Hell is a city was produced by michael carreras, the son of original hammer cofounder james carreras, and made by hammer and associated british, one of the biggest players in. The titular city which is hell turns out to be manchester so, nothing has changed in 60 years then, hohoho with its mean streets being patrolled by det. There are no tv airings of hell is a city in the next 14 days. Written and directed by val guest, it was made by british studio hammer film productions and filmed in manchester.
Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. Hell is a city is released on dvd today by studiocanal. In the end, this film proves yet again that hammer could work outside of horror with positive results, so if youre a film noir fan, check out hell is a city. It was partly inspired by the british new wave films. Set in a seedier manchester than one may expect, 1960s hell is a city is a gritty tale of cops and robbers. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing hell is a city near you. Hell is a city 1960 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The two make their way to the fictional lacy arms for a drink. The evil that lurks in the underworld of johannesburg. A persuasively sweaty crime thriller set in manchester, written and directed by the once reliable guest from a novel by maurice proctor, this atypical hammer. Hell is a city serves as an important reminder that british noir could still catch fire when it tried to show the country, and its people, the way they actually were. The film trawls across manchester, through pubs and onto grasslands for.
Hell is a city, and that city is apparently manchester, is a brilliant, tough police thriller. Hell is a city is an amazing, chilling noir thriller essentially a manhunt between a cop and his nemesis in dark, cloudy manchester. The film hell is a city has grown in stature over the years and has now been given the accolade of being a film noir in the tradition of films like the maltese falcon and double indemnity. Hell is a city original theatrical trailer 1959 youtube. The hell city tattoo festival is a celebration of body art and the education of tattooing as well as other forms of body modification.
Hell is a city 2009 a british police inspector stanley baker waits in manchester for an escaped killer john crawford to return for his loot. On maps today south street is called southmill st wvu 42 is an actual police car ford zephyr mark 2 series 2 owned and operated by manchester city police. Hell is a city is a film directed by val guest with stanley baker, billie whitelaw, donald pleasence, john crawford, year. In comparison with the films that comprise the kitchen sink canon, hell is a city is unaccountably overlooked. The opening credit scene, taken from the viewpoint of a police car rushing in the night through the streets of manchester, immediately grips the audience with its pace and its persistent, rhythmic and jazzy music score. It stars stanley baker, john crawford, billie whitelaw, maxine audley, donald pleasence, vanda godsell, joseph tomelty and george a. I always enjoy brit noirs because they take our formula and recast them in british, with necessary differences becoming apparent pretty quickly. To learn more about this and the film noir genre read the rough guide to film. Out of hammer films, hell is a city is directed by val guest, who also adapts the screenplay from maurice proctors novel of the same name.
Check if it is available to stream online via where to watch. Hell is a city was the first in a series of detective novels featuring inspector martineau written by former policemen maurice proctor. Committed but seenitall police inspector martineau rightly guesses that after a violent jailbreak a local criminal will head home to manchester to pick up the spoils from his last job. It was nominated for two british academy awards, for best screenplay val guest and best actor stanley baker. In 1960 val guest directed his own adaptation of maurice proctors crime novel hell is a city, a fastpaced and gritty noir set on the streets of 1950s manchester. Hell is a city 1h 33min crime, thriller november 1960 usa in britain, a manchester police inspector becomes obsessed with capturing a criminal who escapes from prison.
Britains hammer film studio didnt just make gothic horrors and dodgy sitcom spinoffs. This is a world class convention, smooth running and packed with hundreds of brilliant artists from the world over. I was very impressed with the cast of hell is a city and across the board, the performances were more than solid. It is good thing that there was no sequel film to this, as it would have been a shame to dilute the strength of this single, singular adaptation by turning it into an increasingly bland series. Hell is a city is the first of maurice procters inspector martineau series and was made into taut, fastpaced film in 1959 by hammer studios, set against the grimy back streets and. The building is still a police station, no longer hq though. Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. After i took this shot and was checking notes, a voice behind me said hell is a city.
Joie chitwood and his death defying hell drivers 1940s rare 8mm film footage from the audience duration. The car is shown entering the yard through bootle street entrance. Official home of the hell city tattoo festival tattoo. Baker plays a police inspector, who tracks an american criminal john crawford who has escaped from jail across manchester. Hell is a city on dvd 01168099 from starz anchor bay. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Starring the great stanley baker at his most flinty. The cast is first rate, the direction too, with some really nice shots. In this 1960 britnoir, the city is manchester, england. Hes a career copper, whose devotion to his job is putting martineaus marriage under increasing strain. It is set in manchester, with a great working class atmosphere, a glossy black and white widescreen, a rousing jazzy score.
Hell is a city is a 1960 british crime thriller film based on the novel by maurice procter. Hell is a city is one of the great british cult classics a 1960 cop thriller, it starred stanley baker and billie whitelaw, and was directed by val quatermass guest. Val guests taut screenplay from a novel by maurice proctor, allied to his own deft direction, has resulted in a notable film in which the characters are all vividly alive, the action constantly gripping and the background of a provincial city put over with authenticity. Hell is a city is an absorbing film of a conventional cops and robbers yarn. In case you thought it was a golf course or a theme park. One of the site pages is a tribute to the film hell is a city, part of which was filmed in levenshulme. Hell is a city the film released 1959 i have a website dedicated to the area that i grew up in, namely levenshulme, manchester, uk. It was the gent approaching to the right of the two in the picture who knew the reason why anyone would be taking a photo of a wall.
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