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Scenic locales and muscular action is promised on this poster for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Night Ambush
British soldiers kidnap a German general on the Greek island Crete during World War II and transport him with the help of locals across the rugged isle towards a ship due South, pursued by Germans!
Night Ambush is written, produced and directed by master partner filmmakers, English Michael Powell (Rynox (1931)) and Hungarian-born English Emeric Pressburger (One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1941)). It is based on the 1950 non-fiction book Ill Met by Moonlight by W. Stanley Moss (A War of Shadows (1952)), which details his own experiences in the harrowing kidnap mission. Night Ambush is the US title while the original title is Ill Met by Moonlight, which is a quote from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595/96).
Some of Crete's beauty is poorly represented due to the film being in black and white, (but, to be fair, it was also not shot on Crete), but the cinematography (by Christopher Challis (The Nightingale (1981))) is otherwise solid. The film builds a basic and boyish suspense, in which the interesting parts are as much the meetings of the different cultures in Crete as anything else.
Night Ambush is well-made without rising to excellence for any of the involved. The relation between the English and the general, which can be best described as respectful and chummy, after a while becomes a bit hard to take, and on an end-note this points to the odd-titled film's lack of some nerve.
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 212k £
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain but reportedly a hit
[Night Ambush premiered 31 January (London) and runs 104 minutes/US version only 93 minutes. Pressburger had bought the book rights in 1950. Shooting took place in France, Italy and France. The production was marred by disagreements and became the last made by Powell/Pressburger's The Archers company. Powell remained dissatisfied with it for decades after. It was reportedly the 7th highest-grossing at the UK box office in 1957 but the numbers and foreign numbers are regrettably not available to verify its success. Following the rift between Powell and Pressburger during the film, Pressburger turned to writing and producing, never directing again. Powell returned with Honeymoon (1959). Dirk Bogarde (Justine (1969)) returned with an uncredited cameo in Time Without Pity (1957) and in a credited role in Doctor at Large (1957). 2.1k+ IMDb users have given Night Ambush a 6.5/10 average rating.]
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