The Switch (1963 film)

The Switch is a 1963 British crime drama film directed by Peter Maxwell, and starring Anthony Steel, Zena Marshall and Conrad Phillips.[2] It was written by Philip Ridgeway and Colin Fraser. The film concerns a criminal gang that smuggles watches into the UK by hiding them in the petrol tank of a woman's car. It was Susan Shaw's last film.

The Switch
Opening credits
Directed byPeter Maxwell
Screenplay byPhilip Ridgeway
Colin Fraser
Story byPhilip Ridgeway
Produced byPhilip Ridgeway
Lance Comfort
StarringAnthony Steel
Zena Marshall
Conrad Phillips
CinematographyStephen Dade
Edited byTom Simpson
Music byEric Spear
Production
company
Philip Ridgeway Productions
Distributed byRank Film Distributors
Release date
  • May 1963 (1963-05)
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£24,000[1]
Box office£22,009 (as at 31 Dec 1965)[1]

Plot

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Customs officer Bill Craddock is investigating a watch smuggling ring but reaches a dead end. Caroline Markham returns from holiday to find her flat occupied by her flatmate's cousin, John Curry. Caroline is kidnapped by the watch smuggling gang who think she has stolen their watches. Craddock rescues Caroline with the help of a miniature radio transmitter.

Cast

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Production

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This was Anthony Steel's first film in Britain in a number of years, following his move to Rome.[3]

Critical reception

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In a contemporary review, The Monthly Film Bulletin said "Though the plot is largely routine, with the usual quota of coincidences and improbabilities, the film nevertheless has a quality of freshness in the bright and artless way it is treated. It bowls along quite merrily, and despite the hackneyed story, successfully avoids dullness"[4]

According to TV Guide, "Audiences are likely to check their watches frequently during this lifeless crime thriller."[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Laura Mayne (2017) Whatever happened to the British ‘B’ movie? Micro-budget film-making and the death of the one-hour supporting feature in the early 1960s, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 37:3, 559-576 p 567, DOI: 10.1080/01439685.2016.1220765
  2. ^ "The Switch". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  3. ^ Vagg, Stephen (23 September 2020). "The Emasculation of Anthony Steel: A Cold Streak Saga". Filmink.
  4. ^ "The Switch". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 31 (360): 60. 1 January 1964 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "The Switch". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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