The Great Van Robbery

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The Great Van Robbery
"The Great Van Robbery" (1959).jpg
Directed by Max Varnel
Written by Brian Clemens
Eldon Howard
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography James Wilson (as Jimmy Wilson)
Edited by Maurice Rootes
Music by Albert Elms (uncredited)
Production
company
Danziger Productions
Distributed by United Artists (US)
Release dates
  • January 1959 (1959-01)(UK)
  • 1963 (1963)(US)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Great Van Robbery is a 1959 black-and-white British crime film starring Denis Shaw and Kay Callard, directed by Max Varnel. [1] It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.

Contents

Plot

Scotland Yard teams up with Interpol to discover the origins of stolen money in a private bank account in Rio de Janeiro. Assigning their best detective Caesar Smith to the case, the money is soon traced to a robbery from a Royal Mint van. Investigations lead to a coffee storehouse where a worker is found murdered and the remaining loot discovered.

Cast

Production

The film's camera operator was future director Nicolas Roeg (credited as Nick Roeg). [2]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Though basically routine in plot and substance, this lively crime thriller has the particular advantage of a freshly observed hero in Caesar Smith, convincingly played by Denis Shaw as a heavily built but agile Scotland Yard man with a dexterous line in judo." [3]

Boxoffice said: "Denis Shaw is the hero, ever resolute and resourceful – and upon his fast-stepping form the film's dramatic intensity rests. The audience for which it's designed will be happy." [4]

In British Sound Films David Quinlan says: "Routine crooks' tour with an unusual hero." [5]

Franz Antony Clinton writes in British Thrillers, 1950–1979: "In one of the better Danzinger brothers B movies, The Great Van Robbery features a bright script and efficient direction that keeps things moving at a brisk pace." [6]

In The British 'B' Film Chibnall & McFarlane write: "Nicolas Roeg's camerwork brought some distinction to The Great Van Robbery." [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Great Van Robbery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Roeg, Nicolas (2013). The World is Ever Changing. London: Faber and Faber. p. 239. ISBN   9780571264933.
  3. ↑ "On the Fiddle". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 26 (300): 33. 1 January 1959 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ "The Great Van Robbery". Boxoffice . 82 (18): a11–a12. 25 February 1963.
  5. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 317. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
  6. ↑ Clinton, Franz Antony. British Thrillers, 1950–1979: 845 Films of Suspense, Mystery, Murder and Espionage. McFarland. p. 160. ISBN   978-0786410323.
  7. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 168. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
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