''The Hostages'' is a 1975 British children's adventure film directed by David Eady and starring Stephen Garlick, Jayne Collins, Peter Marshall,

Julian Holloway Julian Holloway (born 24 June 1944) is a British actor. He is the son of comedy actor and singer Stanley Holloway and former chorus dancer and actress Violet Lane. He is the father of author and former model Sophie Dahl. Early life Holloway wa ...

and

Robin Askwith Robin Mark Askwith (born 12 October 1950) is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions. Making his film debut as Keating in the film '' if....'' (1968), a role he would reprise in ''Brita ...

. It was produced for the

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...

Plot

Escaped convicts Joe Blake and Terry Sladden break into a remote farmhouse while the owners are away, and kidnap three children as hostages.

Cast

* Stephen Garlick as Peter *Jayne Collins as Kate *Peter Marshall as Tim *Lucinda Gorell-Barnes as Helen *

Ray Barrett Raymond Charles Barrett (2 May 19278 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in ''The Troubleshooters'' (1965–1971). From the 1970s, ...

as Joe Blake *

as Terry Sladden *

Jeremy Bulloch Jeremy Andrew Bulloch (16 February 1945 – 17 December 2020) was an English actor. In a career that spanned six decades, he gained recognition for originating the physical portrayal of Boba Fett in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, appearing as th ...

as policeman

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with ...

'' said "Another extremely well-made children's thriller for the Children's Film Foundation which packs a good deal of tension into its brief running time, thanks to split-second editing and a fine eye for country locations. The young players are rather more natural than usual and, of the adults, Ray Barrett contributes a sharp sketch of the injured convict with a few finer feelings than his companion, played with a touch of early Widmark by Robin Askwith. The fact that the film closely resembles '' The Desperate Hours'', as well as leaning on situations familiar from many American TV featurettes which children can see at any time, makes one feel that the CFF might now turn their talents to fresher material."

References

External links

* 1975 films 1970s children's adventure films Films directed by David Eady British children's adventure films Children's Film Foundation 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{adventure-film-stub