The Siege of Pinchgut

"London Live" a U.k. t.v. channel is currently showing Ealing films daily from 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.I managed to see this film which was new to me despite having seen many films especially produced by Ealing.No it is not one of their comedies but is in the serious gangster genre set on location in Sydney, Australia.Other reviewers have outlined the plot so I won't repeat it.The only British actors I could identify were 1.Richard Vernon 2. Heather Sears. 3.Victor Maddern and U.S. actor Aldo Ray, the latter because he acted in some UK TV programmes.

American actors have great trouble with Australian accents.At first, as I missed the beginning, it was not clear why American robbers were in Australia.Were they supposed to be playing Aussies?This is one of the few Australian films to be shown on U.K. t.v.as we are more familiar with their "soaps" on t.v. e.g. "Home & Away" & "Neighbours".As this film was produced in 1959 the moral code was still in force so I knew the wanted men would get caught or receive their comeuppance.Watchable I gave it 6/10.

The most interesting thing about the Siege of Pinchgut are the numbers of scenes of the City of Sydney and some of its suburbs in the 1950s, which is fascinating to review nearly 60 years later.

The story involves an escaped criminal (Aldo Ray), who protests his innocence, and the 3 men who have helped him escape from custody. They attempt a nighttime escape by boat through Sydney Harbour but are forced aground on Pinchgut Island - now much better known as Fort Denison - where they hold hostage the caretaker and his family.

The movie has quite an interesting plot and the acting is quite good. It does fall apart a little towards the end as the plot descends into melodrama and the key question of Ray's innocence or guilt is never resolved.

The interest for me as a child of the 50s in Sydney was seeing scenes of various Sydney locations as they were in my childhood.

Despite being made by the British studio Ealing and containing a number of British actors, the movie was evidently made with the American market in mind. Not only was the star, Aldo Ray, speaking with an American accent but American spelling was used. In one scene a newspaper headline read "Harbor", which is the American spelling. The British and Australian spelling is "Harbour".

Despite its shortcomings, most notably falling into absurdity towards the end, a weak climax and some unresolved issues, the movie held my interest throughout and I can recommend it especially to older Australians for the historical value of the geographical scenes.

If this was filmed in the us I would give it only 6, but as an Australian it give a fascinating insight into Sydney in the 50s. The story line is not the greatest and would pass if not filmed here.

As a keen Australian movie fan, I have to admit I'd never heard of this British production largely filmed on location in Sydney, Australia during the late 1950's. The Australian input into the movie is minimal, restricted to the mainly harbour-side locations and a couple of supporting actors and extras, but conveniently, director Harry Watt had had previous experience of filming in Australia and it shows.

The Australian accents for instance, as performed by the British cast members are spot on, with American import, Aldo Ray, being the exception to the rule. He clearly plays an Australian character (not American as other reviewers allege) and yes, there's never any explanation, as to why he has a different accent from his brother, who when the film starts, has apparently master-minded his escape from a train (which we never see) with the aid of 2 other gang members.

Though critically regarded at the time, TSOP was never a commercial success, perhaps explaining why it has been so forgotten, also unfortunately heralding the arguably premature end of Watt's movie career. However in recent times through the influence of figures such as Quentin Tarantino, it has undergone a further critical re-appraisal, which serves to highlight many positive aspects of this much under-rated film.

One can easily see why Tarantino's interest was piqued. Twists abound from the start, with these gentlemanly crooks, being forced to divert from their escape plans and take an injured man to hospital, in a prologue which is both humorous and suspenseful.

The gang quickly gain our sympathies, when we soon realise all they are intent on, even whilst relatively gently taking hostages, is escape. Contrasting with this are their police pursuers, who are shown to be at the very least, extremely hard-nosed in their intent and seemingly not all that concerned about the hostages' welfare. It all makes for some clever reversals of your typical crime caper tropes.

Again I take issue with some of the other reviewers, when stating that the narrative plays out in a generally realistic, believable fashion. There is a Fort Dennison (Pinchgut) in the middle of Sydney Harbour, which may well have seen daily tourist tours of the facilities. It's not far-fetched to think a workable cannon existed there since the Korean War and gang members may also have had naval service during World War 2. It all adds up, including leader Matt's gradual mental disintegration.

Watt makes great use of iconic landmarks such as The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the unbuilt Sydney Opera House even gets a nascent, indirect mention via the medium of early Australian television and yes, there was a TCN Ch 9 in Sydney at the time.

The Siege of Pinchgut, whilst no classic, is indisputably an unexpected surprise from 60 years ago and I can well understand it being restored and archived by the The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

Three men break a convicted criminal out of jail. Their escape plan falters when their boat breaks down off Fort Dennison - "Pinchgut " - an island in Sydney Harbour. The caretaker of the island recognises the felon and the game is up. The four hold the caretaker and his family hostage, resulting in a deadly standoff with police.

An interesting enough hostage drama. The initial setup is well done, with the ambulance and hospital scenes being particularly exciting. The climax of the film is also quite exciting.

However, the middle section, the back-and-forth between the gang and the police, is a bit of a drag at times. The lack of character engagement here is quite telling as, while you're initially made to think that the felon was wrongfully convicted and is in the right, his actions throughout the film are hardly endearing. The police largely act quite professionally (with one glaring exception) so are not the villains of the piece. Still, it's hard to pick a side, especially as there are some good elements within the gang.

One major positive is the views, as we get some great shots of Sydney Harbour (pre-Opera House), including of the Harbour Bridge and from the Harbour Bridge. The Sydney Harbour views are, for me, the highlights of the film.