''The Camp on Blood Island'' is a 1958 British World War II film, directed by

Val Guest Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer, for whom he direct ...

for

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve clas ...

and starring

André Morell Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as ...

Carl Möhner Carl Martin Rudolf Möhner (11 August 1921 – 14 January 2005) was an Austrian film actor, director, screenwriter and painter. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1949 and 1976. His most famous roles were as Jo "le Suédois" in the 19 ...

Edward Underdown Charles Edward Underdown (3 December 190815 December 1989) was an English theatre, cinema and television actor. He was born in London and educated at Eton College in Berkshire. Notable work Early theatre credits include: Noël Coward's '' Words ...

and

Walter Fitzgerald Walter Fitzgerald Bond (18 May 1896 – 20 December 1976) was an English character actor. Early life Born in Stoke, Plymouth, Fitzgerald was a former stockbroker before he began his theatrical training at RADA. He joined the British Army dur ...

. The film is set in a Japanese

prisoner of war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

in Japanese-occupied British Malaya and deals with the brutal, sadistic treatment of Allied prisoners by their captors. On its release, the film was promoted with the tag line "Jap War Crimes Exposed!", alongside a quote from Lord Russell of Liverpool, "We may forgive, but we must never forget", and an image of a Japanese soldier wielding a

samurai sword A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

. From its powerful opening sequence of a man being forced to dig his own grave before being shot dead, an

intertitle In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

follows, stating "this is not just a story - it is based on brutal truth", ''The Camp on Blood Island'' is noted for a depiction of human cruelty and brutality which was unusually graphic for a film of its time. It received some contemporary allegations of going beyond the bounds of the acceptable and necessary into gratuitous sensationalism. A prequel, ''

The Secret of Blood Island ''The Secret of Blood Island'' is a 1964 British war film directed by Quentin Lawrence and starring Jack Hedley, Barbara Shelley and Patrick Wymark. The film is a prequel to the 1958 film ''The Camp on Blood Island''. Premise British Prisone ...

'', was released in 1964.

Plot

Emperor

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

announces Japan's surrender to the Allies in a recorded radio address across the Empire on August 15, 1945, marking the end of the war in the Pacific. Crucially, this news has not reached the Japanese at the "Blood Island" prisoner-of-war camp, where

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

Colonel Yamamitsu, has told senior allied officer Colonel Lambert, he will order the massacre of the entire camp, including a nearby camp for women and children if Japan surrenders. The news of the end of the war is known to Colonel Lambert, and former rubber planter Piet van Elst, A.K.A. 'Dutch', from their secret radio receiver. Colonel Lambert does not inform most of the other prisoners, but decides they must prevent the Japanese from learning the truth. He arranges to sabotage the Japanese radio and sends Dr. Robert Keiller to try to reach a

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

village, where partisans will be able to get a message to the allies. These activities lead to savage reprisals by the Japanese, with threats of worse to come. Lambert is the commanding officer, so he is expected to give orders. However the other prisoners do not know of Yamamitsu's threat, or that the war is over. Having been forced continually to justify his at times apparently illogical and counter-productive decisions, Lambert explains the situation to some senior prisoners, including former governor Cyril Beattie, whose wife and son are in interned in the women's camp, and priest Paul Anjou. Beattie thinks Lambert's approach is wrong, and that they should tell the Japanese. Anjou has been passing messages to the women via Mrs. Beattie, whilst delivering burial services in Latin, which the Japanese do not understand. A

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

plane crashes onto the island and the pilot, Lt. Commander Peter Bellamy, flags down a Japanese truck, but is unable to communicate with the Japanese. A captured Dr. Keiller is lying in the truck and manages to tell Bellamy not to reveal that the war is over. The truck stops at the women's camp and Keiller is shot dead. The Japanese return to the men's camp, with Bellamy, and Keiller's body. Bellamy is questioned and beaten, but does not reveal the news. Since Keiller's escape was unsuccessful, word has not reached the Malay resistance, so the Allies are still unaware of the situation on Blood Island. Lambert asks Anjou to pass a message via Mrs. Beattie for Mrs. Keiller to be under the water tower at the women's camp at midnight. Anjou tries, but the person he is burying turns out to be Mrs. Beattie, so he cannot convey the message. Bellamy and Dutch escape from a working party, leading to the beheading of six hostages. They overpower a truck driver bringing dispatches and steal his vehicle. They try to rendezvous with Mrs. Keiller; but she is not under the water tower, as Anjou could not give her the message. Bellamy breaks into the camp, kills a Japanese officer who is with one of the female prisoners (who the women suspect is a collaborator), forcing her to take him to Mrs. Keiller. They escape but Dutch is killed holding off the guards. Bellamy and Mrs. Keiller eventually make it to the Malay village to alert the Allies. Back at the camp, Lambert apprises the NCOs of the situation. Not knowing if the escapees have reached the Malay village or not, he tells the NCOs to instruct the men to arm themselves with small weapons. The next day the Japanese bring Van Elst's body back and take another six prisoners for execution, including selecting Major Dawes from the officers' hut. Beattie talks Sakamura into taking him to Yamamitsu, insisting that he has something vital to tell him, but triggers a grenade, killing Sakamura and Yamamitsu. The prisoners attack the guards and a bloody fight ensues. Lambert inadvertently kills Major Dawes, who has seized a Japanese machine gun in a tower. Lambert lobs a grenade into the tower, thinking the gun is manned by a Japanese soldier. Allied paratroopers are eventually dropped on the camp, and the fight is over. The women's camp was taken without a shot being fired, so whilst many of the men are dead, their actions have at least saved the surviving women and children.

Cast

as Col. Lambert *

as Piet van Elst *

as Major Dawes *

as Cyril Beattie * Phil Brown as Lt. Commander Peter Bellamy *

Barbara Shelley Barbara Shelley (born Barbara Teresa Kowin; 13 February 1932 – 3 January 2021) was an English film and television actress. She appeared in more than a hundred films and television series. She was particularly known for her work in horror film ...

as Kate Keiller *

Michael Goodliffe Lawrence Michael Andrew Goodliffe (1 October 1914 – 20 March 1976) was an English actor known for playing suave roles such as doctors, lawyers and army officers. He was also sometimes cast in working-class parts. Biography Goodliffe was ...

as Father Paul Anjou *

Michael Gwynn Michael Gwynn (30 November 1916 – 29 January 1976) was an English actor. He attended Mayfield College near Mayfield, Sussex. During the Second World War he served in East Africa as a major and was adjutant to the 2nd (Nyasaland) Battalion ...

as Tom Shields *

Ronald Radd Ronald Radd (22 January 1929 – 23 April 1976) was a British television actor. He is perhaps best remembered for originating the role of Hunter in the television thriller series '' Callan''. In 1971, he was nominated for a Tony Award for ''Ab ...

as Colonel Yamamitsu, Camp commandant *

Marne Maitland James Marne Kumar Maitland (18 December 1914 – March 1992) was an Anglo-Indian character actor in films and television programmes. Biography Maitland was born in Calcutta, and educated at Bedales School before going up to Magdalene College, ...

as Captain Sakamura *

Richard Wordsworth Richard Curwen Wordsworth (19 January 1915 – 21 November 1993) was an English character actor. He was the great-great-grandson of the poet William Wordsworth. As a young man he followed in the footsteps of his clergyman father, reading D ...

as Dr. Robert Keiller *

Mary Merrall Mary Merrall (5 January 1890 – 31 August 1973), born Elsie Lloyd, was an English actress whose career of over 60 years encompassed stage, film and television work. Stage career Merrall's stage career started in her teens, making her first stag ...

as Helen Beattie *

Wolfe Morris Wolfe Morris (born Woolf Steinberg, 5 January 1925 – 21 July 1996) was an English actor, who played character roles on stage, television and in feature films from the 1950s until the 1990s. He made his film debut in ''Ill Met by Moonlight''. ...

as Interpreter *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...

as Japanese Driver *

Edwin Richfield Edwin Richfield (11 September 1921 – 2 August 1990) was an English actor. Career Richfield starred in the television series ''Interpol Calling'' (1959). He was ''The Odd Man'' in Granada Television's series of the same name in the early 196 ...

as Sergeant-Major *

Geoffrey Bayldon Albert Geoffrey Bayldon (7 January 1924 – 10 May 2017) was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series ''C ...

as Foster *

Lee Montague Lee Montague (born Leonard Goldberg; 16 October 1927) is an English actor noted for his roles in film and television, usually playing tough guys. Montague was a student of the Old Vic School. Montague's film credits include ''The Camp on Bloo ...

as Japanese Officer *

Jan Holden Valerie Jeanne Wilkinson (9 May 1931 – 11 October 2005) was an English actress known as Jan Holden, using her mother's maiden name as a stage name. In theatre she was known for her performances in light comedy and appeared in several telev ...

as Nurse

Production

The film was allegedly based on a true story which Hammer executive

Anthony Nelson Keys Anthony Nelson Keys (13 November 1911 – 19 March 1985) was a British film producer, best known of his work with Hammer Film Productions. His father was Nelson Keys and his brother John Paddy Carstairs.Michael Carreras Michael Henry Carreras (21 December 1927 – 19 April 1994) was a British film producer and director. He was known for his association with Hammer Films, being the son of founder James Carreras, and taking an executive role in the compan ...

who commissioned John Manchip White to write a script. Finance was provided as part of a co-production deal with Columbia Pictures and shooting began at Bray Studios on 14 July 1957.Marcus Hearn, "The Camp of Blood Island" Viewing Notes, ''Camp of Blood Island'' DVD, 2009

Reception

The film was very successful at the box office, being one of the twelve most popular British movies of the year, despite sometimes hostile reviews and earned rentals of $3.5 million worldwide. ''Kinematograph Weekly'' listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958. The novelisation of the script sold over two million copies and has been described as "arguably the most successful piece of merchandise ever licensed by Hammer."Marcus Hearn, ''The Hammer Vault'', Titan Books, 2011 p19 The chairman of the Motion Pictures Producers' Association of Japan, Shiro Kido, who was also the president of Japanese film studio

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

, wrote to Columbia Pictures who were distributing the film worldwide to request that the film be banned in the United States as it hurt US-Japanese relationships stating that "It is most unfortunate that a certain country still maintains a hostile feeling toward Japan and cannot forget the nightmare of the Japanese army." and bemoaning the film's advertising.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Camp on Blood Island, The Anti-Japanese sentiment British war drama films 1958 films 1950s war drama films Films directed by Val Guest Films shot at Bray Studios Hammer Film Productions films British black-and-white films Pacific War films World War II prisoner of war films Films set in Malaysia 1950s English-language films Films set in 1945 Columbia Pictures films 1958 drama films 1950s British films