''Danger Route'' is a 1967 British

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

directed by

Seth Holt Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. Ac ...

for

Amicus Productions Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg. Films Prior to establish ...

and starring

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

as Jonas Wilde,

Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films '' Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...

and

Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...

. It was based on Andrew York's 1966 novel ''The Eliminator'' that was the

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

of the film. The film was released in the United States as a double feature with ''

Attack on the Iron Coast ''Attack on the Iron Coast'' is a 1967 DeLuxe Color Anglo-American Oakmont Productions international co-production war film directed by Paul Wendkos in the first of his five-picture contract with Mirisch Productions, and starring Lloyd Bridges, ...

''.

Plot

Jonas Wilde, a leading British

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

/assassin, returns home to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

from a mission in the Caribbean fearing his nerve has gone, and attempts to resign. He is persuaded by his superior, Tony Canning, to undergo a final mission and assassinate a defector being held by the Americans. Wilde starts a relationship with Jocelyn. As part of the mission Wilde seduces Rhoda, a housekeeper at the house where the scientist is being kept, in order to access the house. He is captured and interrogated by CIA agent Lucinda who tells Wilde that someone is causing British agents to be killed by mistake. Wilde escapes and goes looking for Canning, who has disappeared. He teams up with Canning's wife, Barbara, and heads to the base in the Channel Islands. A fellow agent, Brian Stern, tells him that another member of their unit, Peter Ravenspur, has been murdered. Wilde and Stern then take Ravenspur's niece Mari aboard Stern's boat for questioning. Stern reveals he is a double agent but is killed by Wilde. Mari, who has been working for Lucinda, is killed accidentally. Wilde goes back to London and discovers that his girlfriend, Jocelyn, was working for Stern. Wilde kills her. Canning tells Wilde that he is too valuable to be allowed to resign.

Cast

as Jonas Wilde *

as Jocelyn *

Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...

as Marita * Sylvia Syms as Barbara Canning * Gordon Jackson as Brian Stern *

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

as Rhoda Gooderich *

Maurice Denham William Maurice Denham OBE (23 December 1909 – 24 July 2002) was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 films and television programmes in his long career. Family Denham was born on 23 December 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, the son ...

as Peter Ravenspur *

Sam Wanamaker Samuel Wanamaker, (born Wattenmacker; June 14, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American actor and director who moved to the United Kingdom after becoming fearful of being blacklisted in Hollywood due to his communist views. He is credited a ...

as Lucinda * David Bauer as Bennett *

Robin Bailey William Henry Mettam "Robin" Bailey (5 October 1919 – 14 January 1999) was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Often cast in upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Mr Justice Graves in Thames Television's '' ...

as Parsons *

Harry Andrews Harry Stewart Fleetwood Andrews, CBE (10 November 1911 – 6 March 1989) was an English actor known for his film portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in ''The Hill'' (1965) alongside Sean ...

as Tony Canning *

Julian Chagrin Julian Chagrin (born 22 February 1940) is a British-Israeli comedy actor. He is the husband of actress and comedian Rolanda Chagrin. Biography Chagrin was born in London. His father was the composer and conductor Francis Chagrin, who was born t ...

as Matsys *

Reg Lye Reginald Thomas Lye (14 October 1912 – 23 March 1988), was an Australian actor who worked extensively in Australia and England. He was one of the busiest Australian actors of the 1950s, appearing in the majority of locally shot features at th ...

as Balin *

Leslie Sands Leslie Sands (19 May 1921 – 9 May 2001) was a British actor and writer of TV and film. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Sands usually specialized in dour types in authority, often policemen. He was married to Pauline Williams (1950 - 9 May 2 ...

as Man in Cinema *

Timothy Bateson Timothy Dingwall Bateson (3 April 1926 – 15 September 2009) was an English actor. Life and career Born in London, the son of solicitor Dingwall Latham Bateson and the great-nephew of rugby player Harold Dingwall Bateson, he was educated at ...

as Halliwell

Production

The film was an attempt to cash in on the popularity of James Bond movies. It was based on ''The Eliminator'', a novel by Andrew York about an assassin, Jonas Wilde, who worked for "The Route", a small government organization based on the island of Jersey. It was published in 1966. The ''Observer'' called it "a fast moving spy story". "There isn't a human, living character in the book," said ''The Guardian''. The ''New York Times'' said "the author has narrative viguour and a great deal of ingenuity in small details which is probably enough to outbalance his liberal use of plot cliches." The character appeared in a series of novels. Film rights were bought by Amicus who in January 1967 announced they would make the movie from a script by Meade Roberts under the direction of Seth Holt. It would be the first of a three-picture deal with United Artists. In February Amicus said Richard Johnson would play the lead. Diana Dors played a support role. Milton Subotsky of Amicus called the movie doomed, saying the director Seth Holt was ill during filming, the script never worked and the cameraman was replaced in the middle of the shoot. Box office response was poor.Ed. Allan Bryce, ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 47-48 Subotsky later said this and '' What Became of Jack and Jill?'' were "total failures". It was shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

with sets designed by the art director Don Mingaye. At one stage the working title was ''People Who Make No Noise Are Dangerous''. Holt called the film "dreadful. I scarcely saw it finished. I had a very difficult schedule. I was waiting between one and another and I needed the bread."

Reception

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' called it "a tired, and tiring muddle of a film with characters interestingly introduced and then abruptly dropped only to turn up later as though nothing has happened in the meantime." ''The Guardian'' called it "a reasonably satisfying piece of work".New films Roud, Richard. The Guardian 17 Nov 1967: 9.

References

External links

*
Danger Route
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

*
Danger Route
at BFI
Danger Route
at Letterbox DVD {{Seth Holt 1967 films British spy thriller films 1960s spy thriller films Films directed by Seth Holt Films set in London Seafaring films United Artists films Amicus Productions films Films based on British novels Films set in the Channel Islands Jersey in fiction Films shot at Shepperton Studios 1960s English-language films 1960s British films