When Eight Bells Toll (DVD)

One of a number of films adapted from MacLean's books, but is not up to the same standard of films as the Guns of Navarone or Where Eagles Dare, I would rate it alongside Puppet on a Chain or Caravan to Vaccares.
This is an enjoyable film that has dated reasonably well, and despite what would appear to be a modest budget, does bring together some of the best British actors. Anthony Hopkins does well in his role as the non-Bondesque British ...
...Jack Hawkins (Sir Anthony Skouras) and Robert Morley (Uncle Arthur) in their roles.
MacLean in writing the screenplay keeps close to the original storyline, with Calvert on the hunt for gold bullion robbers in the Irish Sea. Within this setting there is some decent cinematopgraphy of the Scottish coastline but lack of budget does make such things as the helicopter crash look somewhat false in the current days of CGI
For the most part ... more

One of a number of films adapted from MacLean's books, but is not up to the same standard of films as the Guns of Navarone or Where Eagles Dare, I would rate it alongside Puppet on a Chain or Caravan to Vaccares.
This is an enjoyable film that has dated reasonably well, and despite what would appear to be a modest budget, does bring together some of the best British actors. Anthony Hopkins does well in his role as the non-Bondesque British spy, Philip Calvert, and there is some decent support from Jack Hawkins (Sir Anthony Skouras) and Robert Morley (Uncle Arthur) in their roles.
MacLean in writing the screenplay keeps close to the original storyline, with Calvert on the hunt for gold bullion robbers in the Irish Sea. Within this setting there is some decent cinematopgraphy of the Scottish coastline but lack of budget does make such things as the helicopter crash look somewhat false in the current days of CGI
For the most part the film attempts to stay true to the book but the ending of the film is a disappointment in comparrison to the original book, which has a more complex storyline

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