FURY AT SMUGGLERS' BAY

 

I've seen just about every film that my favorite actor, Peter Cushing, has appeared in....but one that has constantly eluded me is FURY AT SMUGGLERS' BAY, a 1961 period adventure. I finally was able to see it this weekend, courtesy of a decent widescreen print on YouTube. 

The story is set in the late 18th Century, when smuggling was prevalent along the southern English coastline. The haughty Squire Trevenyan (Peter Cushing) is concerned about the illegal activities in his district, but he seems reluctant to confront a group known as the "wreckers", a gang of cutthroats who lure ships to their doom, and then make off with the cargoes. The Squire harbors a secret involving his son Christopher (John Fraser), and this is known by the leader of the wreckers, the nefarious Black John (Bernard Lee). Christopher attempts to get evidence to being the wreckers to justice, with the help of a mysterious highwayman called "The Captain" (William Franklyn). 

FURY AT SMUGGLERS' BAY is well-done classic action-adventure tale, with all sorts of daring-do. It anticipates Hammer's later CAPTAIN CLEGG, and it is also reminiscent of Hitchcock's JAMAICA INN. There's gun battles, fistfights, chases on horseback, a tavern brawl, and a sword duel. Producer-writer-director John Gilling never lets things slow down for a moment, and the film's running time of 82 minutes is perfect for this type of story. 

Various sources give two different places for the extensive location shooting--either Ireland or South Wales--but wherever it was, Gilling and cinematographer Harry Waxman made great use of it, providing the viewer with a number of excellent widescreen color compositions. The production design and costumes are exemplary as well, making the production look much more expensive than the films Gilling would later make for Hammer. There's also a rousing music score by Harold Geller. 

Peter Cushing must have appreciated getting top billing in a non-horror film at this time, but I'm sure he must have realized that Bernard Lee and William Franklyn had much better roles. Lee is almost unrecognizable as the grizzled Black John, and the relationship his character has with Cushing's Squire is very much like the one Boris Karloff and Henry Daniell had in THE BODY SNATCHER. William Franklyn shines as the Errol Flynn-like "Captain"--the fellow is more of a charming rogue than a hardened criminal. 

The supporting cast is filled with names familiar to fans of British Cinema during this period--June Thorburn plays the Squire's daughter, while Liz Fraser gets a choice part as a voluptuous barmaid. Miles Malleson and George Coulouris are in this as well. 

Peter Cushing would be personally much better served with CAPTAIN CLEGG, but FURY AT SMUGGLERS' BAY is a fine, entertaining swashbuckler that turned out much better than I thought it would be. It deserves an official North American home video release--or at least it deserves more attention.