SOS Pacific

I saw this in a theater as a child. It was extremely memorable to the point that my brother and I would frequently bring it up and wonder what the name was. 50+ years later Google came to the rescue. I found a DVD available and snapped it up. YES! It was much as I remembered.

A better quality version would be much better since this was a grainy full frame affair. The story held up however.

Richard Attenborough is the big-name star of "SOS Pacific," and got the top billing for the film. And, which his character is particularly important for the plot, his role is about fourth or fifth in screen time. The main character and "hero" of this film is Mark Reisner, played by Eddie Constantine. And the female lead is Pier Angeli as Teresa.

This is an interesting film set somewhere in the Pacific Ocean but away from the Southern vacation and tourism islands. It's an interesting plot, and the only film I can think of that was made that had an aspect of the nuclear tests in the ocean. That's the best part of the film that take a considerable time to get to that point. But the buildup is necessary to give the audience the background on the characters. Unfortunately, that also seems quite slow after a while, and the early part doesn't have the better acting.

To say more about the plot would be to dampen the effect and enjoyment of this movie. It's worth seeing.

SOS Pacific is directed by Guy Green and adapted to screenplay by Robert Westerby from a story by Gilbert Travers Thomas and Bryan Forbes inputs additional dialogue and scenes. It stars Richard Attenborough, Pier Angeli, Eddie Constantine, John Gregson, Eva Bartok, Gunnar Möller, Clifford Evans, Jean Anderson, Harold Kasket and Cec Linder. Music is by Georges Auric and cinematography by Wilkie Cooper.

When a flying boat encounters mid-air troubles it has to emergency land near an island in the Pacific. Apparently uninhabited, the island, as the survivors are soon to find out, has something shocking in store for all.

A little British cracker, SOS Pacific might be out dated now with its big reveal of theme, but it's a perfect example of how to make a tight thriller on a modest budget. It's very much a film of two halves. The first half plays out as a disaster movie, here we are introduced to the folk who will ultimately make up the survivors on the island. It's a roll call of stock formula characters; a tough copper and his cheeky but hero-in-waiting prisoner, a good time girl, the weasel loose cannon who is also an informer, a prim and proper lady, a German physicist, the stoic and beautiful stewardess and the pilot with a drink problem! Familiar characters to a degree, but well blended and fleshed out by the astute Guy Green (A Patch of Blue) who deftly piles tension on top of tension with each passage of story.

After the back stories involve us we then get the mid-air dramatics and the surprise that's awaiting us all on the island. Once there the characters shift in tone, they have to for various reasons, and then we are treated to heroics, suspicions, sacrifices, fights, hysteria and a thrilling "ticking clock" type finale. Wilkie Cooper's (I See A Dark Stranger/Green For Danger) black and white photography accentuates the sweaty atmospheric mood, and Auric (The Innocents) scores it in 2 x 2 thriller/drama fashion. Cast performances are uniformly good, with the stand outs being Constantine who makes for a good Bondian type alpha male, Attenborough a telling slime-ball and the gorgeous Angeli as the pivotal lady of the piece.

Some of the dialogue is twee and the model work is not high grade stuff, while unlikely coincidences are evident throughout, but this is definitely worth seeking out by anyone interested in tight and taut British thrillers. 7.5/10

I most certainly agree with the reviewer who awarded the film a "10". It does, indeed, well deserve it.

It is one of the most underrated pictures around with good, strong performances, very taut direction by Guy Green, excellent photography by Wilkie Cooper and interesting locations in the Canary Islands. Also worthy of note is the music score which was by the great French composer, Georges Auric.

Just as good, of course, is the story. I wont, of course, give away its great plot but just simply advise people to see it whenever it turns up. I envy the person who bought it on ebay! I, too, hope he enjoys it. It's a must-see thriller of the first order.

I saw this when I was about seven years old from the back of our car at a drive in movie. I thought it was a very exciting movie at the time but that was the only time I saw it, and would like to find a copy of it. I have not been able to find it in DVD or VHS yet, if anyone knows where it is available, please let me know. This movie has an Alfred Hitchcock feel to it, the suspense slowly builds to a climactic ending. I am surprised that it is not more well known as I have found few references to it on the internet. Most of the actors are not familiar to me except for Richard Attenborough whom I also enjoyed in "The Great Escape".