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''Gaolbreak'' is a 1962 British
second feature A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...
crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
directed by
Francis Searle Francis Searle (14 March 1909 – 31 July 2002) was an English film director, writer and producer. He was active in the post-Second World War cinema industry. Amongst the films he directed were ''The Lady Craved Excitement'' (1950), ''One Way Ou ...
and starring Peter Reynolds,
Avice Landone Avice Landone (1 September 191012 June 1976) was an English actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, pres ...
and
Carol White Carole Joan White (1 April 1943 – 16 September 1991) was an English actress. White became famous for her performances in the television play ''Cathy Come Home'' (1966) and the films ''Poor Cow'' (1967) and '' I'll Never Forget What's ' ...
. It was written by A.R. Rawlinson. The film was released as a supporting feature to '' Tiara Tahiti'' (1962).


Plot

A family of thieves plan a jewellery store robbery. One of them is the safecracking expert, and when he is arrested and jailed, they spring him from prison so he can take part in the job.


Cast

* Peter Reynolds as Eddie Wallis *
Avice Landone Avice Landone (1 September 191012 June 1976) was an English actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, pres ...
as Mrs. Wallis * David Kernan as Len Rogerson *
Carol White Carole Joan White (1 April 1943 – 16 September 1991) was an English actress. White became famous for her performances in the television play ''Cathy Come Home'' (1966) and the films ''Poor Cow'' (1967) and '' I'll Never Forget What's ' ...
as Carol Marshall * John Blythe as Slim * David Gregory as Ron Wallis * Robert Desmond as Page * Stewart Guidotti as John *
Geoffrey Hibbert Geoffrey Hibbert (2 June 1922 – 3 February 1969) was an English stage, film and television actor. Biography He made his screen debut with the lead role in John Baxter's '' The Common Touch'' (1941) and appeared in two other Baxter films, '' ...
as Dr. Cambus *
Robert Fyfe Robert Douglas Fyfe (25 September 1930 – 15 September 2021) was a Scottish actor, best known for his role as List of Last of the Summer Wine characters#Other regular characters, Howard in the long-running British sitcom ''Last of the Summer ...
as Wally * Carl Bernard as Inspector Brand * Katharine Page as Mrs. Harris * Sidney Vivian as Mr. Marshall *
Marianne Stone Marianne Stone (23 August 1922 – 21 December 2009) was an English character actress. She performed in films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, typically playing working class parts such as barmaids, secretaries and landladies. Stone app ...
as Mrs. Marshall *
Ivor Dean Ivor Donald Dean (21 December 1917 – 10 August 1974) was a British stage, film and television actor. Biography With his lugubrious demeanour he was often cast as world-weary police officers or butlers, and it is for the role of Chief Inspecto ...
as Barrington *
André Mikhelson André Mikhelson was a Russian actor, in mostly British films. He was born in Moscow, in 1903. Selected filmography * ''The Gambler and the Lady'' (1952) - El Greco (uncredited) * ''Desperate Moment'' (1953) - Polizei Inspector * ''Star of My N ...
as Martinetti * Middleton Woods as Jonah * Reginald Hearne as auctioneer * Edward Ogden as Det. Sgt. Johnson * Frank Hawkins as prison officer * Neil Wilson as beat PC * Jack Taylor as uniformed policeman * John H. Watson as 2nd uniformed policeman *
Michael Beint Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
as 2nd prison officer * Laurie Leigh as Shirley * Angela Ramsden as Hazel


Production

The film was made by Butcher's Film Service, and shot at
Twickenham Studios Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...
in
West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...
, and on location. The film's sets were designed by the
art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
Duncan Sutherland Duncan Sutherland (1 August 1905 – 1967) was a Scottish-born art director, based in England where he designed the film set, sets for over eighty films and television series between the early 1930s and mid-1960s. Sutherland spent much of the 19 ...
.


Critical reception

''
Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' said "Running true to the traditional formula of British crime-story second features, this is nevertheless well cast and crisply put over. Most of the characters are effectively drawn but the prison escape looks far too easy." Steve Chibnall wrote in ''British Crime Cinema'': "The presence of a young Carol White ... cannot compensate for the film's flat and sluggish direction, a script that would be embarrassingly simplistic in a children's matinee and two of the least-threatening villains in screen history (a newsagent and his mum)." ''The
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
Guide to Films'' gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "This typically down-at-heel crime story from low-budget specialists Butcher's is spiced up by a subplot about an unwanted pregnancy. It features an early performance by Carol White, who found fame in Ken Loach's television play ''
Cathy Come Home "Cathy Come Home" is a 1966 BBC television play about homelessness. It was written by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach. A 1998 ''Radio Times'' readers' poll voted it the "best single television drama" and a 200 ...
''
966 Year 966 (Roman numerals, CMLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * 23 June - Arab-Byzantine Wars, Byzantine-Arab War: Arab-Byzantine prisoner exchanges, A prisoner excha ...
and his feature ''
Poor Cow ''Poor Cow'' (also known as ''No Tears for Joy'') is a 1967 British kitchen sink drama film directed by Ken Loach and starring Carol White and Terence Stamp. It was written by Loach and Nell Dunn based on Dunn's 1967 novel of the same na ...
''
967 Year 967 ( CMLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Otto I (the Great) calls for a council at Rome, to present the new government under Pope John XIII. He ...
Sadly, this tale has barely enough plot to make a TV episode, let alone keep a cinema audience happy, and seems stretched even at its one-hour running."


References


External links

*
Gaolbreak
at Letterbox DVD
Gaolbreak
at BFI {{Francis Searle 1962 films British crime films 1962 crime films Films set in England Films directed by Francis Searle Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Butcher's Film Service films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films English-language crime films