Campbell's Kingdom 1957 Adventure Drama Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Michael Craig, Director: Ralph Thomas The New York Times Review Published: January 11, 1960 THE British movie troupe that explores "Campbell's Kingdom," which was exposed at the Victoria Theatre on Saturday, is an unconstructive, if hardy, lot. In what appears to be an attempt to emulate Hollywood's Western-type of action drama, tinted in colors that occasionally tend toward the garish, they have merely proved that imitation is not always flattering. The varied "citizens" of "Campbell's Kingdom" are sincere, willing and fairly professional but they provide only momentary, fleeting excitement in an adventure that is not particularly extraordinary. The producer-director team of Betty E. Box and Ralph Thomas, known for such crisp, tense and comic English film fare as "The Clouded Yellow" and "Doctor in the House," have journeyed far afield—to the Canadian Rockies, to be exact—for their operations in "Campbell's Kingdom." But they have not come up with a bonanza of a story. Although the backgrounds are properly rugged and colorful (it actually was shot in the Alps and at the English Pinewood Studio) their saga is somewhat less than impressive. It tells of an ailing young Briton who runs into a mess of opposition and trouble when he goes to Canada to claim the mountain valley known as Campbell's Kingdom, once owned by his grandfather. It seems that grandpa was held in doubtful repute because he maintained that his holdings contained oil. The townspeople of Come Lucky had invested and thought themselves duped. Their ire is exploited by a rich mine owner and his construction chief who want to build a dam on the site so as to have power for digging and this, they insist, will bring them prosperity. Does our sick expatriate discover that there has been dirty work at the dam site? Does he find the papers to prove it? Does he get a courageous crew together to help him find the oil just in the nick of time and does he discover love and the fact that he won't die of that unexplained affliction, after all? Even a semi-alert moviegoer should get the idea long before the final fade-out. As the displaced, determined but bookish Briton who takes on all those odds and muscular characters, Dirk Bogarde appears to be a man who would be more at ease in Mayfair than among the tough ruffians of the Rockies. Stanley Baker plays the hardbitten, villainous construction boss in stereotyped style. James Robertson Justice is gruffly amiable as the Scottish oil expert who helps our hero. Barbara Murray is pretty and efficient as another expatriate who falls in love with him, and Michael Craig is simply stalwart as a local engineer who befriends him although he knows he is losing the lady in doing so. Despite their efforts and such passingly explosive effects as a bursting dam, the attractions of "Campbell's Kingdom" are only mildly interesting. CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM: screen play by Robin Estridge: based on the novel by Hammond Innes; directed by Ralph Thomas; produced by Betty E. Box; presented by the J. Arthur Rank Organization and released by Lopert Films. At the Victoria Theatre, Broadway and Forty-sixth Street. Running time: 102 minutes. Bruce Campbell . . . . . Dirk Bogarde Owen Morgan . . . . . Stanley Baker Boy Blayden . . . . . Michael Craig Jean Lucas . . . . . Barbara Murray James MacDonald . . . . . James Robertson Justice Miss Abigail . . . . . Athene Sayler Miss Ruth . . . . . Mary Merrall Creasy . . . . . Robert Brown Mac . . . . . John Laurie Timid Driver . . . . . Sidney James Max . . . . . George Murcell Fergus . . . . . Stanley Maxted Doctor . . . . . Peter Illing Old Man . . . . . Finlay Currie Driver . . . . . Roland Brand Cliff . . . . . Gordon Tanner Stranger . . . . . Richard McNamara By A.H. WEILER

• published: 20 Dec 2014
• views: 6