Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Hollywood Stars in British Movies and Vice Versa, January 3, 2008
I define a "mixed movie" as one with cross-over talent, for example a British star in a Hollywood movie, or a Hollywood star in a British film. Of course, there are many variations, "Ferry to Hong Kong" is a British production with a German star, Curt Jurgens, a Hollywood icon, Orson Welles, and Sylvia Syms heading a mixed English and Chinese cast. There are also movies like "Father Brown, Detective" which were totally homegrown at the time they were made, but star people like Alec Guinness and Peter Finch who later became international celebrities. The accent, however, is primarily on British films with stars that were either already well-established in Hollywood or were later to become super-popular with American moviegoers, like "The Scarlet Pimpernel" with Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey and Nigel Bruce; or "Personal Affair" with Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Glynis Johns; or "On the Double" with Danny Kaye, Dana Wynter, Margaret Rutherford and Diana Dors; or "Naked Runner" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Vaughan and Nadia Gray; "Land of the Pharaohs" with Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins and Dewey Martin; "Knight Without Armor" with Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat; "I Was a Spy" with Madeleine Carroll, Conrad Veidt and Herbert Marshall; "Hot Millions" with Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, Karl Malden, Cesar Romero, Bob Newhart; "Hobson's Choice" with Charles Laughton and John Mills; "Happy Go Lovely" with David Niven, Vera-Ellen and Cesar Romero. Hollywood productions with British stars include "The Ghost and Mrs Muir", "The Reckless Moment", "Gentleman Jim", "The Bridge on the River Kwai". Also included in the book for contrast are films like "Tom Jones", "Elephant Boy", "South Riding", "The Lady Vanishes", and "Where No Vultures Fly". On the surface, some of these movies seem totally British, but on closer inspection you can see the involvement of either a Hollywood producer or director. One of the most interesting movies in the book is one in which I was personally involved, "The Blood of Heroes" or "Salute of the Jugger". This was written and directed by David Peoples, the Hollywood screenwriter, famous for "Blade Runner", "Ladyhawke", "Accidental Hero", etc. It starred Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen. I worked on the movie for four days, when it was called "Salute to the Jugger", but most of my part ended up on the cutting-room floor. Now that was a really "mixed movie". German, Chinese and Australian stars, a Hollywood writer/director, Australian technicians and (when I was on the set) a Hong Kong producer!
The following review by Roy Salmons appeared in the October 2006 issue of "International Movie Making": John Howard Reid's movie books go from strength to strength. If you collect classic movies on film or DVD, or if you just enjoy reading about them, then these are the books for you. Written by a true enthusiast, these classic books include such titles as "Hollywood Movie Musicals", "Movies Magnificent: 150 Must-See Cinema Classics", "These Movies Won No Hollywood Awards: A Film-Lover's Guide to the Best of the Rest", "CinemaScope 3: Hollywood Takes the Plunge", "America's Best, Britain's Finest: A Survey of Mixed Movies", "New Light on Movie Bests", and a round-up of " 'B' Movies, Bad Movies, Good Movies". These books are crammed full of facts about each selection of films, including stars and the characters they play, synopses and critiques. There are many illustrations. All the books in this series have full color front and back covers, with black-and-white photos inside. Paper size is large format. John Howard Reid is to be congratulated!
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