-0-7864-3805-1.
  5. ↑ "The Big Chance (1957)". Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Big Chance" . The Monthly Film Bulletin . 24 (276): 137. 1 January 1957 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "The Big Chance" . Picturegoer . 34: 17. 3 October 1957 – via ProQuest.
  8. ↑ "The Big Chance" . Picture Show . 70 (1815): 10. 11 January 1958 – via ProQuest.
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