Customer Reviews

Black Tent: The Rank Collection [Import]

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VCI Entertainment and The Rank Collection presents "THE BLACK TENT" (1956) (94 min/Color) -- Starring: Anthony Steel, Donald Sinden, Anna Maria Sandri, Andre Morell, Ralph Truman, Donald Pleasence, Anthony Bushell, Michael Craig

Directed by: Brian Desmond Hurst

VCI has restored and brought from their vaults another great film from the British Invasion.

Donald Sinden has become heir to a country estate in the British country side. Looking for his brother who disappeared during WWII.
He finds the tribal chief Sheik Salem ben Yussef (Andre Morell) who has the diary of his brother Anthony Steel. He learns his brother has been killed by the German soldiers and has a wife (Anna-Maria Sandri) and son (Terence Sharkey).

Now the son who is an heir must make the decision of going with his Uncle or staying with his Mother and Grand Father, what would you do?

Filmed with some of the best cinematography, which is an asset showing the beauty of the desert.

Music Composed by William Alwyn Conducted by Muir Mathieson, has classic composing written all over it.

The plot and story line does not move smoothly and has some dragging moments, that you lose interest.

For product description and editorial review check this out on the Amazon site above my review

* Special Footnote: -- Italian actress Anna-Maria English was so poor, her dialogue had to be completely dubbed by Nanette Newman, wife of the film's screenwriter, Bryan Forbes. Forbes himself played a dying enemy soldier, a role that took three days to shoot, but the footage ended up on the cutting room floor

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
1. Photo Gallery
2. English Subtitles
3. Dolby 5.1 and Mono

BIOS:
1. Brian Desmond Hurst (Director)
Date of Birth: 12 February 1895 - Castlereagh, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
Date of Death: 26 September 1986 - London, England, UK

2. Donald Sinden
Date of Birth: 9 October 1923 - Plymouth, Devon, England, UK
Date of Death: Uknown

3. Anthony Steel
Date of Birth: 21 May 1920 - London, England, UK
Date of Death: 21 March 2001 - London, England, UK

4. Anna-Maria Sandri [aka: Anna Maria Materzanini]
Date of Birth: 10 August 1936 - Rome, Italy
Date of Death: Unknown

5. André Morell [aka: Cecil André Mesritz]
Date of Birth: 20 August 1909 - London, England, UK
Date of Death: 28 November 1978 - London, England, UK

6. Donald Pleasence
Date of Birth: 5 October 1919 - Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
Date of Death: 2 February 1995 - St.-Paul de Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France

7. Michael Craig [aka: Michael Francis Gregson]
Date of Birth: 27 January 1928 - Poona, Maharashtra, India
Date of Death: Unknown

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 3 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 3 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 94 min on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment #8737 ~ (September 20, 2011)