CAMPBELL’S KINGDOM
1957, UK
Aka… Campbell's Kingdom (UK)
Ex: Campbell's Kingdom (Can), La Vallée de L'Or Noir /
‘The Valley of the Black Gold’ (Can- Fr) Ødemarkens hemmelighed (Den),
Kalliovuorten aarre / ‘The Treasure of the Rocky Mountains’ (Fin), Veijarin
testamentti / ‘The Will of the Scoundrel’ (Fin vhs), La Vallée de L'Or Noir /
‘The Valley of the Black Gold’ (Fr) Gefährliches Erbe / ‘Dangerous Inheritance’
(Ger), Dammbruch /’ Dam Breach’ (Ger vhs),Hart auf hart / Hard on Hard’ (Au),
Στην κόλαση της ανταρσίας / ‘Rebellion in Hell’ (Gre), La Dinastia del petrolio
/ ‘The Oil Dynasty’ (It), キャンベル渓谷の激闘 (Jpn), La montaña del Desastre / ‘The Mountain
of Disaster’ (Mex), Królestwo Campbella / ‘Campbell's Kingdom’ (Pol), Meu
reino, minha vida / ‘My kingdom, My Life’ (Port), Regatul lui Campbell / ‘The
Kingdom of Campbell’ (Rom), Королевство Кэмпбелла / ‘Campbell's Kingdom’ (Rus),
La dinastía del petróleo / ‘The Oil Dynasty’ (Sp), Främling i Klippiga Bergen /
‘Stranger in the Rocky Mountains’ (Swd), Tuffa tag i Klippiga Bergen / ‘Tough
Times in the Rocky Mountains’ (Swd vhs), Krallar Vadisi / ‘Valley of the King’
/ ‘King’s Valley’ (Tur) & Campbell's Kingdom (US)
T: 102m
Pc: Betty E. Box Production & Rank Organisation Film
Productions [Joseph Arthur Rank & John Henry Harris Davis] (Lon)
Dist: J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors Limited [Joseph
Arthur Rank & John Henry Harris Davis] (09/03/57, UK)
Ex: Rank (10/25/57, Bel), Rank (01/06/58, S. Afr),
J. Arthur Rank Films (Can), J. Arthur Rank Films (Ger),
KF-Kommunenes Filmcentral (Nor), Rank Film Distributors of Sweden (Swd), Rank
(01/31/58, Fin), Rank (03/26/58, Jpn), (05/06/58, Ger), ), Rank (09/16/58, Fr),
Rank (03/16/59, Sp), Rank Film Distributors of America (01/09/60, US), Rank
(02/23/61, Mex), Rank (08/07/67, Tur), Sonet Video (1983, Swd), vhs), Thorn EMI
Video Australia (1984, Aus, Vhs), Georgiadis Ilekroniki (1985, Grc, vhs),
VMP-Video Medien Pool (1980’s Ger), Rank Film Distributors of America (US),
AmCo (2005, Ger, dvd), VCI Entertainment (2011, US, dvd and Blu-ray),
Intergroove Media (2014, Germany, dvd and Blu-ray), Network Distributing (2015,
UK, dvd and Blu-ray), Premium Cine (2021, Sp, dvd and Blu-ray)
D: Ralph Thomas; P: Betty E. Box & J. Arthur Rank
[Joseph Arthur Rank]; Sc: Robin Estridge; Nv: Hammond Innes (Campbell's
Kingdom, 1952), Ph: Ernest Steward; Ed: Frederick Wilson; M: Edward John
Clifton Parker; Con: Muir Mathieson
C: Dirk Bogarde [Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den
Bogaerde] (Bruce Campbell), Stanley Baker (Owen Morgan), Michael Craig [Michael
Francis Gregson] (Boy Bladen), Barbara Murray (Jean Lucas), James Robertson
Justice (James ‘Scot’ MacDonald), Athene Seyler (Miss Abigail) & Mary
Merrall [Elsie Lloyd] (Miss Ruth), Robert Brown (Ben Creasy), John Laurie
(Mac), Sidney James (Tim, trucker), Stanley Maxted (Henry Fergus), Finlay
Currie (Old Man), George Murcell (Max), Roland Brand (Driver), Peter Illing
(The Doctor), Stanley Maxted (Henry Fergus), Gordon Tanner (Cliff), Richard
McNamara (The Stranger), Maurice Kaufmann (Patron at Golden Calf), Mark Baker,
Michael Collins, Bob Head, Charles Rayford, Arnold Schulkes, Jack Sharp
(Workers), Nicholas Stuart (Worker playing cards) & Miles Malleson
Syn: 1940’s. Alberta, Canada. Englishman Bruce Campbell
is left his grandfather's Canadian land, that may contain oil, but he faces various
challenges such as disgruntled locals, a ruthless contractor, a new power dam,
and his own bad health.
Comm: [Filmed
from May-June 1957, at (Lago di Pontesei and Cortina d'Ampezzo at Fiames) &
The Dolomites Mountains in northeastern Italy (Alberta, Canada) & Pinewood
Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK (Interiors)]
Hammond
Innes's novel CAMPBELL’S KINGDOM, which had a Northwestern adventure storyline,
was published in 1952 and had come about from his research into the Canadian
oil boom of the late 1940s. It became a bestseller. The story was serialised as
“Nothing to Lose”. Producer director team Betty Box & Ralph Thomas quickly
purchased the rights and in August 1952, they ventured to the Canadian Rockies,
with Ranks intended to film it there. In the end they shot the film in the
Dolomites in Italy. Interestingly Innes’ earlier novel “The Lonely Skier”
(1947), had been set in the Dolomites. It had been filmed by CAMPBELL’S
KINGDOM’s producer Betty Box’s brother Sydney, as “Snowbound” (1948, UK) for
Gainsborough Pictures. They got British crime novelist Eric Ambler to work on
an early draft which went unused. During filming three of the principals,
Michael Craig, Stanley Baker & Sid James, all brought along their wives and all three
were pregnant.
Matinee idol
Dirk Bogarde had just had a string of hits with both “Doctor in the House”
(1954, UK) and “Doctor at Sea” (1955, UK), and Rank delayed the start of
CAMPBELL’S KINGDOM, so he could do a third film in the series, “Doctor at
Large” (1957, UK). This would take advantage of a newfound audience. He was
once again paired with the gruff James Robertson Justice, his co-star from the
‘Doctor’ movies to good effect. Justice & Michael Craig, then took over
from Bogarde on the fourth “Doctor in Love” (1960, UK). Bogarde returned in the
inevitable “Doctor in Distress" (1963, UK) which re teamed him with
actress Barbara Murray. Dirk Bogarde was next in the shot in Spain THE SINGER
NOT THE SONG.
Born in India
to British parents, Michael Craig ‘s family moved from England to Canada when
he was eleven years old where he picked up his distinctive ‘American’ accent.
Following CAMPBELL’S KINGDOM Craig & Robertson Justice reunited on “Doctor
in Love” (1960, UK) for Rank.
Stanley Baker
later played the villain in Duccio Tessari’s ZORRO (1975).
Michael Craig soon after starred in THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
that was shot in both the UK and Spain.
Sidney James
later starred in CARRY ON COWBOY (1965), while Robert Brown played “M” in the
1980’s James Bond films (1983-1989).
The American
magazine Variety called it "virtually a British western. It is a
straightforward, virile, action-packed yarn with ample excitement and mounting
drama”
By Michael Ferguson
