''Forbidden Cargo'' is a 1954 British

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combi ...

directed by Harold French and starring Nigel Patrick, Elizabeth Sellars and Jack Warner. It was shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to ...

with sets designed by the art director John Howell.

Location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for e ...

took place in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...

Plot

A customs officer captures a gang of drugs smugglers, assisted by a birdwatcher.

Cast

* Nigel Patrick as Inspector Michael Kenyon * Elizabeth Sellars as Rita Compton * Terence Morgan as Roger Compton * Greta Gynt as Madame Simonetta * Jack Warner as Major Alec White * Theodore Bikel as Max * Joyce Grenfell as Lady Flavia Queensway * James Gilbert as Agent Larkins * Eric Pohlmann as Steven Lasovich *

Martin Boddey Albert Martin Boddey (16 April 1907 – 24 October 1975) was a British film and television actor. He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity. Boddey started acting when he was nearly 40, often portraying irritable authority fig ...

as Sub-Director Holt *

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, May 2009, accessed 22 July 2015 was ...

as Director of Customs * Jacques B. Brunius as Det. Pierre Valance * Ronald Adam as Mr. Bennett * Ballard Berkeley as Cooper * Campbell Gray as Luigi *

Campbell Singer Campbell Singer (born Jacob Kobel Singer; 16 March 1909 – 16 February 1976) was a British character actor who featured in a number of stage, film and television roles during his long career. He was also a playwright and dramatist. Life He was ...

as Sergeant Dodson, River Police * Hal Osmond as Baggage Room Clerk * Philip Stainton as Seaburyness Police Sergeant * Brian Wilde as Seaburyness Smuggler *

as River Police Sergeant * Tom Gill as Hotel Receptionist * Jill Adams as Michael's Dance Partner * Roger Maxwell as Bird Sanctuary Spokesman * Nicholas Phipps as Royal Navy Information Officer * Denis Shaw as Ship's Cook * Lloyd Lamble as Captain of Python * Cyril Chamberlain as Customs Officer * John Arnatt as Customs Officer * John Horsley as Customs Officer * Arnold Diamond as French Customs Officer

Critical reception

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of f ...

noted a "Modest drama," which was "enlivened by a solid cast"; ''British Pictures'' noted a "Nice cast, but dreary story"; Allmovie wrote, "Apart from the always delightful Joyce Grenfell, ''Forbidden Cargo'' is humorless '' Dragnet'' material transplanted to the high seas"; while Sky Cinema noted a "workmanlike British thriller from the Fifties, directed by Harold French, has a documentary feel, with some crisp dialogue by Sydney Box. The suave Nigel Patrick stars as the customs investigator alerted to nefarious coastal activities by none other than the wonderful Joyce Grenfell. She is cast as an aristocratic birdwatcher who is most put out that a suspicious landing craft should disturb her nesting birds. Other stalwarts appearing include Elizabeth Sellars and Terence Morgan as brother-and-sister smugglers, Jack Warner, Greta Gynt, Michael Hordern and Eric Pohlmann, particularly good as a Polish racketeer. A pleasing period piece."

References

External links

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Review of film
at Variety 1954 films British black-and-white films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films directed by Harold French British crime films 1954 crime films Films set in London Films shot in London Films set in France Films shot in France Seafaring films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{1950s-UK-film-stub