The High Bright Sun [McGuire, Go Home!] ** (1965, Dirk Bogarde, George Chakiris, Susan Strasberg) – Classic Movie Review 6807

Dirk Bogarde is on commanding form in director Ralph Thomas’s otherwise ordinary 1965 adventure movie as Major McGuire, an intelligence officer in the British Army occupying Cyprus in the Fifties (it is 1957) during Cyprus’s war of independence against Britain.

Major McGuire is attracted to American Cypriot Juno Kozani (Susan Strasberg), Juno, an archaeology student visiting Cyprus, who finds that her host Dr Andros (Joseph Furst) is plotting with a fanatic called Haghios (George Chakiris) and a terrorist named General Stavros Skyros (Grégoire Aslan), who is also attracted to Juno.

The involving, unusual premise is ill served by simplistic handling, uneasy dialogue and some ragged acting, while Strasberg is a bit lost in the rather thankless role of Bogarde’s lover and Chakiris is not well cast.

Also in the cast are Denholm Elliott, Colin Campbell, Nigel Stock, George Pastell, Paul Stassino, Katherine Kath, Brian Weske, Derek Partridge and Larry Taylor.

The High Bright Sun (also known as McGuire, Go Home! and A Date with Death) is directed by Ralph Thomas, runs 114 minutes, is released by the Rank Organisation, is written by Ralph Thomas and Ian Stuart Black, based on the novel by Ian Stuart Black, is shot in Technicolor by Ernest Steward, is produced by Betty E Box, is scored by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, and is designed by Syd Cain and Franco Fontana.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6807

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