Solo for Sparrow is a 1962 British second feature ('B')[2] crime film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Glyn Houston, Anthony Newlands and Nadja Regin, with Michael Caine in an early supporting role.[3][4] It was written by Roger Marshall based on the 1928 Edgar Wallace novel The Gunner, and produced by Jack Greenwood and Abhinandan Nikhanj as part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series.[5]
| Solo for Sparrow | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Gordon Flemyng |
| Written by | Roger Marshall |
| Based on | novel The Gunner by Edgar Wallace[1] |
| Produced by | Jack Greenwood Abhinandan Nikhanj |
| Starring | Anthony Newlands |
| Cinematography | Bert Mason |
| Edited by | Robert Jordan Hill |
| Music by | Bernard Ebbinghouse |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (U.K.) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 56 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film was released in America in 1966, when the producers capitalised on Caine's new-found fame and released it with his name above the title.[6]
Plot
editInspector Sparrow is a provincial detective. When crooks accidentally kill a shop cashier while stealing the keys to the jewellery shop where she works, Sparrow takes his annual leave and works on the case unofficially. He successfully tracks down the criminals and turns them over to Scotland Yard.
Cast
edit- Glyn Houston as Inspector Sparrow
- Anthony Newlands as Reynolds
- Nadja Regin as Mrs. Reynolds
- Michael Coles as 'Pin' Norman
- Allan Cuthbertson as Chief Superintendent Symington
- Ken Wayne as Baker
- Jerry Stovin as Lewis
- Jack May as Inspector Hudson
- Murray Melvin as Larkin
- Peter Thomas as Bell
- Michael Caine as Mooney
- Neil McCarthy as Dusty
- Susan Maryott as Sue Warren
- William Gaunt as Detective Sergeant Reeve
- Nancy O'Neil as Miss Martin
- Yvonne Buckingham as Jenny
- Bartlett Mullins as Mr. Walters
- Wanda Ventham as waitress
- Eric Dodson as Dr. Wolfson
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Fairly routine case of crime and punishment in the Edgar Wallace series, with the sudden flashes of imagination that often redeem these purely commercial operations. Some of the minor crooks are quite skilfully drawn, and a starkly staged interview between Sparrow and a billiard-playing informer is conceived with a real flair for the sinister effect. The thrills are predictable, and the climactic rescue couldn't have been better timed if John Wayne were leading the U.S. Cavalry. But Glyn Houston gives a sturdy performance as Sparrow, and the whole thing is diverting enough."[7]
References
edit- ^ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Solo for Sparrow". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "Solo for Sparrow (1965) - Gordon Flemyng - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie".
- ^ "Solo for Sparrow (1962)". Archived from the original on January 7, 2017.
- ^ "Solo for Sparrow - Film from RadioTimes".
- ^ "Solo for Sparrow". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 29 (336): 157. 1 January 1962 – via ProQuest.
External links
edit
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