Hell Is a City
Hell Is a City is a 1960 British crime thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same title by Maurice Procter.[1] Written and directed by Val Guest, it was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions and filmed in Manchester.[2] It was partly inspired by the British New Wave films and resembles American film noir.[3]
| Hell Is a City | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Val Guest |
| Screenplay by | Val Guest |
| Based on | Hell Is a City by Maurice Procter |
| Produced by | Michael Carreras |
| Starring | Stanley Baker John Crawford Donald Pleasence |
| Cinematography | Arthur Grant |
| Edited by | John Dunsford James Needs |
| Music by | Stanley Black |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner-Pathé Distributors |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £115,000 |
Plot
Committed but seen-it-all police inspector Martineau rightly guesses that after a violent jailbreak a local criminal will head home to Manchester to pick up the spoils from his last job. Martineau is soon investigating a murder during a street robbery which seems to lead back to the same villain. Concentrating on the case and using his local contacts to try to track the gang down, he is aware he is not keeping his own personal life together as well as he might.
Cast
- Stanley Baker as Inspector Harry Martineau
- John Crawford as Don Starling
- Donald Pleasence as Gus Hawkins
- Maxine Audley as Julia Martineau
- Billie Whitelaw as Chloe Hawkins
- Joseph Tomelty as Furnisher Steele
- George A. Cooper as Doug Savage
- Geoffrey Frederick as Detective Devery
- Vanda Godsell as Lucky Luske
- Charles Houston as Clogger Roach
- Joby Blanshard as Tawny Jakes
- Charles Morgan as Laurie Lovett
- Peter Madden as Bert Darwin
- Dickie Owen as Bragg
- Lois Daine as Cecily Wainwright
- Warren Mitchell as Commercial Traveller
- Sarah Branch as Silver Steele
- Alister Williamson as Sam
- Russell Napier as Superintendent
- Philip Bond as Headquarters PC (uncredited)
- John Comer as Plainclothes Police Driver (uncredited)
- John Harvey as Fingerprint Officer (uncredited)
- Doris Speed as Older Nursing Sister in Hospital (uncredited)
Production
Val Guest says the film was made due to the enthusiasm of Michael Carreras who loved the book and bought it off Associated British who were going to make it. The film was shot on location. Guest says "it was a real slice of life, putting the police down as human beings."[4]
References
- "Hell Is a City (1960) - Screenplay Info". TCM.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- "Hell Is a City | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- Burton, Alan; Chibnall, Steve (11 July 2013). Historical Dictionary of British Cinema - Alan Burton, Steve Chibnall - Google Books. ISBN 9780810880269. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- Fowler, Roy (1988). "Interview with Val Guest". British Entertainment History Project.
External links
- Hell Is a City at IMDb
- Hell Is a City at AllMovie
- Hell Is a City at the BFI's Screenonline
- Hell Is a City at BritMovie (archived)
- Levenshulme: Hell is a City File - website on the Manchester suburb, with a page dedicated to the film and book on which it is based