Checkpoint (1956 film)

Checkpoint is a 1956 British film noir crime drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Anthony Steel, Odile Versois, Stanley Baker, and James Robertson Justice.[1]

Checkpoint
Directed byRalph Thomas
Produced byBetty E. Box
Screenplay byRobin Estridge
StarringAnthony Steel
Odile Versois
Stanley Baker
James Robertson Justice
Music byBruce Montgomery
CinematographyErnest Steward
Edited byFrederick Wilson
Production
company
Rank Organisation
Distributed byRank
Release date
  • 25 December 1956 (1956-12-25) (London, UK)
Running time
80 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

O'Donovan breaks into a safe in a factory in Florence, Italy, late at night. That triggers a burglar alarm, and he is forced to shoot the night watchman and at least one policeman; his gunfire also starts a fire that consumes the factory. He goes to Francesca and demands she put him in contact with Petersen, her boss. Petersen hides O'Donovan at his villa.

In England, Warren Ingram tells Michael of his connection to the fiasco. Ingram, an industrial magnate, hired O'Donovan to lure away the designer for the Volta D'Italia car racing team, in hopes of making his team world champions. When O'Donovan failed, he turned to industrial espionage, against Ingram's explicit orders not to do anything illegal, violent or risky. Now the factory has been destroyed and five lives lost. Michael suggests having Petersen, Ingram's agent in Italy, arrange for O'Donovan to "disappear altogether", but Ingram states he is "a businessman, not a gangster". Ingram decides to smuggle O'Donovan out of the country. Michael recommends recruiting driver Bill Fraser because he does not have "a nerve in his body" and needs money for a race car he has designed and is building.

The team board a flight to Italy, followed by Ingram and Michael. There, Fraser mends his strained romantic relationship with Francesca (he was away for a year). Hiding at Petersen's villa, O'Donovan is displeased to hear that Ingram has arranged for him to go to Bombay via Switzerland. O'Donovan tells Petersen to inform Ingram that he will sell the plans for the "fuel intake" Ingram wanted. At his team's garage, Ingram tells team manager Thornhill to reinstate suspended young driver Johnny Carpenter and team him with his friend Fraser for the important upcoming race from Florence to Locarno. Ingram then sends Thornhill to the refueling stop at Milan. Ingram then meets face-to-face with O'Donovan and reluctantly buys the plans.

Between them, Petersen and his girlfriend Gabriela manage to drug Johnny's drinks. The next day, Ingram calls Bill to Johnny's room. Johnny is unconscious next to a whiskey bottle. Bill knows that no last-minute driver changes are allowed, and if the officials are alerted to Johnny's seeming intoxication, it will cost him his license, as well as the race for the team. Ingram offers Bill a way to save his friend and the team, and also dangles financial backing for his race car in exchange for taking the risk of substituting another co-driver for Johnny. Bill agrees.

On the day of the race, Francesca goes to Johnny's room to fetch him, but runs into O'Donovan and Petersen. Petersen holds Francesca captive while O'Donovan masquerades as Johnny. Ingram tells Francesca that if she notifies the authorities, Bill will go to prison. She is then released, though Ingram orders Petersen to follow her. She books a flight to Milan and breaks away from Petersen and gets aboard.

At the Milan stop, Francesca warns Bill, but O'Donovan points his pistol at him, so Bill resumes the race. Francesca seeks Thornhill's help; he drives her on a shortcut across the mountains to intercept Bill and O'Donovan without involving the police. Bill pulls over, complaining of a loose wheel or flat, and tries to overpower O'Donovan, but fails. O'Donovan orders Bill to not stop at the last checkpoint, even they need to refuel to reach the finish line. Fearing for his life, Bill ignores O'Donovan's order to slow down, since O'Donovan cannot safely shoot him without endangering himself. Bill then takes the wrong turn, heading back from Switzerland into Italy. Once O'Donovan realises what Bill is doing, he tries to grab the wheel. The car goes off the road and teeters on the edge of a cliff. The two men get out and fight, as Ingram, Francesca and the others converge on the scene. O'Donovan is knocked into the car, which then plunges over the cliff and into the lake. Ingram, struck by falling debris, makes a full confession to a frontier guard, taking full responsibility.

Cast

Production

Jeanne Crain was mentioned as a possibility for the female lead.[2]

The film was shot at Pinewood Studios in London with location work in Italy, including footage of the Mille Miglia, and scenes at Lake Como.[3] It was based on an original screenplay by Robert Estridge.[1]

The movie features the Lotus Mark X Aston Martin.[4] John Wyer and Roy Salvadori worked on the film as advisers. "Steel handled the car with surprising ease—and it isn't an easy thing to drive", said Wyer.[5]

Anthony Steel married Anita Ekberg during the making of the film.[6]

Reception

Variety called it "exciting entertainment".[7]

Betty Box later wrote that the film "was for some reason or other an enormous success in Japan, and as the Japanese were crazy about the pale blue drivers' overalls, the fan letters we got from them weren't, as is usual, asking for autographs or photographs. They wanted to know where they could buy the overalls."[8]

gollark: Extensive testing has determined that it *probably* won't.
gollark: Although it may disconnect you after exactly 65 seconds. I haven't observed it doing this, it just might.
gollark: It's back up and in only approximately 60 nanomillenia!
gollark: Sure, seems good.
gollark: No, nanomillenia.

References
  1. "Checkpoint (1956)".
  2. Schallert, Edwin (13 January 1956). "Drama: Monroe Deal Sealed for 'Sleeping Prince'; Jagger Stars in London". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  3. STEPHEN WATTS, LONDON. (17 June 1956). "NOTED ON THE BRITISH MOVIE SCENE: Footnotes on 'Monty's Double'--Selznick's Hurdle--Addenda Royalty Outspoken Potpourri". New York Times. p. 103.
  4. "Checkpoint". Turner Classic Movies.
  5. "Wonderland Pictures". Western Herald. Bourke, NSW. 4 July 1958. p. 5. Retrieved 15 December 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Box p 143
  7. Review of film at Variety
  8. Betty Box, Lifting the Lid, 2001 p 145
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