When Eight Bells Toll ** (1971, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley, Corin Redgrave, Nathalie Delon, Ferdy Mayne, Derek Bond) – Classic Movie Review 6256

Director Etienne Perier’s 1971 British adventure is a goodish Boy’s Own action thriller, taken from an Alistair MacLean novel, in which an excellent cast, boats and gold bullion figure against a backdrop of eye-catching Scottish scenery.

Entertaining though it is, some Bond-style tongue-in-cheek humour would have helped MacLean’s rather po-faced screenplay, while Perier’s watery direction is disappointingly low on dash.

In his first star part, a rather grumpy but fresh-faced Anthony Hopkins plays Philip Calvert, the British Navy’s undercover hero who is searching underwater for the gold stolen by thieves based in a Scottish coastal town. It also stars Robert Morley as Sir Arthur Artford Jones (‘Uncle Arthur’), Corin Redgrave as Roy Hunslett, Jack Hawkins as Sir Anthony Skouras and Nathalie Delon as Charlotte.

Also in the cast are Ferdy Mayne, Derek Bond, Maurice Roëves, Peter Arne, Leon Collins, Wendy Allnutt, Oliver MacGreevy, Jon Crift, Tom Chatto, Charlie Stewart, Edward Burnham and Del Henney.

Commendably running only a taut 95 minutes, this is short and fast-paced escapist entertainment.

It is shot in widescreen by Arthur Ibbetson, produced by Elliott Kastner and Jerry Gershwin, scored by Wally Stott and designed by Jack Maxsted.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6256

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