Man from Tangier (U.S. title: Thunder over Tangier) is a 1957 British second feature[3] crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Robert Hutton, Lisa Gastoni and Martin Benson.[4] It was written by Paddy Manning O’Brine.
Plot
A criminal flees from Tangier to London with forged money plates, leading to the gang he works for sending a dangerous woman to pursue him.
Main cast
- Robert Hutton as Chuck Collins
- Lisa Gastoni as Michele
- Martin Benson as Voss
- Derek Sydney as Darracq
- Leonard Sachs as Heinrich
- Emerton Court as Armstrong
- Richard Shaw as Johnny
- Robert Raglan as Inspector Meredith
- Harold Berens as Sammy
- Jack Allen as Rex
- Michael Balfour as Spade Murphy
- Frank Forsyth as Sergeant Irons
- Reginald Hearne as Walters
- Fred Lake as hotel porter
- Alex Gallier as Max
- Marianne Stone as woman in hotel
- Ronnie Clark as Coster
Releases
Man in Tangier was cut by the British Board of Film Classification to 67 minutes running time, in order to achieve a “U” classification.[2] The film premiered at Odeon Marble Arch in London on 27 January 1957, where it ran as a double bill together with Monkey on My Back (1957).[1]
In April 2011 the film was released on DVD as a double bill together with director Lance Comfort’s 1961 film The Breaking Point.[5]
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: “A fairly competent thriller, in which the upholders of the law are considerably more convincing than the crooks, with their alternating foreign and public-school accents. The story is very vaguely constructed; initially there seems very little reason for introducing Tangier; towards the end the action is almost incoherent.”[6]
Picturegoer wrote: “A paper-thin plot is blown up to bursting point by a lot of agitated but pointless action taking in murder, blackmail and roughstuff with precious few thrills.”[7]
Picture Show called the film a “neatly made, holding melodrama.”[8]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as “mediocre”, writing: “Lots of huff and puff bursts paper-thin plot.”[9]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: “This barely acceptable B-thriller was made at a time when British cinemas habitually ran supporting features to give you time to buy your soft drinks and popcorn.”[10]
References
- ^ a b The Times, Thursday 27 January 1957, page 2: First ever appearance of Man from Tangier in the classified ads for “picture theatres”, showing at Odeon Marble Arch together with Monkey on My Back – Found in The Times Digital Archive 2014-04-30
- ^ a b BBFC: Man from Tangier (1957) Linked 2014-04-30
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British ‘B’ Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ “Man from Tangier”. British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ Amazon UK: Breaking Point/Man from Tangier Linked 2014-04-30
- ^ “Man from Tangier”. The Monthly Film Bulletin. 24 (276): 103. 1 January 1957. ProQuest 1305823425.
- ^ “Man from Tangier”. Picturegoer. 34: 15. 1 August 1957. ProQuest 1771182421.
- ^ “Man from Tangier”. Picture Show. 69 (1805): 10. 2 November 1957. ProQuest 1879625937.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 343. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 583. ISBN 9780992936440.