''Seven Thunders'' (US title: ''The Beasts of Marseilles'') is a 1957 black and white British film regarding

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was directed by

Hugo Fregonese Hugo Geronimo Fregonese (8 April 1908 – 11 January 1987) was an Argentine film director and screenwriter who worked both in Hollywood and his home country during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema, classical era of Argentine cinema.''Cine Na ...

and starring

Stephen Boyd William Millar (4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977), better known by his stage name Stephen Boyd, was an actor from Northern Ireland. He emerged as a leading man during the late 1950s with his role as the villainous Messala in '' Ben-Hur'' (19 ...

James Robertson Justice James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He often portrayed pompous authority figures in comedies, including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Gregory Peck in seve ...

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a working-cla ...

, Tony Wright and Anna Gaylor. It is about two escaped prisoners of war and is based on a novel of the same name by the writer

Rupert Croft-Cooke Rupert Croft-Cooke (20 June 1903 – 10 June 1979) was an English writer. He was a prolific creator of fiction and non-fiction, including screenplays and biographies under his own name and detective stories under the pseudonym of Leo Bruce. Life ...

Plot

In 1943, Dave, an officer, and Jim, escape from separate prison camps and are paired together by the underground. They are taken to

by a fishing boat captain to wait in the Old Port Quarter for the right opportunity to try for

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. While they wait, local woman Lise falls in love with Dave. He is attracted to her, but is engaged. As a sub-plot, Emile Blanchard refers those desperate to leave France to his associate Dr. Martout, unaware Martout is a serial killer who grows rich from his crimes (this character parallels the real life French poisoner

Marcel Petiot Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot (17 January 1897 – 25 May 1946) was a French medical doctor and serial killer. He was convicted of multiple murders of Jews after the discovery of the remains of 23 people in the basement of his home in Paris ...

). Jewish undertaker Schlip and ex-

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

official Bourdin become his latest victims during the film. Given an ultimatum by his displeased superiors to do something about the French Resistance, the German military commander of the city decides to evacuate and demolish the crime-infested Old Quarter, where Dave and Jim are hiding, with only two hours' warning. Dave wants to wait for the fishing captain, but Jim chooses to try Dr. Martout. When the captain does show up, Dave goes to fetch Jim, barely saving him from becoming Martout's 100th victim. Martout escapes in his car, but in his haste, crashes and is killed. With buildings blowing up right and left, the pair make their way, with Lise's help, to the boat and freedom. Aboard the boat, Dave and Lise embrace.

Cast

as Dave *

as Dr. Martout *

as Mme. Abou, a helpful Englishwoman married to a Frenchman * Tony Wright as Jim *Anna Gaylor as Lise *

Eugene Deckers Eugene Francis Deckers (22 October 1917, in Antwerp – 1977, in Paris, France) was a Belgium, Belgian actor. Career After establishing himself on the British stage, Deckers made his first English language film appearance in 1946. Formerly a ...

as Emile Blanchard *

Rosalie Crutchley Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was a British actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, she was perhaps best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, makin ...

as Therese Blanchard, Emile's wife. She tries to commit suicide when her young daughter is killed by mistake. *

Katherine Kath Katherine Kath (born Rose Marie Lily Faess; 11 August 1920 – 17 November 2012) was a French prima ballerina at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, who became an actress after suffering from an injury which destroyed her chances of continuing her ...

as Mme. Parfait *James Kenney as Eric Triebel, a young German corporal who accidentally shoots the Blanchards' child *

Anton Diffring Anton Diffring (born Alfred Pollack; 20 October 1916 – 19 May 1989) was a German actor. He had an extensive film and television career in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1980s, latterly appearing in international films. Primarily a c ...

as Colonel Trautman *

Martin Miller Martin Miller may refer to: *Martin Miller (actor) (1899–1969), Czech actor * Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1940) (1940–2016), English cricketer * Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1972), English cricketer *Martin Miller (footballer) (born 1997), ...

as Schlip *

George Coulouris George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor. He was perhaps best known for his collaborations with Orson Welles, most notably ''Citizen Kane''. Early life Of Anglo-Greek origin, Coulouris ...

as Bourdin *

Carl Duering Gerald Percy Fox (29 May 1923 – 1 September 2018), better known as Carl Duering, was a German-born British actor whose best-known role is as Dr. Brodsky in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange''. He died in London in September 2018 at the ag ...

as Major Grautner *

Edric Connor Edric Esclus Connor (2 August 1913 – 16 October 1968) was a Caribbean singer, folklorist and actor who was born in Trinidad and Tobago. He was a performer of calypso in the United Kingdom, where he migrated in 1944 and chiefly lived and wor ...

as Abou

Production

It was part of a two picture deal Daniel Angel signed with Rank the other being ''Carve Her Name with Pride''. Stephen Boyd was loaned to Rank by 20th Century Fox. Filming started in March 1957. The movie was one of several that the Rank Organisation filmed overseas at the time. The movie was made through Angel's company. 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 t ...

and on location in

. 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 ...

Arthur Lawson. The associate producer, John Brabourne, got along so well with director Hugo Fregonese that they collaborated again on ''Harry Black''.

Reception

''Variety'' said "Despite some loose ends and improbabilities it adds up to sound entertainment with a strong climax that will have patrons eagerly urging on the heroes to safety. ''Seven Thunders'' suggests’ solid home-market business, but neither the wartime setting in Europe nor the strong but far from starry cast are likely to excite U. S. patrons overmuch. " ''Filmink'' called it "a fascinating misfire, with Wright and Boyd playing escaped POWs in wartime Marseilles, dealing with a serial killing doctor (James Robertson Justice) – either plot of which might’ve made a decent movie, but which mix uneasily."

References

External links

* {{Hugo Fregonese British black-and-white films Films directed by Hugo Fregonese Films set in Marseille World War II prisoner of war films Films about the French Resistance Films scored by Antony Hopkins Films shot at Pinewood Studios British serial killer films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films