Attack on the Iron Coast
Attack on the Iron Coast | |
---|---|
Mirisch Productions | |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates | UK 1967
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Running time | 89 minutes |
Countries | UK and US |
Language | English |
Attack on the Iron Coast is a 1967
In the United States it was released as a double feature with Danger Route.[2] In the UK it was released as a double bill with The Beatles' animated film Yellow Submarine.[citation needed][3]
Plot
Canadian Commando Major Jamie Wilson (
Under political pressure, Wilson's plan is given the go-ahead, even though the naval craft requested for the mission are reduced to a
With a united group heading into the port, the Germans discover the approaching minesweeper and its commando carrying escort of motor launches. After briefly stalling the Germans by pretending they are German ships, the convoy is bombarded by the
Brought in front of the garrison commander, Colonel von Horst (Walter Gotell), Franklin is mocked for what the Germans see as a fruitless mission. Meanwhile, a German party, led by von Horst's subordinate, Captain Erich Strasser, (George Mikell) boards the minesweeper and heads for the smashed bridge where Wilson, barely alive, notices that the detonating circuit is broken. As Strasser enters the bridge, Wilson, with his last ounce of strength (and just as Strasser fires at him) places the two wires together, completing the circuit; the explosives detonate, destroying the dock gate. In the German HQ, Franklin grins at the Germans' reactions as the explosion rocks the building, and just then commandos storm the HQ and liberate him, killing von Horst and his men. Franklin and the commandos depart in the waiting motor launches, their mission completed.
Cast
- Lloyd Bridges as Major James Wilson
- Andrew Keir as Captain Owen Franklin
- Sue Lloyd as Sue Wilson
- Mark Eden as Lieutenant Commander Donald Kimberly
- Maurice Denham as Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Grafton
- Glyn Owen as Forrester
- Howard Pays as Lieutenant Graham
- Walter Gotell as Col. von Horst
- John Welsh as Admiral of the Fleet Lord William Cansley
- George Mikell as Capt. Erich Strasser
- Ernest Clark as Air Vice Marshal Woodbridge
Production
Encouraged by the worldwide success of 633 Squadron, producer Walter Mirisch proposed a series of British-made films with a military theme having major American stars in the lead that would comply with the Eady Levy requirements and cost no more than US$1 million.[4] This film was the first of the series of John C. Champion's Oakmont Productions[5] and began shooting in May 1967. The others were Submarine X-1, Hell Boats, Mosquito Squadron, The Thousand Plane Raid and The Last Escape. Each of the films was approximately 90 minutes long, making them suitable for half of a double feature and had a Hollywood star leading the cast.
The film was shot at
Soundtrack
Composer Gerard Schurmann used his score as the basis of a 1971 concert work called Attack and Celebration. As with the other Oakmount films, portions of Ron Goodwin's score for 633 Squadron are reused.
References
- ^ "BFI | Film & TV Database | ATTACK ON THE IRON COAST (1967)". 2 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009.
- ^ Thompson, Howard (6 June 1968). "British Double Bill (Published 1968)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Personal experience - I saw this double bill in Summer 1968 in a cinema in NE England as a 9th birthday treat.
- ^ Mirisch, Walter (2008). I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 204.
- ^ "With Oakmont Productions (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)". IMDb.
- ^ "Attack on the Iron Coast (1968) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.