| Nobody Runs Forever | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Written by | Wilfred Greatorex Rod Taylor (uncredited) |
| Based on | The High Commissioner byJon Cleary |
| Produced by | Betty E. Box |
| Starring | Rod Taylor Christopher Plummer Lilli Palmer Daliah Lavi Camilla Sparv Burt Kwouk |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Ernest Hosler |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
Production companies | The Rank Organisation Katzka-Berne Productions |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,055,000[1] |
| Box office | $605,000[1] |
Nobody Runs Forever, also calledThe High Commissioner, is a 1968 Britishpoliticalneo noirspy thrilleraction film directed byRalph Thomas and based onJon Cleary's 1966 novelThe High Commissioner.[2] It starsRod Taylor as Australian policemanScobie Malone andChristopher Plummer as the AustralianHigh Commissioner in Britain caught up in corrupt dealings, during delicate negotiations.[citation needed] Taylor's production company was involved in making the film,[3] as was the American company Selmur Productions.
SergeantScobie Malone of theNew South Wales Police (NSW Police) is summoned toSydney by the gruffPremier of New South Wales, Mr Flannery, who asks Malone to travel toLondon and arrest the senior Australian diplomat in Britain, Sir James Quentin,High Commissioner to the UK. Sir James, a political rival of the Premier, has become the only suspect in a 17-year-old murder case.
Upon his arrival at theAustralian High Commission in London, Malone meets Lady Quentin and her husband, as well as Sir James's secretary. Sir James does not object to being arrested, but he asks for a few days to conclude delicate peace negotiations. As Malone waits as a guest of the High Commission, he uncovers a plot to assassinate Sir James, masterminded by the head of a dangerous spy ring, Maria Cholon.
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In August 1966 Cleary saidFrank Sinatra was interested in buying the film rights.[4]
Film rights were sold in December 1966.[5]
Filmed in Australia and London, this was the last big-screen appearance ofFranchot Tone, who plays the American ambassador.
Rod Taylor has a rare opportunity to play an Australian, even though it was his native land. Taylor's unsophisticated integrity is contrasted with the London diplomatic scene throughout the film.
Taylor accepted the role on the proviso he could rewrite some of the script. In particular, the opening scene where Scobie Malone arrests Jacko (Charles Tingwell) is Rod's work.[6][7]
Ralph Thomas later said "I was a hired hand" on the film; "It was ok".[8]
There were several key changes from the novel, including:introducing Scobie Malone as an outback policeman,reducing the emphasis on the peace conference being for theVietnam War and making it something more vague,[9]Scobie having sex with Maria Cholon.[6]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Despite a basically promising situation, a distinguished cast and plenty of gloss, this thriller is a catastrophic failure on any level. The actors are scarcely able to conceal their embarrassment with the impossible dialogue they are given, Daliah Lavi and Camilla Sparv are wasted, and even Clive Revill is hard put to raise a couple of laughs from his snobbish reactions to an Australian from the outback. The script rambles along without rhyme or reason, and the most obvious opportunities for suspense (like the attempted assassination on the Centre Court at Wimbledon) are badly mishandled. The film has something of the flavour of a middle-periodHitchcock, but not a trace of the Master's talent."[10]
Filmink called it "a poor adaptation of a fine book, the tail end of Rank’s mid-‘60s Eurospy cycle."[11]
The film earned rentals of $455,000 in North America and $150,000 elsewhere. It recorded a loss of $1,185,000.[1]
It recorded admissions in France of 44,083.[12]