The Great Van Robbery

The Great Van Robbery
The Great Van Robbery
Directed by	Max Varnel
Written by	Brian Clemens; Eldon Howard
Produced by	Edward J. Danziger; Harry Lee Danziger;
Starring	Denis Shaw; Kay Callard;
Cinematography	James Wilson (as Jimmy Wilson)
Edited by	Maurice Rootes
Music by	Albert Elms (uncredited)
Production; company	Danziger Productions
Distributed by	United Artists (US)
Release dates	January 1959 (UK); 1963 (US);
Running time	71 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Great Van Robbery is a 1959 black-and-white British crime film starring Denis Shaw and Kay Callard, directed by Max Varnel.^[1] It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.

Plot

Scotland Yard teams up with Interpol to discover the origins of stolen money in a private bank account in Rio de Janeiro. Assigning their best detective Caesar Smith to the case, the money is soon traced to a robbery from a Royal Mint van. Investigations lead to a coffee storehouse where a worker is found murdered and the remaining loot discovered.

Cast

Denis Shaw as Caesar Smith
Kay Callard as Ella
Tony Quinn as Mercer
Philip Saville as Cartier
Vera Fusek as Mara
Tony Doonan as Wally
Bob Simmons as Peters
Geoffrey Hibbert as Venner
Gordon Sterne as Robledo
Carl Duering as Delgano
Guido Lorraine as Leprave
June Rodney as Julie
Hal Osmond as Freddie
Brian Weske as Francey
Carl Conway as Bart
Michael Bell as Garfield
Jacques Cey as Workman
Julian Orchard as Brady
Robert Raglan as Surgeon
Peter Allenby as Bank Manager
Paul Stassino as Toni

Production

The film's camera operator was future director Nicolas Roeg (credited as Nick Roeg).^[2]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Though basically routine in plot and substance, this lively crime thriller has the particular advantage of a freshly observed hero in Caesar Smith, convincingly played by Denis Shaw as a heavily built but agile Scotland Yard man with a dexterous line in judo."^[3]

Boxoffice said: "Denis Shaw is the hero, ever resolute and resourceful – and upon his fast-stepping form the film's dramatic intensity rests. The audience for which it's designed will be happy."^[4]

In British Sound Films David Quinlan says: "Routine crooks' tour with an unusual hero."^[5]

Franz Antony Clinton writes in British Thrillers, 1950–1979: "In one of the better Danzinger brothers B movies, The Great Van Robbery features a bright script and efficient direction that keeps things moving at a brisk pace."^[6]

In The British 'B' Film Chibnall & McFarlane write: "Nicolas Roeg's camerwork brought some distinction to The Great Van Robbery."^[7]

References

^ "The Great Van Robbery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
^ Roeg, Nicolas (2013). The World is Ever Changing. London: Faber and Faber. p. 239. ISBN 9780571264933.
^ "On the Fiddle". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 26 (300): 33. 1 January 1959 – via ProQuest.
^ "The Great Van Robbery". Boxoffice. 82 (18): a11–a12. 25 February 1963.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 317. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
^ Clinton, Franz Antony. British Thrillers, 1950–1979: 845 Films of Suspense, Mystery, Murder and Espionage. McFarland. p. 160. ISBN 978-0786410323.
^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.