Summary
Forbidden Territory is a 1934 British thriller film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Gregory Ratoff, Ronald Squire and Binnie Barnes.[1] It was based on the 1933 novel The Forbidden Territory by Dennis Wheatley.[2]
| Forbidden Territory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Phil Rosen |
| Written by | Alma Reville Dorothy Farnum |
| Based on | The Forbidden Territory by Dennis Wheatley |
| Produced by | Richard Wainwright |
| Starring | Gregory Ratoff Ronald Squire Binnie Barnes Tamara Desni |
| Cinematography | Richard Angst Charles Van Enger |
| Edited by | Hugh Stewart |
| Music by | Louis Levy |
Production company | Wainwright Productions |
| Distributed by | Gaumont British Distributors |
Release date | 10 December 1934 |
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film, about an Englishman and his son who travel to the Soviet Union to rescue a family member being held in prison.[3]
Plot edit
Cast edit
- Gregory Ratoff as Alexei Leshki
- Ronald Squire as Sir Charles Farringdon
- Binnie Barnes as Valerie Petrovna
- Tamara Desni as Marie-Louise
- Barry MacKay as Michael Farringdon
- Anthony Bushell as Rex Farringdon
- Anton Dolin as Jack Straw
- Marguerite Allan as Fenya
- Boris Ranevsky as Runov
Release edit
Forbidden Territory was released on December 10, 1934, in the United Kingdom.[4] It was requested in British Parliament that Forbidden Territory be banned as it was anti-Russian the Friends of Soviet Russia requested that it be banned.[2] This was followed by the Maryport Community Party also requesting it to be withdrawn from cinema as it was "libel on the Soviet working man."[2] The film was approved by the board on the basis that there was "no political element in it at all."[2]
The film was re-released in April 1940.[5]
Reception edit
The Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed the film on its 1940 reissue, declaring it had a "highly improbable plot" but contained enough suspense and excitement to justify its reissue.[1]
Legacy edit
Tony Shaw in his book British Cinema and the Cold War stated that Forbidden Territory provided the groundwork for the cycle of Cold War spy melodramas that would be released in the 1950s. Specifically, the "typical" Englishman fighting injustices in a foreign geographical and political environment.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b R.W.D. 1940, p. 54.
- ^ a b c d e Shaw 2001, p. 15.
- ^ Quinlan 1984, p. 57.
- ^ "Forbidden Territory". British Film Institute. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ Shaw 2001, p. 16.
Bibliography edit
- R.W.D. (30 April 1940). "Forbidden Territory". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 7, no. 76. p. 54.
- Shaw, Tony (2001). British Cinema and the Cold War: The State, Propaganda and Consensus. I. B. Taurus. ISBN 1-86064-371-X.
- Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films : The Studio Years 1928-1959. B. T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN 0 7134 1874 5.
External links edit
- Forbidden Territory at IMDb
