Platz nehmen zum Sterben

First saw it on screen 1963-64. Then later on ITV/BBC mid 70s. Enjoyed it more than High Noon - obviously has a similar plot. I remember the names of the sons Matthew, Jubo ?, Mark, Luke and John I think. Although I was 11 when I saw it it certainly stood apart from any other film I saw at that time. I think it was the combination of fine acting by Jeffreys and James Booth and to a lesser extent by Richard Todd. The entire score song sung by Marty Wilde remains registered on my memory. It deserves to go on DVD and to be viewed by younger audiences again on TV. I am not sure if other people share this view but 1960s vintage films were superior on average to what has been produced since - particularly compared to the past 20 years. One further comment - why are there no black artists in this film. The fact that it was based in South Africa was not disguised yet we only see white faces on screen. Is this possibly a reason why the film was not more widely distributed. Aparthid applied to a western film ?.

I recall seeing The Hellions on TV some 30 years ago (I think). It was like most of our Westerns, Hign Noon or My Darling Clementine best comes to mind. Yet it is different for it reminded me that there were other countries outside of the US that shared similar themes as our westerns. Richard Todd is good but a little wooden and unemotional. The brothers are weird but terrifying and so is Lionel Jefferies. The thing I recall with the greatest fondness are the opening lines of the theme song. "Here they come and may they soon be gone: Matthew, Jubal, Mark and Luke and John." Too bad the movie has not been shown for so long. Should be on DVD.

The Hellions according to some might well be considered Great Britain's first western although I think The Sheriff Of Fractured Jaw has a better claim. Ken Annakin better known for such Disney films with star Richard Todd like Robin Hood, The Sword And The Rose, and Rob Roy the Highland Rogue team together again for this film set in and shot in South Africa.

It's the post Boer War era in the Union Of South Africa and the place still has a frontier feel to it. A family of real bottom feeders, the Billings clan headed by Lionel Jeffries is coming to town to settle a score with the local constable Richard Todd. They're a lot like the Clantons from My Darling Clementine and the Cleggs from Wagonmaster from those John Ford classics.

In any event Todd who patrols the place unarmed gets his gun and wants some backup, but the town hesitates. Now he knows how Gary Cooper felt with those citizens of Hadleyville.

In the end however Todd gets some help from a most unlikely source a man just sick and tired of kowtowing to these killers who collectively are known as The Hellions.

Lionel Jeffries who usually plays comic village shows a savage side to him in The Hellions. Not something normally associated with him, but very good. Plaudits should also go to James Usys and Anne Aubrey as a husband and wife pair of storekeepers The Hellions intimidate.

Note the harmonica parts of the music score are from the blacklisted Larry Adler who was probably the only American associated with The Hellions. They were a nice touch.

As for the ending, think about the Frank Sinatra western Johnny Concho.

The Hellions is a great film and Richard Todd is very convincing. I have seen this film only once and that was about 30 years ago on British television. I too, have searched for a video but have been unable to find any although Posters do appear on ebay from time to time. Most people say it is a High Noon and in some respects it is similar as a lone lawman, in this case a South African Constable has to face the bad guys alone out of his personal sense of duty. It is dissimilar to High Noon in that the action is more spread out as a sequence of events. It is most similar to Firecreek which was made 7 years later and stars James Stewart and Henry Fonda and I think this was a copy of the Hellions script adapted as a Western. In Firecreek James Stewart plays a honorary sheriff of a small town of losers which becomes a place for the bad guys led by Henry Fonda to hold up in. Fonda leads a gang of gunmen who take part in Range Wars. So if you can't watch the Hellions get a copy of Firecreek.

Jeff Herbert

This film is being shown in England on the Talking Pictures TV channel this week. Not seen it as yet.....but I await.... eagerly!!