Customer Reviews

When Eight Bells Toll [Region 2]

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4 star:		(3)
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Ask your standard movie fan which Alistair MacLean adaptation they prefer and the vote would most likely be split between THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and WHERE EAGLES DARE, but, whilst I absolutely love the latter of those two, my personal favorite has been for many years WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL - a spy thriller penned by MacLean in the late 1960s and filmed with Anthony Hopkins in the lead role in 1971.
I saw the movie many years ago on British television and always longed to see it once more. My prayers were answered when it was finally announced for DVD release in Region 2. Armed with a new region-free DVD player, I ordered it and anxiously checked my Maryland mailbox every day until its arrival.
Watching it once again after all these years my passion for this action adventure is unfailing, I consider this to be the best spy thriller that [Bond producers] EON Productions NEVER made.
With a simply superb cast that sees Hopkins joined by Robert Morley (as a rather snobbish boss) and Jack Hawkins (as a suspicious millionaire) this movie is simply brimming over with "Bondian" elements that include beautiful girls (bad and good), thrilling action, underwater battles, building suspense and a roaring soundtrack. It's the most entertaining couple of hours of spy thriller action that I have had the opportunity to enjoy in almost two decades.
Hopkins plays secret agent Calvert who travels to the coast of Scotland disguised as a marine biologist to investigate the disappearance of bullion ships in the Irish Sea. There he encounters a colorful array of characters, both friend and foe before a climactic battle in an underground boathouse.
The Region 2 DVD sports a fine transfer with only the theatrical trailer as a special feature. Still it is very entertaining and well worth putting your hard earned cash for. I simply cannot recommend it strongly enough.

This was one of the later film versions of an Alister Maclean novel, and is a tidy little thriller with little time wasted.
Anthony Hopkins plays a secret service agent tasked with solving the pirating of millions of pounds of gold bullion in the North Sea. This search takes him to remote locations in the Hebrides, unravelling the secrets of a small town where people and yachts have been disappearing. Being an Alister Maclean novel, nothing and nobody is what they at first appear - the usual ingredients are present and correct - the femme fatale, the damsel in distress, the double crossing, the dour and unstoppable agent... even Maclean's dry sense of humour, which often gets lost in the translation to the big screen, comes through - probably as a result of Maclean writing the screenplay from his novel.
The pace of the film is perfect, with a running time of 90 minutes not leaving you feel the film has outstayed its welcome. The actions scenes are fine, if a little outdated.. the scenes skulking around the castle even reminded me of possibly my favourite Maclean movie - Where Eagles Dare (the actor who played the castle Kommandant, General Rosemeyer, is also in this movie, making another link). Music is pretty good for a 70's score, with a brash theme that crops up anytime our hero is running or flying around - which is a significant part of the time.. it's the sort of music which would not have been out of place in an episode of `The Professionals'. Another piece of inter-movie trivia - the stunts for the movie were done by Vic Armstrong and Bob Simmons, both Bond movie veterans. Watching this movie, one can almost imagine Hopkins playing Bond.
Hopkins plays the cynical Maclean hero well, with the right does of dry humour - and is ably backed up by a great character actor cast - Robert Morley basically plays a more comic version of `M' from the earlier Bond movies, Jack Hawkins has little screen time as Sir Anthony Skouros, and is even voiced over (by Charles Gray, who also appeared in two Bond movies - `Diamonds are forever' and `You only live twice') as he had a voice box owing to his throat cancer. Nathalie Delon plays the femme fatale role adequately - as far as I can tell, this was one of the few times she appeared in an English speaking role.
All in all, a refreshingly taut little thriller which hits the right notes, and has not dated too badly. A cut above other thrillers of its time, recommended for any fans of Maclean or 70's thrillers in general, but not one of his most best movie adaptations.

Even at 34 Anthony Hopkins made an unlikely hero for a rousing adventure thriller such as When Eight Bells Toll, based on the book by Alistair Maclean. Hopkins face looks so young, with even a hint of cherubic baby fat. His height and build are only average. And 36 years later it's hard to erase the knowledge of the future Hannibal Lecter, James Stevens, Henry Wilcox and Titus Andronicus, or for that matter much of the dreck he's been appearing in these last few years.

Still, Hopkins carries off the role of Commander Philip Calvert, an agent for British Naval Intelligence, with aplomb. First, Hopkins can act. He's completely assured in a role which sometimes calls for the suspension of belief. His voice is quick and confident. He knows how to underplay. Second, he's physically quick. The role calls for a lot of clambering up and down cliffs, running up staircases and along paths, swimming in a scuba outfit and engaging bad guys in fistfights. There are enough medium shots to see that Hopkins is doing a great deal of the action himself. Third, he's intelligent and gives an intelligent performance.

Why is Calvert doing all this stuff? Because gold bullion is being pirated from ships off the coast of Scotland's western highlands. Calvert, tough, disrespectful of authority, as unintimidated by Naval bureaucracy as he is by killers, is sent in undercover to investigate. What he finds, aided by a young Naval helper (and we know the fate that always awaits young helpers), involves Sir Anthony Skouras (Jack Hawkins), a very rich tycoon on a plush yacht anchored in a stormy loch, Charlotte (Nathalie Delon), introduced as Sir Anthony's young wife, and Lord Charnley (Derek Bond), who appears to be Sir Anthony's great and good friend. Occasionally checking in with Calvert is his boss in London, a fat and seemingly complaisant spymaster called Uncle Albert (Robert Morley). When Calvert, suspicions aroused, requests that Sir Anthony be vetted, Uncle Albert is deeply offended. "He's a member of my club! He's on the wine committee!" In an amusing plot development, Uncle Albert winds up coming to the loch to find out what's really going on. Since by now Calvert's young sidekick (played by a young Corin Redgrave) is no longer with us, Uncle Albert winds up doing a bit of careful violence. Considering Morley's corpulence and often officious roles he usually played, it was a pleasure witnessing his cautious but ready steadfastness.

The search for the gold and for the mastermind takes Philip Calvert through some of Scotland's mistiest, coldest-looking and rockiest sea-swept scenery, from a desolate cemetery and a desperate fight with two goons to deep under water in a scuba outfit and into the bowels of a deliberately sunken ship and another desperate fight, this time with a goon in a diving suit. There's even a flaming helicopter crash into the cold, murky loch waters. Calvert eventually puzzles out the murderous scheme, but not before there are plot twists, turns and roundabouts. Along the way, Calvert deals out death by shooting and knifing, by throwing overboard, by neck cracking, by underwater acetylene torch and even by crossbow. Calvert is not a man to find yourself between him and his objective.

When Eight Bells Toll isn't a great adventure thriller, but within its own limits it's entertaining. Those limits are the same as in most of the many other adventure thrillers by Maclean...headlong plots that don't stop for anything, regular intervals of vivid violence and escapes, unexpected betrayals, loose ends that stay loose, a certain level of confusion about what exactly is happening, minimal significant female involvement and no sex. He wrote the screenplay for this one and often worked on the screenplays for the movies made from his books. Think Ice Station Zebra, The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and quite a few others. Personally, I still like his first, HMS Ulysses, published in 1955. He cranked out nearly a book a year until he died in 1987. The last 20 or so, in my opinion, were little more than recycled quickies, predictable and uninteresting.

The one disquieting and poignant note is watching Jack Hawkins, a first-rate actor, as Sir Anthony Skouras. Hawkins was a beefy man with a distinctive, raspy voice. He smoked 60 cigarettes a day at one time. In 1965 surgeons removed his larynx because of cancer. He no longer could speak. Hawkins continued to act until his death in 1973. Charles Gray, a character actor and friend of Hawkins, usually dubbed his voice. Gray provides Hawkins' voice in When Eight Bells Toll.

The Region 2 DVD's picture transfer is easy to watch but nothing special. It seemed to me that the audio could have used some work. There are no significant extras.

What a Pleasant Surprise it was to view this Movie!!..I am a Big fan of Alistair Maclean's novels; and have enjoyed many of the film adaptations; even if many have been seriously lacking in certain respects.....I had Never heard of this particular film (Did it even get an American release?); but stumbled upon it while shopping on Amazon's UK site (where it costs MUCH less than on the US Amazon site!)....Once again, I'm grateful to have my All-Region DVD Player; as it is doubtful this little gem will get a Stateside release any time soon; even with a very young and dynamic Anthony Hopkins in the leading hero role....I can't add much to the other reviews posted here; except to say this film is a resounding success on almost ALL levels...Acting, scripting, locations, action sequences, photography, and film score.....A VERY Entertaining Action-Adventure thriller; with a look at what Hopkins might have done with the James Bond role....I will also mention that this Region 2 Carlton DVD release presents the film in all it's original Widescreen 2.35 Glory, with a crisp and beautiful anamorphic transfer; contrary to the 1.33 full screen posted in the product description.....Way to go!!!.....PS; Once Again, I went to the Amazon UK site and got this for under 5 bucks!!...MUCH cheaper than buying from these local 'importer' price gougers!!