Ransom!

Ransom! is a 1956 crime drama examining the reactions of parents, police, and the public to a kidnapping. Written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume, the film was based on a popular episode of "The United States Steel Hour" titled "Fearful Decision," which aired in 1954, starred Ralph Bellamy.

Directed by stage and television veteran Alex Segal, the film starred Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and Leslie Nielsen (in his first film role).

A loosely based remake starring Mel Gibson was made in 1996 by director Ron Howard. Its title was Ransom, minus the exclamation point.

Plot

Young Andy Stannard (Bobby Clark) is the son of Dave Stannard (Glenn Ford), a wealthy executive, and his wife Edith (Donna Reed). One day, Edith and Dave feel that each has miscommunicated with the other about the whereabouts of their son. The principal Mrs. Partridge (Mabel Albertson) of Andy's school telephones and informs Edith that Andy was picked up by a nurse and taken to Dr. Gorman's (Alexander Scourby) office for treatment of a viral infection. However, when Dave phones Dr. Gorman, he finds out that Andy has not been at his office at all that day. Realizing that their son has been kidnapped, the Stannards call the police.

Ransom

Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it may refer to the sum of money involved.

In an early German law, a similar concept was called weregild.

When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French rançon from Latin redemptio = "buying back": compare "redemption".

In Judaism ransom is called kofer-nefesh (Hebrew: כפר נפש‎). Among other uses, the word was applied to the poll tax of a half shekel to be paid by every male above twenty years at the census.

Ransom cases

Julius Caesar was captured by pirates near the island of Pharmacusa, and held until someone paid 50 talents to free him.

In Europe during the Middle Ages, ransom became an important custom of chivalric warfare. An important knight, especially nobility or royalty, was worth a significant sum of money if captured, but nothing if he was killed. For this reason, the practice of ransom contributed to the development of heraldry, which allowed knights to advertise their identities, and by implication their ransom value, and made them less likely to be killed out of hand. Examples include Richard the Lion Heart and Bertrand du Guesclin.

Ransom (1974 film)

Ransom is a 1974 film starring Sean Connery and Ian McShane and directed by Finnish director Caspar Wrede. The plot concerns a group of terrorists who try to extract a large sum of money from two governments.

The film was known as The Terrorists in some countries.

Plot

A small group of terrorists have seized the British ambassador to the fictitious country of "Scandinavia", and are holding him hostage in his residence. Scandinavia's head of security, Col. Nils Tahlvik (Sean Connery), wants to take an uncompromising position, but he is overruled by the governments of both Scandinavia and Britain, who insist that all of the terrorists' demands be met.

A passenger airplane arriving at the airport of Scandinavia's capital city is hijacked by another small group of (purported) terrorists, led by Ray Petrie (Ian McShane). The airplane ends up parked on an isolated taxiway, and Petrie demands that he be put in touch with Martin Shepherd (John Quentin), leader of the group holding the British ambassador hostage. Petrie, who is known by Shepherd, convinces Shepherd that his group and his hostages should leave on the hijacked airplane, not on a military plane as originally planned.

Ransom (surname)

Ransom or Ransome is an English surname, also found in some trade names and military company names; it might derive either from the noun "ransom" or from contraction of "Ranulf's son". Notable people with the surname include:

Ransom (Malouf novel)

Ransom (2009) is a novel by Australian author David Malouf. It retells the story of the Iliad from books 22 to 24.

Summary

This story begins with Achilles mourning the death of Patroclus during the Trojan War. Achilles, enraged at his friend's death, slays Hector, Patroclus' killer, and drags Hector's corpse behind a chariot around the walls of Troy. Achilles drags Hector's corpse behind his chariot around Patroclus' funeral pyre each morning for the following ten days, much to the dismay of the Trojans and his own men. The narrative shifts between Achilles and Priam, Hector's father, and the King of Troy. Priam cannot stand the abuse of his beloved son's body. Priam and Achilles loss are juxtaposed throughout the novel. Priam decides that he will approach Achilles without his royal decorations, mortal to mortal, and attempt to ransom Hector's body back with treasure. Priam then explains his plan to his family and advisers, who meet it with resistance. After acquiring a common cart driver from the market square Priam and his driver set out for the Greek camp. With guidance from Hermes, Priam eventually meets Achilles at his tent, where the exchange is made. Priam appeals to Achilles conscience, reminding him of his own father and son, in trying to persuade him to return Hector to Troy for a proper burial. The retelling ends with the proper burial of Hector, within the walls of his home city.

Ransom (given name)

Ransom is a male given name which may refer to:

See also