La Dinastia del petrolio

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.

I remember the praise being heaped on this film as well as on Dirk Bogard when it was first released. I was about nine years old, and never got to see this spectacle at that time. I saw it for the first time on Film 4 recently, and was quite impressed with the cinematography (It was 1957 British of course), but the casting I felt left a lot to be desired. Plenty of English (and Welsh) actors, with corny Canadian accents (Syd James, who was actually South African), and a terrible accent from one I thought could deliver. James Robertson Justice's effort was terrible. In fact, at an exciting part of the plot when my old hero was barking instructions to a beleaguered cast of mis-fits, his almost falsetto pitched voice reminded me of the Goon Show Bluebottle just before he was blown up! A typical British effort of that time.

This film scores best in it's fine sense of location, which is to be applauded as the post war industry made the effort to escape from Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.Where it falls down is the residual ambiance, among the actors, that they are still in 'Titfield Thunderbolt' country.(OK. So that was filmed in Somerset). Nice in light comedy, Bogarde never really convinced in action roles and though Baker may have convinced some (Himself maybe) that he was tough, one feels that a Broderick Crawford or Richard Boone, possibly even James Mason, (if thinly sliced) would have eaten them both on toast, .

Watch for the 'two shot' when Bogarde confronts Baker in the saloon and the bottle of 'Canada Club' whisky on the table jumps on and off its tray.

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.

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.