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1956 British film by Robert S. Baker From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Passport to Treason is a 1956 British second feature[1] mystery thriller directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Rod Cameron, Lois Maxwell, and Clifford Evans.[2] It was written by Kenneth R. Hayles and Norman Hudis, based on the Manning O'Brine novel of the same name.[3][4]
| Passport to Treason | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by |
|
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | novel by Paddy Manning O'Brine |
| Produced by | Robert S. Baker |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Monty Berman |
| Edited by | Henry Richardson |
| Music by | Stanley Black |
Production company | Mid-Century Film Productions |
| Distributed by | Eros Films (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
After the death of a friend, private investigator Mike O'Kelly investigates an organisation that claims to be working for world peace, but turns out to be a front for a crime syndicate.
Monthly Film Bulletin said "Opening with the private detective wandering through a London fog, this thriller goes on to introduce the corpse (stabbed) clutching the book with a vital clue, the private nursing home equipped with a good stock of "truth drug," the equivocally placed heroine, and the gun battle in a dockside warehouse. Such classic situations, here presented earnestly but humourlessly, make up a fairly routine melodrama."[5]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Hearty espionage melodrama ... Vigorously portrayed and realistically staged, it'll keep the crowd on the qui vive. Cast- iron British thick ear."[6]
Picturegoer wrote: "Rod Cameron, fhe Western he-man, made the trip to England to star in this espionage melodrama, set in London. Was his journey necessary? Yes!"[7]
Variety wrote: "Passport to Treason is a run-of-the-mill British whodunit with little to recommend it for the American market ... story line is blurry and frequently burdened by incomprehensible English dialog. ... Baker's direction doesn't help."[8]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Stock melodramatic situations straighforwardly presented make this a watchable support."[9]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Resolute thriller reminiscent of the late 1930s."[10]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "Western star Rod Cameron should never have packed his passport to play the private eye in this dire British B-feature with its sub-Hitchcockian plot about neo-fascists in London concealing their activities within an organisation for world peace. A better actor than granite-jawed Cameron might have breathed some life into the line-up of hackneyed situations."[11]
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