Campbell's Kingdom

Well looking at some comments I thought it prudent to add mine in the defence of a remarkable film.

Unlike some location flicks and despite the efforts of dramatic scenery this film is failed by it's casting. A film about a Scot in Canada and not a Scot or Canadian accent in site!There is however a strong British cast assembled for filming abroad, a rare treat for Bogarde and co in post war austere Britain and a rare treat of course for the audience - colour! So please accept it for what it is. A rare colour British melodrama to cheer and entertain and perhaps re-awaken the declining film audience of the time.

If you are one that enjoyed the old days of an old black and white TV flickering away on a Sunday afternoon playing a comfort film then this is one to watch one day.

I really don't understand what James Robertson Justice is doing in this, despite his Scottish roots he performs out of character (typecasting above all is the problem here),perhaps he should have played to his strengths and played the part as a booming eccentric, a Major perhaps?!. All the rest give their best and stoic Dirk Bogarde of course is excellent!

I like the warm feeling this film brings to the watcher good may or may not triumph over evil here. I leave you to watch and enjoy the really well worked climatic end. Over sentimental at the conclusion? Perhaps! Glad it was made? Definitely! Enjoy a sweet film.

The end.

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.

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.

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 )