''Soho Conspiracy'' is a 1950 British
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Cecil H. Williamson and starring Jacques Labrecque,
Zena Marshall
Zena Moyra Marshall (1 January 1926 – 10 July 2009) was a British actress of film and television, who was born in Kenya.
Early years
Marshall was of English, Irish and (on her mother's side) French descent.
Though born in Kenya, after her ...
and
Peter Gawthorne
Peter Gawthorne (1 September 1884 – 17 March 1962) was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upo ...
.
Premise
A young man attempts to stage a charity concert in order to raise funds to refurbish a
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
church.
Production
The film was made as a
second feature
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
. It incorporates footage from the 1948 Italian film ''
Mad About Opera
''Mad About Opera'' (Italian: ''Follie per l'opera'') is a 1948 Italian musical comedy film directed by Mario Costa and starring Gino Bechi, Gina Lollobrigida, and Carlo Campanini.
It was shot at the Scalera Studios in Rome. The film's sets w ...
'' (Follie per l'opera) for the climactic concert performance.
[Chibnall and McFarlane p.118]
Cast
*
Zena Marshall
Zena Moyra Marshall (1 January 1926 – 10 July 2009) was a British actress of film and television, who was born in Kenya.
Early years
Marshall was of English, Irish and (on her mother's side) French descent.
Though born in Kenya, after her ...
- Dora
* Jacques Labrecque - Carlo Scala
*
Peter Gawthorne
Peter Gawthorne (1 September 1884 – 17 March 1962) was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upo ...
- Father Shaney
*
John Witty
John Witty (1915–1990) was a British film and television actor.
Witty's distinguished voice appeared extensively on various series and documentary short films. He presented the TV series ''Mail Call'' (1955–56) with his wife Genine Graham. ...
- Guy
* Max Harrison - Gondotti Brother
* Syd Harrison - Gondotti Brother
*
Gino Bechi
Gino Bechi (16 October 1913 – 2 February 1993) was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially in Verdi roles.
Life and career
Bechi studied in his native Florence with Raul Frazzi and di Gior ...
- Himself
*
Beniamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer (lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation.
Early life
Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoem ...
- Himself
*
Tito Gobbi
Tito Gobbi (24 October 19135 March 1984) was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation.
He made his operatic debut in Gubbio in 1935 as Count Rodolfo in Bellini's ''La sonnambula'' and quickly appeared in Italy's major opera ...
- Himself
*
Tito Schipa
Tito Schipa (; born Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa; 2 January 1889 in Lecce16 December 1965) was an Italian lyric tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice ...
- Himself
References
Bibliography
* Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. ''The British 'B' Film''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
External links
*
1950 films
British musical drama films
1950s musical drama films
Films set in London
1950 drama films
British black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s British films
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