The Great Van Robbery

1959 British film by Max Varnel

The Great Van Robbery
Directed byMax Varnel
Written byBrian Clemens
Eldon Howard
Produced by
  • Edward J. Danziger
  • Harry Lee Danziger
Starring
  • Denis Shaw
  • Kay Callard
CinematographyJames Wilson (as Jimmy Wilson)
Edited byMaurice Rootes
Music byAlbert Elms (uncredited)
Production
company
Danziger Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists (US)
Release dates
  • January 1959 (1959-01) (UK)
  • 1963 (1963) (US)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Great Van Robbery is a 1959 black-and-white British crime film starring Denis Shaw and Kay Callard, directed by Max Varnel.[1] It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.

Plot

Scotland Yard teams up with Interpol to discover the origins of stolen money in a private bank account in Rio de Janeiro. Assigning their best detective Caesar Smith to the case, the money is soon traced to a robbery from a Royal Mint van. Investigations lead to a coffee storehouse where a worker is found murdered and the remaining loot discovered.

Cast

Production

The film's camera operator was future director Nicolas Roeg (credited as Nick Roeg).[2]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Though basically routine in plot and substance, this lively crime thriller has the particular advantage of a freshly observed hero in Caesar Smith, convincingly played by Denis Shaw as a heavily built but agile Scotland Yard man with a dexterous line in judo."[3]

Boxoffice said: "Denis Shaw is the hero, ever resolute and resourceful – and upon his fast-stepping form the film's dramatic intensity rests. The audience for which it's designed will be happy."[4]

In British Sound Films David Quinlan says: "Routine crooks' tour with an unusual hero."[5]

Franz Antony Clinton writes in British Thrillers, 1950–1979: "In one of the better Danzinger brothers B movies, The Great Van Robbery features a bright script and efficient direction that keeps things moving at a brisk pace."[6]

In The British 'B' Film Chibnall & McFarlane write: "Nicolas Roeg's camerwork brought some distinction to The Great Van Robbery."[7]

References

  1. ^ "The Great Van Robbery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  2. ^ Roeg, Nicolas (2013). The World is Ever Changing. London: Faber and Faber. p. 239. ISBN 9780571264933.
  3. ^ "On the Fiddle". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 26 (300): 33. 1 January 1959 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ "The Great Van Robbery". Boxoffice. 82 (18): a11–a12. 25 February 1963.
  5. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 317. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
  6. ^ Clinton, Franz Antony. British Thrillers, 1950–1979: 845 Films of Suspense, Mystery, Murder and Espionage. McFarland. p. 160. ISBN 978-0786410323.
  7. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  • The Great Van Robbery at IMDb
  • The Great Van Robbery at ReelStreets
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Films produced by The Danzigers
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