Gefährliches Erbe

I agree there are many good , bad or indifferent movies but the point is surely , for movie collectors / fans is the enjoyment of the film by the individual. Brit movies never cost anything like the cost of other countries movies to make so the results of this movie are pretty fair for it's production costs. It's also a very clean movie ( language wise) and the story was by a very good writer. I read the book years before I saw the film and the film lived up to the original story concepts. For me it is a great pity that such Brit movies do not receive more attention from restorers and DVD producers. ( It's one I would certainly buy for my movie collection if it were available )

I haven't seen this film for a long time. I saw it in the cinema in the late 50's early 60's and over the years since on TV. I think it probably still stands up due to the fact that it is in colour, it's a good clean action film with no heavy violence or strong language, and it has some familiar faces in it. Sid James of course was in Hell Drivers playing a truck driver,with Stanley Baker,who was the hero but, in this one he is the baddie, as he was in Checkpoint which also starred James Robertson Justice who was in the Doctor films with Dirk Bogarde. There are probably other connections, but this and the other films are very straight forward and untaxing to watch.

Out of the blue, Bruce Campbell (Dirk Bogarde) arrives in Canada from Britain. It seems that years ago, Campbell's grandfather was involved in an oil drilling operation in Canada and reportedly stole a lot of folks' money who invested in it. But Bruce insists that his grandfather was not a crook and he's here to try to work the property to prove that there is oil. But there's a problem...they're now building a dam nearby and the property will soon be flooded...so not only do they have to contend with a lot of angry workers on the dam, but they also have to work quickly before the land is forever covered in water.

This is an amazingly 'normal' sort of role for Dirk Bogarde...and not the sort of film he was generally making in this stage of his career. Most of his films were either the lighthearted Doctor films or psychological thrillers. And, despite the change of pace, the film is worth watching. Not exactly brilliant but unique and interesting.

By the way, although the film is set in Canada, there are two interesting things. First, the film begins with the emblazened phrase 'Made at Pinewood Studios'....well, some of it was. A few scenes obviously were made in front of some cheap looking matte paintings. But many of the outdoor scenes were actually filmed in Italy...an odd substitute for Canada. Odd, but understandable as Italian studio space was dirt cheap at the time and a bit closer to the UK. Plus the Italians...well, they also have a lot of mountains.

Bruce Campbell" (Dirk Bogarde) inherits his grandfather's land in Canada and is determined to make a go of it. Once he arrives from Scotland, and allied with Barbara Murray and a superb James Robertson Justice, though, he discovers that he faces a few local difficulties. Stanley Baker is prepared to go to any means to drive them from the land so he can build a lucrative hydro-electric dam. This self-adaptation of Hammond Innes' novel is beautifully shot (albeit it in Italy, not Canada) and Bogarde conveys some of the grim determination and persevering spirit of "Campbell" well in the face of this hostility, but the story is presented in just a little too light-weight a fashion with too much chatter and not enough action - until the very end.

Based on a Hammond Innes novel, this 1957 colour production is a good deal better film than its current 6.3 score on IMDB would suggest. The film is beautifully shot (with the Italian Dolomites substituting for Alberta) and mostly ably acted by a good cast. It is that rare thing, an action/adventure film that all the family can enjoy. The plot revolves around a race against time for a dying man (Bogarde) to drill for oil before his grandfather's land is flooded by dam belonging to a mining corporation, with baddie Stanley Baker pulling every dirty trick going to stop him.

When I first saw the film, I was, as others have commented, less than convinced by the mixture of accents on offer. But upon reflection, Canada at that time -especially in any boom industry- was full of immigrants from all over the world. I also thought James Robertson Justice's accent was a bit weird, but I've since heard natives from that part of Scotland for real, and it is not so far off as I originally thought.

In summary this film is not at all bad, well worth watching.