The Sicilians

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The Sicilians
The Sicilians film poster (1964) 2.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ernest Morris
Screenplay byRonald Liles
Reginald Hearne
Produced byJohn I. Phillips
Starring Robert Hutton
Reginald Marsh
Ursula Howells
Cinematography Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited byHenry Richardson
Music byJohnny Gregory
Production
company
Release date
  • 1964 (1964)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Sicilians is a 1964 British second feature [1] film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Robert Hutton, Reginald Marsh and Ursula Howells. [2] The screenplay was by The Ronald Liles and Reginald Hearne.

Contents

Plot

Mafia member Angelo Di Marco betrays other mafioso in a court hearing, and in revenge his son is kidnapped. As the police investigate, Di Marco flees to Paris. It transpires that Di Marco's wife, also a mafia member, has arranged the kidnapping. Di Marco is shot dead.

Cast

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said: "A mundane piece of detection, flatly directed and unconvincingly scripted. Some variety is achieved by rapid shifts in locale, from New York to London and then Paris, and by the insertion of cabaret items, but there is little compensation for the weakness of the narrative." [3]

Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film wrote that the film "tries to inject some life into its kidnapping plot by darting about between the USA (Manhattan skyline), Paris (Eiffel Tower) and London. The excellent Ursula Howells lifts the level of the film's flat dialogue exchanges, but the whole thing is padded with terrible cabaret acts, and the paper-thin characterisation includes caricatures of a chattering woman on a plane (Patricia Hayes), touchy stage doorman (Michael Balfour) and a 'gallant' Frenchman (Alex Scott)." [1]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Known for his brisk approach to shooting and his no-nonsense style, Ernest Morris was able to make even the flimsiest of crime thrillers watchable, including this one about a dancer and a diplomat who search for a mafioso's kidnapped son. Robert Hutton is the imported Hollywood has-been and, even though he was never more than a second division star, he is streets ahead of this material." [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 151. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ↑ "The Sicilians". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Sicilians". Monthly Film Bulletin . 31 (360): 179. 1964 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 836. ISBN   9780992936440.
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