The Promise (1969 film)

Last updated

The Promise
Directed by Michael Hayes
Written byMichael Hayes
Based ona play by Aleksei Arbuzov
Produced byAnthony B. Unger
Henry T. Weinstein
Starring John Castle
Ian McKellen
Edited byJohn Trumper
Music byIwan Williams
Production
companies
Howard & Wyndham Films and Television
Release date
  • December 1969 (1969-12)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budgetless than £200,000 [1]

The Promise is a 1969 British drama film based on a play by Russian playwright Aleksei Arbuzov. Set in the Soviet Union during the Second World War, it is the story of a love triangle involving three young people caught up in the Siege of Leningrad. The film follows the main protagonists in the post-war years in an attempt to show the lasting effects of that relationship. It featured Ian McKellen's film debut.

Contents

The film was on the British Film Institute's BFI 75 Most Wanted list of lost films until a mislabelled copy was found in the British Film Institute's archive after an audit. [2] [3] [1]

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian McKellen</span> English actor (born 1939)

Sir Ian Murray McKellen is an English actor. With a career spanning more than six decades, he is noted for his roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cultural icon and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Emmy Awards.

Welcome, Mr. Washington is a 1944 British drama film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Barbara Mullen, Donald Stewart and Peggy Cummins. The film was made by British National Films, based on a story by Noel Streatfeild.

Badger's Green is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Valerie Hobson, Bruce Lester, David Horne and Wally Patch. It was adapted from the 1930 play Badger's Green by R.C. Sheriff. A picturesque village is threatened with redevelopment by a speculative builder, leading to widespread protest. In the end the builder agrees to settle the future of the village on the result of a cricket match.

The Path of Glory is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Dallas Bower and starring Maurice Evans, Valerie Hobson, Felix Aylmer, Henry Daniell and Athole Stewart. Two European countries plan a war, both hoping to lose it.

<i>Yes, Mr Brown</i> 1933 film

Yes, Mr Brown is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan, Hartley Power, Elsie Randolph and Margot Grahame. According to the Idaho Falls Post Register, the film was "gay catchy...entertainment with plenty of light comedy", in which "the manager of the Viennese branch of a large American toy firm [played by Buchanan] sets out to entertain his visiting boss [played by Power] in an effort to win a partnership." Yes, Mr. Brown is currently missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.

<i>Dr. ODowd</i> 1940 film

Dr. O'Dowd is a 1940 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason, produced by Sam Sax for Warner Bros and starring Shaun Glenville, Peggy Cummins, Felix Aylmer and Irene Handl. Set in Ireland, it focuses on Marius O'Dowd, an Irish doctor, who works to restore his relationship with his son after his daughter-in-law dies under O'Dowd's care. The film was the onscreen debut for Peggy Cummins, who was only thirteen at the time. It was well received by critics, and Cummins' role was the subject of particular praise. The film is currently missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.

The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled in 2010 by the British Film Institute of the most sought-after British feature films not held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota quickies and B-movies to lavish prestige productions of their day. The list includes lost works by major directors and those featuring top-name actors; also films that were top box-office successes in their time but have since disappeared, and works that are believed to be historically significant for some aspect of style, technique, subject matter or innovation.

The Good Old Days is a 1939 British historical comedy film directed by Roy William Neill. Written by Austin Melford and John Dighton based on a story by Ralph Smart, it stars Max Miller, Hal Walters and Kathleen Gibson. The film tells the story of a group of entertainers struggling to obtain permission to perform at a tavern in 1840.

Maria Marten, or the Mystery of the Red Barn is a 1913 British silent drama film directed by Maurice Elvey. It was based on the 1827 Red Barn Murder. The story of Maria Marten was a popular stage melodrama of the Victorian era, and five films based on the story were made between 1902 and 1935.

The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick is a 1921 British silent comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley based on the 1837 novel The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. As of August 2010, the film is missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.

The Narrow Valley is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth. As of August 2010, the film is missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.

Reveille is a 1924 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson. It follows some British soldiers during and after the First World War, though Pearson wrote in a January 1924 letter to his cast and crew:

There is no story, as such. I hate the well-made Story with its Exposition, Denouement, Crisis, etc., as material for my elusive Screen. I confess I cannot write one.

<i>Woman to Woman</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

Woman to Woman is a 1923 British silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts, with Alfred Hitchcock as the uncredited assistant director and co-screenwriter. The film was the first of three adaptions of the 1921 play Woman to Woman by Michael Morton. To capitalise on the success of the film, Cutts and Hitchcock made another film, The White Shadow, with Compson before she returned to the United States.

<i>The School for Scandal</i> (1930 film) 1930 film

The School for Scandal is a 1930 British historical comedy film directed by Thorold Dickinson and Maurice Elvey and starring Basil Gill, Madeleine Carroll and Ian Fleming. It is the first sound film adaptation of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play The School for Scandal. It is also the only feature-length film shot using the unsuccessful Raycol colour process, and marked the screen debut of Sally Gray. The film was shot at the Elstree Studios of British International Pictures with sets designed by the art director Lawrence P. Williams. It ended up being released as a second feature and is classified as a quota quickie.

<i>Murder Will Out</i> (1939 film) 1939 British film

Murder Will Out is a 1939 British crime film directed by Roy William Neill, starring John Loder, Jane Baxter and Jack Hawkins, and released by Warner Brothers.

Flight from Folly is a 1945 British musical comedy film directed and produced by Herbert Mason, in his last directorial credit before moving onto production, for Warner Bros. The cast includes Pat Kirkwood, Hugh Sinclair and Tamara Desni and with music from Edmundo Ros and the Rumba Band. An unemployed showgirl impersonates a nurse and undertakes the job of looking after a composer and playwright abandoned by his Russian wife. The story was written by Lesley Storm, Katherine Strueby and Edmund Goulding. The film was distributed by Warner Brothers and First National Pictures.

This Man Is Dangerous is a 1941 British thriller film, directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason and Gordon McLeod. The film is based on the 1934 novel They Called Him Death by David Hume.

Nobody Ordered Love is a lost 1972 British drama film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Ingrid Pitt, Judy Huxtable and Tony Selby.

<i>David Copperfield</i> (1966 TV serial) British TV series or programme

David Copperfield is a BBC television serial starring Ian McKellen in the title role of the adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1850 novel that began airing in January 1966. It also featured Tina Packer as Dora Flora Robson as Betsey Trotwood, Gordon Gostelow as Barkis, and Christopher Guard as young David. The screenplay adaptation was written by Vincent Tilsley, who had previously helmed the 1956 adaptation almost a decade prior.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Promise / BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  2. "BFI Most Wanted". BFI .
  3. "BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 November 2017.