BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Laura Seabrook GEM was showing this early Saturday morning, and I just finished AKA Known as "Four Desperate Men" in the States, but as "The Siege of Pinchgut" here in Australia, this was shown on local TV yesterday. It was rather unusual seeing Sydney in 1959, with double decker buses, trams, and police vans with "POLICE E&R FORCE" on the side of them, and the lowish skyline of Northern Sydney.The film follows the pattern of the period which would have one or two overseas stars to help sell the film elsewhere. This time it's Aldo Ray and Carlo Giustini. It also has a solid performance by Gerry Duggan (whom I saw in a Skippy repeat last week) and Alan Tilvern as the hard-headed Superintendent Hanna. Like many films of the time, accents are either well known dialects (like Irish), "educated" (like Hanna's) or "larrikin" like the main characters brother Joey.Very much a drama of who will and won't survive, including a good portion of Sydney, with a live naval gun trained on a boat full of explosives! There's a number of sly digs on Australian society in the film, like a two-up game running in the middle of an evacuation. I also liked the reference to "the old tram depot, about to be demolished for our new Opera House" - little did they know where that'd lead! Good stuff and a look at the past.

malcolmgsw One of the previous reviewers stated erroneously that Ealing only lasted 20 years.That is completely wrong.A studio has been on the present site for around 100 years.In 1930 a company was formed called Associated Talking Pictures headed by Basil Dean.This made films for release by Radio Pictures.Trouble was Radio wanted them as supports for their American imports whereas Dean wanted them for top of the bill.So they split from Radio.Dean was ousted in 1938 because he liked to use his wife,Victoria Hopper,in colossal flops such as "Whom The Gods Love".It was at this point that Balcon,who had left MGM British became head of the studios,the name changed to Ealing and it became world famous.However by 1955 various problems beset Balcon and he had no option but to sell the studios,where films are made to this day.Balcon had a distribution deal with MGM and rented space at their Boreham Wood studios,where the likes of "Davy" and "Dunkirk" were made.However MGM was in turmoil and Balcon left for ABPC who distributed this film.However films had moved on since his heyday and so the company was disbanded at the end of the year.It is actually a rather good film,even if Aldo Ray is less than convincing as an Aussie.It is an entertaining film and a fine testament to Ealing and Balcon.

GUENOT PHILIPPE That's probably the most powerful little UK film I have ever seen since a long time. I am totally amazed, surprised at the most. It's entertaining from the start to the end. Aldo Ray is here wonderful, as usual. I also remember him in a similar character - well, nearly - in John Guillermin's THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND. UK gave us really good films, when they wanted to. We see here a British product, but so awesome. Suspense and action, with sub characters the audience feel sympathy for, even the "bad guys"...It reminds me a novel, never put on the screen - such a shame - TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE, written by a guy named Tony Kenrick, where a bunch of hoods take New York as hostage with the help of a huge canon aboard a war ship in Manhattan harbor. In this book, they threaten the authorities to blow the skycrapper if they don't get a big bullion...Back to this film, I hope many people will watch it. It's worth.

John (opsbooks) It's been decades since I viewed this rare B&W movie of the late 1950s. What I remember is the great photography, the police sharpshooters lined up atop the great Sydney Harbour Bridge arch (our much-loved 'coathanger') many hundreds of feet above the water and the laughable acting performance of poor old Aldo Ray. Forget the acting, though, and enjoy the action as the coppers try to take out the baddies on the Sydney Harbour fortress of Pinchgut, otherwise known as Fort Dennison.Update, 2007. I came across the movie tie-in paperback authored by George Kay which includes 8 b/w photos from the movie. Published in England by Four Square Books in 1962.