The Bandit of Zhobe is a 1959BritishCinemaScopeadventure film directed byJohn Gilling and starringVictor Mature,Anne Aubrey andAnthony Newley.[2] It was written by Gilling andRichard Maibaum. InBritish India a bandit goes on a rampage in the mistaken belief that the British have killed his family, which later proves to not be the case. It was produced byAlbert Broccoli forWarwick Films and features extensive use of footage from Gilling's previousZarak (1956).
| The Bandit of Zhobe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British lobby card | |
| Directed by | John Gilling |
| Screenplay by | John Gilling Richard Maibaum |
| Produced by | Irving Allen Albert R. Broccoli |
| Starring | Victor Mature Anne Aubrey Anthony Newley |
| Cinematography | Ted Moore |
| Edited by | Bert Rule |
| Music by | Kenneth V. Jones |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editA bandit with a price on his head is blind for revenge. He thinks that the British have massacred his people, his family, his wife and child. But he is wrong. Only the little romantic daughter of his enemy, overflowing with pity for him, can open his eyes to the truth.
Cast
edit- Victor Mature as Kasim Khan
- Anne Aubrey as Zena Crowley
- Anthony Newley as Corporal Stokes
- Norman Wooland as Major Crowley
- Dermot Walsh as Captain Saunders
- Walter Gotell as Azhad
- Paul Stassino as Hatti
- Larry Taylor as Ahmed
- Murray Kash as Zecco
- Sean Kelly as Lieutenant Wylie
- Denis Shaw as Hussu
- Maya Koumani as Tamara
Production
editThe film was known asThe Bandit. Filming started 11 August 1958.[3]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Not for a moment to be taken seriously, thisRobin Hood epic of the Indian North-West frontier has nevertheless been filmed, set and cast on a more lavish scale than the usual second feature. Most of the film depicts fighting, pillage, burning, capture, rescue, escape, and the action (much of it highly improbable) never flags. Anthony Newley as Stokes, Zena's soldier escort, provides welcome comic relief, going so far in places as to ridicule the main event and give the heartening impression that the direction is laughing at its own preposterous story. The tougher children should enjoy it."[4]
Variety said "it cannot be taken seriously."[5]
TV Guide wrote, "it's all chase and melodrama with little care for characterizations."[6]
The Radio Times called it a "very sillyNorthwest Frontier romp, withVictor Mature in dark make-up as Kasim Khan ... romantic interest from forgotten starletAnne Aubrey and some wince-inducing comic mugging fromAnthony Newley. Quite a lot of money was thrown at it, but this remains a B-movie at heart."[7]
Sky Movies called the film "a fiery 19th century adventure yarn that makes little sense but bulges with action that keeps coming at you."[8]
References
edit- ^"'Bandit' Will Screen".Los Angeles Times. 22 April 1959. p. A10.
- ^"The Bandit of Zhobe".British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved1 February 2024.
- ^"Hollywood Production Pulse".Variety. 6 August 1958. p. 20.
- ^"The Bandit of Zhobe".The Monthly Film Bulletin.26 (300): 58. 1 January 1959 – via ProQuest.
- ^"The Battle of Zhobe".Variety. 11 March 1959.
- ^"The Bandit Of Zhobe Review".TV Guide. Archived fromthe original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved23 April 2014.
- ^"The Bandit of Zhobe | Film review and movie reviews".Radio Times. 4 February 2014. Retrieved23 April 2014.
- ^"The Bandit Of Zhobe".Sky Movies HD. 3 May 2003. Retrieved23 April 2014.