Moment of Danger (also known as Malaga) is a 1960 British crime drama film starring Trevor Howard, Dorothy Dandridge and Edmund Purdom.[2] It was filmed in Europe in the late months of 1959.
| Moment of Danger Malaga | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British quad poster | |
| Directed by | László Benedek |
| Screenplay by | David D. Osborn |
| Based on | novel The Scent of Danger by Donald MacKenzie[1] |
| Starring | Trevor Howard Dorothy Dandridge Edmund Purdom |
| Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
| Edited by | Gerald Turney-Smith |
| Music by | Matyas Seiber |
Production company | Cavalcade Films |
| Distributed by | Warner-Pathé Distributors |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film is based on the novel by Donald MacKenzie, and it was brought to the screen by David D. Osborn. The film proved to be the final completed film for Dorothy Dandridge.
Plot
editStarting with a wordless jewel heist pulled-off by thief Peter Curran and locksmith John Bain, Curran then double-crosses his accomplice, dumps his lover Gianna and escapes with his ill-gotten gains. In the aftermath Gianna teams up with Bain and the two of them decide to even the score with Curran, developing feelings for each other along the way.[3]
Cast
edit- Trevor Howard as John Bain
- Dorothy Dandridge as Gianna
- Edmund Purdom as Peter Carran
- Michael Hordern as Inspector Farrell
- Paul Stassino as Juan Montoya
- John Bailey as Cecil
- Alfred Burke as Shapley
- Peter Illing as Pawnbroker
- Martin Boddey as Sir John Middleburgh
Background
editBefore the film's release, Jet magazine said it "concerns a girl ... and a man ... who, broke and stranded, are on the run from the law...(at one point) the girl goes out and gets money as a prostitute."[4] One author describes Michael Hordern's appearance in the movie as a "sympathetic copper who knows that Trevor Howard is a jewel thief – thanks to Howard's double-crossing partner Edmond Purdom – but lacks the evidence to make an arrest."[5]
In the film Dorothy Dandridge was cast as a woman of colour of European descent with the Italian name of Gianna.[6] In some pre-release publicity, one magazine article made a point of saying that when Trevor Howard's character kissed Dorothy, it was the first time in her career that she had received an on-screen kiss from a white man.[4] This was not so as the actors barely touched throughout, but director László Benedek created some strongly understated sexual tension. The actress' first screen kiss so described occurred when starring with German actor Curd Jürgens in the 1958 Italian production Tamango.
References
edit- ^ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Moment of Danger (1960)". Archived from the original on 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Moment of Danger". Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Dandridge Makes Toughest Movie of Her Career". JET. 16 (13). Johnsons Publishing Company: 60–61. 23 July 1959. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ Terence Pettigrew (1982). British film character actors: great names and memorable moments, Volume 1982, Part 2. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 93. ISBN 9780715382707. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ Regester, page 318