Dick Barton Strikes Back
| Dick Barton Strikes Back | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Godfrey Grayson |
| Written by | Elizabeth Baron and Ambrose Grayson, based on a story by Ambrose Grayson |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Cedric Williams |
| Edited by | Ray Pitt |
| Music by | Rupert Grayson Frank Spencer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Exclusive Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Dick Barton Strikes Back is a 1949 British second feature ('B')[1] spy film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Don Stannard.b[2] It was written by Elizabeth Baron and Ambrose Grayson and was the third of three films that Hammer Film Productions made about agent Dick Barton, although it was the second released.[3]
Plot
[edit]Captain Richard 'Dick' Barton and his associate Snowey White, uncover a spyring of international psychopathic criminals with plans to dominate Great Britain, if not, the world, using a terrifying weapon of mass destruction.
Cast
[edit]- Don Stannard as Dick Barton
- Bruce Walker as Snowey White
- Sebastian Cabot as Fouracada
- James Raglan as Lord Armadale
- Jean Lodge as Tina
- Morris Sweden as Robert Creston
- John Harvey as Major Henderson
- Humphrey Kent as Colonel Gardener
- Sidney Vivian as Inspector Burke
- Tony Morelli as Nicholas
- George Crawford as Alex
- Larry Taylor as Nick (as Laurie Taylor)
Production
[edit]The film's title during production was Dick Barton and the Silent Plague.[4]
Critical reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A large cast, headed by Don Stannard as Barton, with Sebastian Cabot and James Raglan as the leading criminals, enter into the spirit of adventure with enthusiasm. Nerves would have to be strong to resist the fearful screaming of the mystery apparatus, though even an enthusiastic child might find some of the suspense almost beyond bearing."[5]
Kine Weekly wrote: "A lot is left unexplained, but the zest with which the schoolboy hokum is put over, plus generous and colourful staging, amply atones for story shortcomings. Good fun, and an exhilitrating thriller, it will entertain most audiences and youngsters in particular."[6]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Enthusiastic juvenalia."[7]
Mystery File wrote: "This is a little kid's idea of a Spy Movie, with transparent trickery, obvious "surprise" villains and character development just below the level of a CLUE game, but it was clearly also the precursor of the James Bond films, with the suave, hard-fighting hero flung in and out of the clutches of sinister villains and predatory females with equal aplomb. It's a time-waster, sure, but a fun thing, with death rays, a sinister carnival and a really gripping final set-to up and down a (rather unsettlingly phallic) tower."[8]
The Spinning Image found "an excellent example of pure pulp cinema, Dick Barton Strikes Back is solidly entertaining and never flags, right up to the finish line."[9]
TV Guide called it "the best of the three Dick Barton films".[10]
References
[edit]- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949) - Godfrey Grayson - Review". AllMovie.
- ^ Bruce G. Hallenbeck, British Cult Cinema: Hammer Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Hemlock Books 2011 p46
- ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 16 (181): 59. 1 January 1949 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back". Kine Weekly. 385 (2184): 16. 10 March 1949 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 204. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ^ "» A Movie Review by Dan Stumpf: DICK BARTON STRIKES BACK (1949)".
- ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back Review (1949)". www.thespinningimage.co.uk.
- ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.