Eyewitness (1970 film)

Eyewitness
Theatrical poster
Directed byJohn Hough
Written by
Based onEyewitness
by Mark Hebden
Produced byPaul Maslansky
Starring
CinematographyDavid Holmes
Edited byGeoffrey Foot
Music byDavid Whitaker
Van der Graaf Generator
Fairfield Parlour
Production
companies
ABPC
Irving Allen Productions
Distributed byMGM-EMI (UK)
National General Pictures (USA)
Release date
  • 10 September 1970 (1970-09-10)[1]
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Eyewitness (released as Sudden Terror in the United States) is a 1970 British thriller film directed by John Hough and starring Mark Lester, Susan George and Lionel Jeffries.[2] Its plot follows a young English boy who, while staying with his grandfather and adult sister in Malta, witnesses a political assassination, and is subsequently pursued by the killers—however, due to his habitual lying, those around him are hesitant to believe his claims. It is an adaptation of the novel by Mark Hebden, the pen name for John Harris, and bears similarity to Cornell Woolrich's novelette "The Boy Cried Murder", originally adapted for film as The Window.[3][4]

Plot

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Ziggy, an English boy, spends the summer in Malta with his adult sister, Pippa, at their grandfather's lighthouse. He is indulged by his grandfather to live in a fantasy world of his own imagination. He thus acquires the habits of a serial weaver of non-consequential falsehoods. Later, in town with Pippa, they join crowds to watch a reception for a visiting African dignitary. In the parade, the open-top car is fired upon from above and the occupants killed. Ziggy, having slipped away from his sister for a better view of the festivites, sees the shots fired by someone in a policeman's uniform from a window next to his. The shooter and his accomplice proceed to chase Ziggy on motorcycles, but he escapes. Meantime, Pippa who has hooked up with a tourist, Tom Jones, manages to locate Ziggy at the edge of town. Pippa doesn't believe his story and chastises him all the way home for the same old lying. Back at the lighthouse, they and Grandfather witness a broadcast by the chief of police declaring martial law and a general curfew, so Tom stays with Ziggy and Pippa overnight.

As the evening progresses, Grandfather discovers that Ziggy might be telling the truth when the police arrive at the lighthouse to check on who's staying there. Ziggy panics and secretly runs off, and Grandpa phones the police to report him missing. Ziggy runs to town and hides in the garden of Ann-Marie, a young female friend who herself goes missing and is picked up by police. She is later slain by the assassin's brother, also a renegade cop. The killers then chase Ziggy into the catacombs under the church, killing a priest who offered sanctuary to the boy.

Back at the lighthouse, Grandpa is sure Ziggy will return, as "bad pennies always turn up". With Pippa and Tom, Grandfather goes to town and finds Ziggy hiding under a table in Ann-Marie's house. Pippa and Tom appear, but the uniformed assassin shoots at the house. Grandpa and Tom devise Molotov cocktails using paraffin lamps filled with brandy. Grandpa keeps the villains at bay while the others escape. A car chase ensues involving the cop and Tom, Pippa and Ziggy. The assassin tries to ram their car off the road with his police vehicle and topples the car onto its side, pushing it gradually towards a cliff's edge. But Grandpa, arriving just in time with the Chief of Police, shoots the assassin with an old service rifle, and the assassin's car falls over the cliff.

Cast

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Production

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Background

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The film is based on a 1966 novel by Mark Hebden, which was set in France and concerned an assassination attempt on the French president. The New York Times called it "simple and predictable... but a good deal of charm and spirit in the storyline".[5] The Spectator called it "a colourful, busy and suspenseful affair".[6]

It was a co-production between EMI Films, then under Bryan Forbes, and ITC Entertainment.[7]

John Hough, who had made the film Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood, learned that Bryan Forbes had taken over EMI Films and was interested in young filmmakers. He called Forbes and showed him his film at Forbes's office in Elstree. (This was filmed by a BBC documentary on Forbes called Man Alive.) Forbes thought Wolfshead was "outstanding". He had a script called Eyewitness, which he had given to Irving Allen to make and Paul Maslansky to produce. Hough was assigned a direct. Forbes says he persuaded Allen to let Hough direct and did some uncredited rewriting of the script at Allen's insistence.[8][9]

Filming

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The film was shot entirely in Malta (mainly Valletta), although in the movie the name of the nation is not given, and the flag (a modified cross with red and white colours) and coat of arms shown are different from Malta's.

The lighthouse is Delimara Lighthouse.

Jonathan Demme was working as a rock journalist in London during filming and was hired by Irving Allen to be a musical co-ordinator on the film.

Music

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The film includes music by Fairfield Parlour and additional music by Van der Graaf Generator.[10]

Release

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Eyewitness opened in London on 10 September 1970.[1] In December 1970, National General agreed to distribute the film in the United States.[11]

Critical response

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Paul Moody, in his history on EMI Films, called Eyewitness "an excellent and neglected thriller, intelligently directed and with strong performances, especially from Jeffries. Thankfully for Forbes, this was his first critical success, with most reviews commenting on the performances of Jeffries and Peter Vaughan as the villainous policeman."[12]

The Guardian said "it is not a bad evening out."[13] The Evening Standard called it "quite suspenseful... but tricked up with so many distorting lenses, zoom focuses and calculated camera set ups that it looks as if director John Hough were heped by an astigmatic computer."[14]

The New York Times called the film an "exasperating model of how not to film the fable of the boy who cried wolf... What ever happened to British restraint? The tone of the film is even more hysterical than the boy... Under John Hough's direction, the picture raucously careens after the sprinting lad, with the nervous color camera all but doing a back flip, plus a blaring score of eerie sounds and spookier rock 'n' roll. Worst of all, the screenplay continually cuts from the boy and his plight to some singularly dull adults."[15]

The Los Angeles Times called it "thoroughly satisfying".[16] Filmink argued the main fault of the film was it had four different heroes.[17]

Bryan Forbes gave chances to many new directors while at EMI. Of these John Hough had the most successful subsequent career.[17]

Box office

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According to EMI Records, the film performed "outstandingly" in Japan.[18] However, overall it was a box-office disappointment.[19]

Adaptations

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The film is the third of four versions of the story. The others are:[20][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Malcolm, Derek (10 September 1970). "Fellini and a half". The Guardian. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ BFI.org
  3. ^ a b DeGiglio-Bellemare, Mario; Ellbé, Charlie; Woofter, Kristopher (11 December 2014). Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade. Lexington Books. p. 123. ISBN 9781498503808. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  4. ^ EYEWITNESS Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 37, Iss. 432, (Jan 1, 1970): 206.
  5. ^ Criminals at Large By ANTHONY BOUCHER. New York Times 26 Mar 1967: 287.
  6. ^ It's a Crime Prior, Maurice. The Spectator; London Vol. 217, Iss. 7221, (Nov 18, 1966): 658.
  7. ^ Todd, Derek (7 March 1970). "The Emperor of Elstree's First 300 Days". Kine Weekly. pp. 6–8, 19.
  8. ^ Bryan Forbes, A Divided Life, Mandarin Paperback 1993 p 105
  9. ^ "Interview with John Hough". History Project.
  10. ^ Christopulos, Jim; Smart, Phil (2005). Van der Graaf Generator, The Book: A History of the Band Van der Graaf Generator 1967 to 1978. Phil and Jim Publishers. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-9551337-0-1.
  11. ^ "National General Slates 'Terror'". Los Angeles Times. 25 December 1970. p. E25.
  12. ^ 2018 P. Moody, EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94803-4_3Moody p 38
  13. ^ Malcolm, Derek (10 September 1970). "Fellini and a half". The Guardian. p. 12.
  14. ^ Walker, Alexander (10 September 1970). "The new films". Evening Standard. p. 20.
  15. ^ "British Thriller, 'Sudden Terror', Bows". The New York Times. 11 February 1971.
  16. ^ Thomas, Kevin (12 March 1971). "'Terror' Opens in Multiples". Los Angeles Times. p. E15.
  17. ^ a b Vagg, Stephen (10 October 2021). "Cold Streaks: The Studio Stewardship of Bryan Forbes at EMI". Filmink.
  18. ^ Moody, Paul (19 October 2018). EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema. Springer. p. 83. ISBN 9783319948034.
  19. ^ Moody, Paul (2018). EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema. Palgrave MacMillan. p. 39.
  20. ^ Mayer, Geoff (13 September 2012). Historical Dictionary of Crime Films. Scarecrow Press. p. 405. ISBN 9780810879003. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
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