Royal Navy Commander Max Easton fakes his defection to the Soviets in order to sue the slandering newspapers for the money he needs to woo a fancy American woman.Royal Navy Commander Max Easton fakes his defection to the Soviets in order to sue the slandering newspapers for the money he needs to woo a fancy American woman.Royal Navy Commander Max Easton fakes his defection to the Soviets in order to sue the slandering newspapers for the money he needs to woo a fancy American woman.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total
Henry B. Longhurst
- Club Member
- (as Henry Longhurst)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe working title for this film was suggested by James Mason himself. He thought of the title "A Touch of Larceny", as stated in his autobiography, "Before I Forget".
- GoofsWhen Max picks up Virginia for their luncheon date, she tries to put a scarf on her head to keep her hair from blowing around in the wind caused by riding in Max's convertible sports car. However, when Max brings his car to a sudden stop, the wind continues.
- Quotes
Sir Charles Holland: I suppose somebody reads this stuff, otherwise they wouldn't bother to write it. You know, I believe that these days, people are intelligent in direct proportion to what they disbelieve in the newspapers.
- ConnectionsSpoofed in The Army Game: A Touch of the Other (1960)
Featured review
The trouble with you, Easton, is you have no principles.
A Touch of Larceny is directed by Guy Hamilton and adapted to screenplay by Ivan Foxwell & Roger MacDougall from the novel "The Megstone Plot" written by Paul Winterton. It stars James Mason, George Sanders and Vera Miles. Music is by Philip Green and cinematography by John Wilcox.
Plot finds Mason as Naval Commander Max Easton, a one time hero and a playboy who now idles away his time at an Admiralty desk. When an old comrade, Sir Charles Holland (Sanders), arrives on the scene with the beautiful Virginia Killain (Miles) on his arm, Easton wants her for himself. But Holland is well off financially and Easton is not, so he hatches a plan to make the press think he is a traitor to his country, and thus when they write damning articles about him he can sue them for libel!
It's little seen these days and merely a small entry on either the curriculum vitae of Mason & Sanders, but it deserves to have a bigger audience. It's very dry in humour and paced sedately without histrionics or extraneous passages of play (it was BAFTA nominated for Best British Screenplay), this is, in short, a long way from being screwball like! The novel it is adapted from apparently carries a cynical edge (not read it myself you see), and whilst the thematics here in the filmic adaptation; caddish rivalry and manipulation of the press, do lend a fragment of spice to the story, it's mostly played in a playful unobtrusive manner. The joy comes in watching the two wonderful cad lad actors on each side of the bonnie Miss Miles. All parties are doing darn fine work, with Mason dominating the screen with an engaging performance that pours scorn on those who thought he couldn't do comedy.
No masterpiece for sure, and sometimes it comes off as being a little bit odd, but this be a film to savour for the acting, the dialogue and the warm glow that follows when the end does come. 7/10
Plot finds Mason as Naval Commander Max Easton, a one time hero and a playboy who now idles away his time at an Admiralty desk. When an old comrade, Sir Charles Holland (Sanders), arrives on the scene with the beautiful Virginia Killain (Miles) on his arm, Easton wants her for himself. But Holland is well off financially and Easton is not, so he hatches a plan to make the press think he is a traitor to his country, and thus when they write damning articles about him he can sue them for libel!
It's little seen these days and merely a small entry on either the curriculum vitae of Mason & Sanders, but it deserves to have a bigger audience. It's very dry in humour and paced sedately without histrionics or extraneous passages of play (it was BAFTA nominated for Best British Screenplay), this is, in short, a long way from being screwball like! The novel it is adapted from apparently carries a cynical edge (not read it myself you see), and whilst the thematics here in the filmic adaptation; caddish rivalry and manipulation of the press, do lend a fragment of spice to the story, it's mostly played in a playful unobtrusive manner. The joy comes in watching the two wonderful cad lad actors on each side of the bonnie Miss Miles. All parties are doing darn fine work, with Mason dominating the screen with an engaging performance that pours scorn on those who thought he couldn't do comedy.
No masterpiece for sure, and sometimes it comes off as being a little bit odd, but this be a film to savour for the acting, the dialogue and the warm glow that follows when the end does come. 7/10
helpful•80
- hitchcockthelegend
- May 3, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Hochverrat mit Hindernissen
- Filming locations
- Dubh Sgeir, Firth of Lorne, Scotland, UK(Commander Easton's Shipwreck Island)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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