Mark of the Phoenix

1958 British film by Maclean Rogers

November 1958 (1958-11) (UK)

Running time

78 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Mark of the Phoenix is a 1958 British 'B' drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Julia Arnall, Sheldon Lawrence and Anton Diffring.^[2] An American jewel thief comes into possession of a newly developed metal.

Plot

A newly developed and valuable metal is stolen and formed into a cigarette case for transportation to East Germany, but an American jewel thief comes into possession of it and finds himself a target.

Cast

Julia Arnall – Petra
Sheldon Lawrence – Chuck Martin
Anton Diffring – Inspector Schell
Eric Pohlmann – Duser
George Margo – Emilson
Michael Peake – Koos
Martin Miller – Brunet
Roger Delgado – Devron
Bernard Rebel – Vachek
Frederick Schrecker – Van de Velde
Pierre Chaminade – hotel receptionist
Corinne Grey – bride
Jennifer Jayne – Airline Ticket Clerk
Edouard Assaly – cafe waiter
Victor Beaumont – travel clerk
Norma Parnell – 2nd airline ticket clerk
Howard Greene – young detective
Tom Clegg – strong man
Patrick Troughton – police officer (uncredited)

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This spy story has all the usual trimmings – tough, handsome American jewel thief, portly art-collector gang leader, shot scientist, secret formula and brutal foreign agents – but almost makes up for their familiarity by lively pacing. This turns out to be the film’s sole virtue, however, since direction, dialogue and performances are on a distressingly amateurish level.”^[3]

In British Sound Films David Quinlan wrote: ''Feverishly complicated thriller, not too well acted.''^[4]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "This dismal low-budget thriller has a corkscrew plot involving rare metals, jewel thieves, international blackmail, the Cold War and much else. [...] The mediocre cast is typical of British B-movies of the period, with the sole exception of Anton Diffring."^[5]

References

^ "Desmond Cory Book Gallery - 1950s".
^ "Mark of the Phoenix". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
^ "Mark of the Phoenix". Monthly Film Bulletin. 26 (300): 138. 1 January 1959.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 345. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 593. ISBN 9780992936440.