''Action of the Tiger'' is a 1957 British

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by

Terence Young Terence or Terry Young may refer to: *Terence Young (director) (1915–1994), British film director * Terence Young (politician) (born 1952), Canadian Conservative Party politician * Terence Young (writer), Canadian writer * Terry Young (American p ...

and starring

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

and

Martine Carol Martine Carol (born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer; 16 May 1920 – 6 February 1967) was a French film actress. Career Born Maryse Mourer (or Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer) in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, (France), she studied acting und ...

. It was distributed by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. The plot is about the rescue of a political prisoner held in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Carson, played by Van Johnson, is an American contraband runner approached by Tracy, a French woman who wants him to help rescue her brother. Supporting actor

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

would reunite with director Terence Young for the first film in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

series, '' Dr. No'' (1962). The title comes from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

''.

Plot

French heiress Tracy Mallambert, in search for her brother Henri after rumors that he defected during a diplomatic post, tries to bribe the ship captain Carson in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, to smuggle her into the

People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

. Although he refuses, she sneaks onto his ship anyways and he reluctantly agrees to transport her. She learns that he is smuggling out Greek refugee children from Northern Epirus. Carson's contact Kol Stendho abandons them in the village of Vojsev after shooting an

Albanian People's Army The Albanian People's Army ( sq, Ushtria Popullore Shqiptare, UPSh) was the national army of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1990. Like all other Communist states, the UPSh was subjected to the rule of the Party of Labour ...

sentry, where they find Henri in a cathedral. Carson agrees to break Henri, who was arrested and blinded by Communist authorities, and his lover Mara out of the country. Tracy and Carson take Henri, Mara, and a group of children out of the country as they begin to fall in love. The group is ambushed by bandits led by Trifon who agree to escort the rest of the group into Greece in exchange for allowing Tracy to remain with them. However, the bandits are killed attacking a fake border checkpoint and the rest are captured. Kol returns in disguise as an Albanian officer and rescues them. They finally escape a battalion of Albanian soldiers aboard Carson's yacht.

Cast

as Carson *

as Tracy * Herbert Lom as Trifon * Gustavo Rojo as Henri * José Nieto as Kol Stenho *

Helen Haye Helen Haye (born Helen Hay, 28 August 1874 – 1 September 1957) was a British stage and film actress.
New York Times. 3 Septem ...

as The Countess *Anna Gerber as Mara *

Anthony Dawson Anthony Douglas Gillon Dawson (18 October 1916 – 8 January 1992) was a Scottish actor, best known for his supporting roles as villains in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954) and '' Midnight Lace'' (1960), and playi ...

as Security Officer *

as Mike *

Yvonne Romain Yvonne Adelaide "Evie" Romain ('' née'' Warren; 17 February 1938) is a British former film and television actress of the late 1950s and 1960s. Early career Romain was born in London of Maltese descent and is a graduate of the Italia Conti Acad ...

as Katina *Norman MacOwan as Trifon's father *

Helen Goss Helen Goss (15 October 19031985) was a British stage, television and film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in m ...

as Farmer's Wife *Richard Williams as Abdyll

Production

The film was shot primarily in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, with

Almuñécar Almuñécar () is a Spanish city and municipality located in the southwestern part of the comarca of the Costa Granadina, in the province of Granada. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean sea and borders the Granadin municipalities of O ...

serving as headquarters. Other scenes were shot in Athens and

MGM-British Studios MGM-British was a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer initially established (as MGM London Films Denham) at Denham Film Studios in 1936. It was in limbo during the Second World War; however, following the end of hostilities, a facility was acquired ...

, Elstree.

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $465,000 in the United States and Canada and $1,175,000 elsewhere, resulting in a net profit of $25,000.

References

External links