The Hornet's Nest (1955 film)
{{short description|1955 film directed by Charles Saunders}}
{{for-text|the 2014 American documentary film about the Afghanistan War|The Hornet's Nest|other uses|Hornets Nest}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Hornet's Nest
| image = File:The hornet's nest 1955 film.webp
| caption = DVD cover
| director = Charles Saunders
| producer = Guido Coen
| writer = Allan MacKinnon
| starring = Paul Carpenter
June Thorburn
Marla Landi
| music = Edwin Astley
| cinematography = Harry Waxman
| editing = Margery Saunders
| studio = Kenilworth Film Productions
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1955|5}}
| runtime = 61 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| gross =
}}
The Hornet's Nest is a 1955 British second feature ('B'){{Cite book
|last1= Chibnall
|first1= Steve
|last2= McFarlane
|first2= Brian
|title= The British 'B' Film
|year= 2009
|location= London
|publisher= BFI/Bloomsbury
|isbn= 978-1-8445-7319-6
|pages= 128
}} crime comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Paul Carpenter, June Thorburn, and Marla Landi.{{Cite web
|title= The Hornet's Nest
|url= https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150036933
|access-date= 17 May 2024
|website= British Film Institute Collections Search
}} It was written by Allan MacKinnon.{{Cite book
|editor-last= Gifford
|editor-first= Denis
|title= British Film Catalogue : Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film
|date= 2016
|volume= 1
|chapter= 1955
|page= 627
|location= Milton Park, Oxfordshire
|publisher= Taylor & Francis
|isbn= 978-1-317-74062-9
|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1c7eCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22The+Hornet%27s+Nest%22+1955+film+-wikipedia&pg=PA627
|via= google.co.uk
|access-date= 16 December 2022
}}
Plot
Thief Posh Peterson hides his loot of £20,000 worth of jewels under the floor boards of an abandoned scow (named The Hornet's Nest) moored in London's Chelsea Embankment, but he is captured and thrown in jail after assaulting someone. Two young models, Pat and Terry, rent the vessel as a houseboat through Bob Bartlett, a friendly local salvage dealer acting as an intermediary for the rental agency.
Upon his release, Posh and his accomplices, headed by Mr Arnold, attempt to recover the loot, but it is no longer under the floor boards. After several plot twists, Bartlett eventually brings the crooks to justice. Having observed all these events from their vantage point, two neighbouring elderly sisters, Becky and Rachael Crumb, end up with the goods, which they gift to the two models to help them claim the £2,000 reward money.{{Cite book
|last= Clinton
|first= Franz Antony
|title= British Thrillers, 1950-1979
|date= 2020
|chapter= The Business of Crime
|pages= 202–203
|location= Jefferson NC
|publisher= McFarland
|isbn= 978-0-7864-1032-3
|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=f20HEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22The+Hornet%27s+Nest%22+1955+film+-wikipedia&pg=PA202
|via= google.co.uk
|access-date= 16 December 2022
}}
Cast
- Paul Carpenter as Bob Bartlett
- June Thorburn as Pat
- Marla Landi as Terry Savarese
- Alexander Gauge as Mr. Arnold
- Charles Farrell as Posh Peterson
- Larry Burns as Alfie
- Christine Silver as Becky Crumb
- Nora Nicholson as Rachael Crumb
- Christopher Steele as vicar
- Jan Holden as Miss Wentworth
- Ronnie Stevens as Bill, the photographer
- Max Brimmell as Staines
- Colin Douglas as Martin
- Wilfred Fletcher as Woolgar
- Trevor Reid as Detective Sergeant Filson
- Gaylord Cavallaro as Humphrey Holder
- Anita Bolster as Miss Anderson
- Stuart Nichol as publican (uncredited)
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Comedy thriller of a modest and unsophisticated type, with a pleasant performance from Paul Carpenter and amusing Arsenic and Old Lace style playing by Christine Silver and Nora Nicholson as the Misses Crumb."{{Cite journal
|date= 1 January 1955
|title= The Hornet's Nest
|url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/1305813600
|journal= The Monthly Film Bulletin
|volume= 22
|issue= 252
|pages= 107
|id= {{ProQuest|1305813600}}
|via= ProQuest
}}
Kine Weekly wrote: "The picture, typically English in design and execution, seldom hurries, but, nevertheless, mixes popular romance, artless humour and wholesome rough stuff effectively and culminates on a showmanlike note."{{Cite journal
|date= 19 May 1955
|title= The Hornet's Nest
|url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/2732603369
|journal= Kine Weekly
|volume= 45
|issue= 2499
|pages= 18
|id= {{ProQuest|2732603369}}
|via= ProQuest
}}
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Weak comedy-thriller on Arsenic and Old Lace lines."{{Cite book
|last= Quinlan
|first= David
|title= British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959
|publisher= B.T. Batsford Ltd.
|year= 1984
|isbn= 0-7134-1874-5
|location= London
|pages= 323
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|tt0126950}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20170312075438/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ac99ffc The Hornet's Nest] at the British Film Institute{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
{{Films by Charles Saunders|state=collapsed}}
{{Portalbar|1950s|Film|London}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornet's Nest, The}}
Category:1950s crime comedy films
Category:British black-and-white films
Category:British detective films
Category:British thriller films
Category:Films directed by Charles Saunders
Category:Films shot at Riverside Studios
Category:1950s English-language films