Contraband * (1955, Richard Greene, Anouk Aimée, Michael Denison) – Classic Movie Review 13,149

The 1955 crime film Contraband Spain stars Richard Greene as a US Treasury agent sent to the French-Spanish border to round up smugglers and counterfeiters after his brother is murdered.

‘Murder most foul… Great the motive and the prize – CONTRABAND’

Writer/ director Lawrence Huntington’s 1955 crime film Contraband Spain is a sluggish, fairly poor thriller with the lovely 23-year-old Anouk Aimée imported from France to little import as a cabaret singer in Spain who helps a US Treasury agent (Richard Greene, 50s TV’s Robin Hood) and a customs officer (Michael Denison) to catch the forgers who killed her brother.

Richard Greene stars as US government Treasury agent Lee Scott, who works to round up smugglers and counterfeiters on the border between Spain and France. His brother was part of the gang, who murdered him. The gang smuggles watches into Spain and brings counterfeit American money into England to buy gold then melted down and shipped to mainland Europe. Scott is helped by alluring singer Elena Vargas (Anouk Aimee), with whom of course he falls in love.

It is a muddled, melodramatic story, slow moving and done with little conviction or excitement, though the three pleasing star performances help a bit, even if Greene is miscast as an American. And it also helps that is shot partly on attractive Europe locations in Eastmancolor by Harry Waxman.

It was Aimée’s third British film, though this is a British-Spanish co-production, made by Diadem Films and Balcázar Producciones Cinematográficas.

The cast are Richard Greene as Lee Scott, Anouk Aimée as Elena Vargas, Michael Denison as Ricky Metcalfe, José Nieto as Pierre, Robert Ayres as Mr Dean, Richard Warner as Inspector LeGrand, John Warwick as Bryant, Philip Saville as Martin Scott, Alfonso Estela as Henchman, Conrado San Martín as Henchman, Antonio Almorós as Lucien Remue, G H Mulcaster [George Mulcaster] as Colonel Ingleby Arnold Bell, and Olive Milbourne.

An uncredited Christopher Lee narrates.

Locations shooting includes Barcelona, the Spanish seaside town of Blanes, the French town of Urdos, and Dover in Kent, England. Otherwise it is shot in the studio at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London.

Contraband Spain is directed by Lawrence Huntington, runs 82 minutes, is made by Diadem Films and Balcázar Producciones Cinematográficas, is released by Associated British-Pathé (UK), is written by Lawrence Huntington, based on a story by Lawrence Huntington, is shot in Eastmancolor) by Harry Waxman, is produced by Ernest Gartside, and scored by Edwin Astley.

Release date: 15 March 1955 (London).

Anouk Aimée was born Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus on 27 April 1932 and died on 18 June 2024,

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,149

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