alkborough

The best part of the film was a sequence taken directly from Lust for Gold 1949 where the Indians attack gold prospectors in a remote valley many years before. Very much a studio set but extremely well done with production quality well ahead of the rest of the film. Interesting to note that the Englishman that played Valerie French's father in the film was Reginald Sheffield who was the father of Johnny and Billy Sheffield who were boy stars in films - Johnny playing Boy in the Tarzan films and later Bomba The Jungle Boy. I well remember seeing this film as a youngster and somehow the plot has always stayed with me - and on seeing it again last evening - the main elements that had stuck in my mind were there. I had remembered a search for the Braganza crosses - small metal crosses - that if found would lead to the famous Braganza treasure in Treasure Mountain. I have looked for the name Braganza before - and not been able to find it - and thought I had this wrong but I was pretty sure I had it right - and so it proved to be the case. The production values of the film were not top class by any means but the flashback sequence to the man who had discovered the treasure 200 years earlier when the Indians attacked and killed the searchers and Braganza himself in the cave was very well done - these scenes were pinched for an earlier film Lust for Gold with Glenn Ford. It has taken a long time searching for this film but I now have it and have seen it again.

This is a great story that holds you to it while the story unravels. The film is quited dated now but in a way that makes it all the more interesting. The main part is that of Marius Goring as Mr. Perrin who plays a teacher who seems to be very much a loner and ill at ease socially to such an extent that his feeble unsuccessful attempts to woo Greta Gynt who is won over by new teacher David Traill (David Farrar) plus the bullying he takes from the Headmaster Raymond Huntley takes him over the edge. We do not initially take to Mr Perrin but as the film unfolds he comes over as very much a victim of his time, his shyness and the overall situation at the public school where he teaches and has taught for 21 years. Some of the scenes are very short and punchy but the film moves along to its final tragic conclusion. We instinctively know something is going to happen but it is very difficult to second guess the outcome. There is an interesting article on the internet from the Old Monrovians School from a pupil who went on an organised visit to Denham while this film was being made. He describes the sets and also having a talk with Edward Chapman and also a 'very disinterested David Farrar' who apparently posed for a photograph and went back to his dressing room and was not seen again that day. Not often we hear of someone who had been to Denham so it is good to get such an insight

As with previous posts I agree that Lionel Jeffries was superb in this role playing a part far removed from what we are used to from him. James Booth also good, These were two of the 'baddies' and as such had strong roles. Richard Todd gave a good restrained performance in the leading role. Directed by Ken Annakin, one of my all time favourite directors, or at least partly directed by him. In his autobiography he reveals that well into the filming he was taken quite seriously ill and the remainder of the film was directed by Harold Huth and Clive Reed. Ken had given the cast 'carte blanche' to play the film as a tongue in cheek spoof and most were up to it but the rest of the film was directed with everyone playing straight. The critics panned the film for being 'uneven' - they knew nothing of Ken's illness. Ken also states that 'Irwin Allen's(the producer)girlfriend played the female lead - the less said about her the better' He doesn't elaborate Fortunately he recovered fully after his long illness and is still alive well into his 90s. I have just received a DVD of the film and I thoroughly enjoyed it.