''Highly Dangerous'' is a 1950 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) ...

starring

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, Order of the British Empire, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes (1938 ...

. The screenplay was written by

Eric Ambler Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 22 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for book ...

. It was released in the US by

Lippert Pictures Lippert Pictures was an American film production and distribution company controlled by Robert L. Lippert. History Robert L. Lippert (1909-1976) was a successful exhibitor, owning a chain of movie theaters in California and Oregon. He was frustrate ...

as ''Time Running Out''.

Plot

Frances Gray is as a British entomologist trying to stop a biological attack with the help of an American journalist.

Cast

Production

Margaret Lockwood had not made a film in 18 months following ''

Madness of the Heart ''Madness of the Heart'' is a 1949 British drama film directed by Charles Bennett and starring Margaret Lockwood, Paul Dupuis and Kathleen Byron. Plot summary Lydia Garth meets Paul de Vandiere, a French nobleman, but their romance is plagued ...

'', and had been focusing on stage work. Earl St John wanted a comeback vehicle and commissioned

to write a film specifically as a vehicle for Lockwood. Ambler had recently specialised in melodramas, but ''Highly Dangerous'' was a comedy thriller in the vein of Lockwood's earlier hits, ''

The Lady Vanishes ''The Lady Vanishes'' is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1936 novel ''The Wheel Spins'' by Ethel L ...

'' and ''

Night Train to Munich ''Night Train to Munich'' is a 1940 British-American thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1939 short story ''Report on a Fugitive'' by Go ...

''. It was directed by Roy Ward Baker, who had served with Ambler during the war. "One thing about Eric is that he presents you with a script that is beautifully finished in every detail", said Baker. "I think Margaret Lockwood wanted to play a modern woman", recalled Baker. "It was actually Eric Ambler's first or second book, although the book had a different title and its main character was a man; Eric changed it to a woman to make it more interesting." The film-makers wanted a Hollywood leading man to play opposite Lockwood.

Wendell Corey Wendell Reid Corey (March 20, 1914 – November 8, 1968) was an American actor and politician. He was President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was a board member of the Screen Actors Guild. Biography Early years Corey was ...

was originally sought before the role was given to Dane Clark, who had recently left Warner Bros. Filming started at Pinewood Studios in June 1950.

Reception

Baker later said that "''Highly Dangerous'' wasn't a very successful picture.... It was a good idea although I don't think I did it very well."McFarlane p 49-50 ''Filmink'' said "it should have been ''Lady Vanishes''-like but the film never gets its tone right. It starts off straight then goes a bit wacky and is just not fun – it lacks comic relief, and Lockwood seems old and tired."

References

*McFarlane, Brian, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', 1997

External links

*
''Highly Dangerous''
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 ...

''Highly Dangerous''
at Britmovie *
Film4 reviewReview of film
at Variety {{Roy Ward Baker 1950 films British spy films Cold War spy films British black-and-white films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films directed by Roy Ward Baker 1950s action films Films scored by Richard Addinsell Lippert Pictures films 1950s spy films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films