Les pirates de la nuit

When the wreckers start operating in his local community, it falls to "Squire Trevenyan" (Peter Cushing) to try to stop this ruthless and brutal crime. Thing is, though, when his son "Christopher" (John Fraser) returns home one night with details of who is doing what to whom, his father is suddenly nervous, compromised - but why? Is it just because the lad has a crush on "Louise" (Michèle Mercier) or because he is afraid of her brute of a father "Black John" (Bernard Lee). Anyway, time to send for the Redcoats! It's a standard adventure film this with little jeopardy or anything new as it sails, predictably, towards it's conclusion. Some of the foliage looks a bit out of place - not sure we have palm trees here in the UK, but Cushing still has a little of the charisma needed and Lee makes for a good rumbustious brigand. Though I don't think i will ever recall it, I like the genre and I quite enjoyed this light-weight and busky costume drama.

This entertaining adventure drama about smuggling in late 18th century is somehow betrayed by its low budget, more evident in the ship wrecking scenes, under furious storms. It tells the story of a British coastal town laden with taxes, where almost everybody has turn to smuggling to make ends meet. The action never stops with good rhythm and precise dialogue, and the enjoyment is evident in the actors' faces. All the cast is very effective, with Peter Cushing as a magistrate with a secret that haunts him, Bernard Lee as the villain before playing M to Sean Connery's James Bond, John Fraser as a dashing young swordsman and William Franklyn as a highwayman that becomes a hero. With pretty Michèle Mercier as the love interest, June Thorburn as Cushing's daughter and Liz Fraser in one of her best early roles as waitress-spy, this is one of John Gilling's best contributions to period drama.

This tale of shipwreckers in rural Cornwall was inspired by the real history of the area. The brutal tradition of shipwrecking has been covered in a number of films and is truly worthwhile subject for dramatization. One would have thought that with a director like John Gilling and a star like Peter Cushing that a well done tragic story would result.

Peter Cushing plays Squire Trevenyan. The Squire is the sole judge and jury for the area and is periodically backed up by soldiers. His efforts succeed in nabbing a group of smugglers/wreckers, but only provokes more violence. Soon, his beloved son is the target of a kidnapping plot aimed at obtaining freedom for the captured criminals.

This is truly a well crafted film. It seems to have the makings of an excellent film: strong cast, excellent shooting locations, good cinematography, and strong production values. Unfortunately, the story just didn't grab me. The result was tepid. In fact, "dull" is closer to the mark. Nevertheless, die hard fans of Peter Cushing, John Gilling, or the genre should probably still give it a chance. Perhaps others will see something in it that I missed. I really wanted to like this film, I really did.

While far from perfect, this is one of those films that's good for a hanging around kind of day, where you need something to fill the time.

It was also nice to see Peter Cushing play someone other than Dr. Van Helsing and battling smugglers rather than vampires. Though he could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had confessed his secret, rather than submit to blackmail. (It's funny, how back then - 18thc - it would have been a real scandal, whereas today no one would blink an eye. But is that really progress?)

It's not a bad drama/adventure film, (with some romance thrown in), as long as you don't expect too much.

1960's "Fury at Smugglers' Bay" was among eight consecutive non horror roles essayed by Peter Cushing in the early 60s, but despite his top billing gets upstaged rather easily by several combative co-stars. Squire Trevenyan (Cushing) rules over a small seaside community in 1789 Cornwall (filmed near Fishguard Wales), seeking to discourage his son's romance with the pretty daughter of law abiding smuggler Francois Lejeune (George Coulouris), while ineffectually dealing with the treacherous Black John (Bernard Lee) and his band of pirate wreckers, luring passing ships to destruction before looting the goods for evil profit. Added to the mix is a rogue highwayman known only as 'The Captain' (William Franklyn), who seems to be in cahoots with Black John, but does what he can to help the persecuted Lejeune. Bernard Lee, recently a heroic pilot opposite Cushing in "Cone of Silence," relishes being cast against type, while the always welcome presence of Hollywood veteran George Coulouris demonstrates how the citizens tried to fight back against the King's malign taxation. Michele Mercier is well known to horror fans for her starring efforts in two Italian titles, 1963's "Black Sabbath" and 1970's "Web of the Spider," with Hammer veteran Miles Malleson granted only one short scene as the Duke of Avon. Peter Cushing enjoyed making this exciting 'British Western,' but his character's strained relationships with both of his children keeps the puzzled audience at a distance, whereas his next Hammer, "Night Creatures" aka "Captain Clegg" would offer him a far more challenging, and thus rewarding, swashbuckling adventure, played with more gusto and a twinkle in the eye. In the future, he would again work with both Bernard Lee ("Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell") and William Franklyn ("The Satanic Rites of Dracula"). This was the movie that Christopher Lee viewed one Saturday afternoon, after which he phoned his old friend Peter: "you rode the horse very well dear fellow, and the expression on your face when you died was exactly the same as it was when you were told what your salary was going to be!"