Bond of Fear
Bond of Fear is a 1956 British 'B' crime drama film directed by Henry Cass and starring Dermot Walsh, Jane Barrett, and John Colicos. The screenplay was by John Gilling and Norman Hudis.
Premise
John Sewell and his family are taken hostage by desperate fugitive Dewar who is a stowaway in their caravan.Cast
- Dermot Walsh as John Sewell
- Jane Barrett as Mary Sewell
- John Colicos as Dewar
- Marilyn Baker as Ann Sewell
- Anthony Pavey as Michael Sewell
- Alan MacNaughtan as Detective Sergeant Daley
- Jameson Clark as Scotty
- John Horsley as motorcycle policeman
- Marianne Stone as Mrs. Simon
- Arnold Bell as Police Sergeant at road block
- Avril Angers as girl hiker
- Bill [Shine (actor)|Bill Shine] as man hiker
- Peter Swanwick as travelling salesman
- Hal Osmond as hospital orderly
- Trevor Reid as Dover Police Inspector
- Alan Robinson as Dover immigration official
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A modest, competently made thriller which extracts a fair amount of suspense from its central situation and adds some conventional touches of policeman comedy. The playing is sound, with John Colicos making an effective villain."Kine Weekly wrote: "The film takes a picturesque route and the pleasant backgrounds artfully embroider its thrills, Dermot Walsh does a sound job as the menaced John, Jane Barrett acts with composure as Mary, John Colicos makes a hearty villain as Dewar, and Anthony Pavey and Marilyn Baker are natural as Michael Sr Ann, The police detail is illuminating and gives a realistic touch to salient situations and the tense climax. Suspenseful, yet completely innocuous, it should have been given the benefit of the U certificate."
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Repetitive drama just about passes the time."
Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film called the film a "moderately inventive thriller."