The Damned (1963)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Joseph Losey

Writers:

Evan Jones (screenplay)
H.L. Lawrence (novel)

Release Date:

7 July 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Come At Your Own Risk ... If You Come Alone!

Plot:

Legal and illegal criminality. An American tourist with a boat is robbed by a gang of teenager boys...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Teenager | England | Political Satire | Atomic War

Cast

Macdonald Carey	...	Simon Wells
Shirley Anne Field	...	Joan
Viveca Lindfors	...	Freya Neilson
Alexander Knox	...	Bernard
Oliver Reed	...	King
Walter Gotell	...	Major Holland
James Villiers	...	Captain Gregory
Tom Kempinski	...	Ted (as Thomas Kempinski)
Kenneth Cope	...	Sid
Brian Oulton	...	Mr. Dingle
Barbara Everest	...	Miss Lamont
Allan McClelland	...	Mr. Stuart (as Alan McClelland)
James Maxwell	...	Mr. Talbot
Rachel Clay	...	Victoria
Caroline Sheldon	...	Elizabeth

Also Known As:

These Are the Damned (USA)

Runtime:

87 min | 96 min (director's cut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:12 (VHS rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

Freya Neilson: A public servant is the only servant who has secrets from his master.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The World of Hammer: Sci-Fi (#1.7)" (1994)

Worth it provided you don't pay too much for the bootleg

"These Are the Damned" has obtained somewhat of a cult following due to its obscurity. Truth be told, its not one of the all-time cult or sci-fi classics. What it is however is quite interesting. There are some flaws that detract from it being great, mainly the teddy boys. These youth gangs might have been considered a threat to British society back in the day, but viewed today they seem quite quaint and unintentionally hilarious. They lack any degree of menace and can't hold a candle to America's greasers of the day. It would've been better to only hint at the sci-fi elements in the first half instead of having the sequence where the teacher checks in on his pupils. It could've been easily deleted as it really adds nothing to the plot. In addition to this, Joseph Losey's pacing is a bit too lethargic and some of the supporting performances are a bit poor.

Still, "These Are the Damned" is an interesting, haunting, and unique sci-fi film. All the stars turn in good and sympathetic performances. Particularly memorable is an early turn from Oliver Reed as the gang leader. The premise is quite novel and this was one of the first films to say that the government could be the perpetrators of an insidious plot on their own people. It would be a few years before American cinema would have this idea and its easy to see why this film caused some controversy on its initial release (the American cut deleted most of the social commentary). "These Are the Damned" is worth it provided you don't pay too much for the bootleg. Loved the theme song "Black Leather Rock" by the way. (7/10)