The Great Manhunt (1950)

In post-WW2 Europe, when the dictator of a small police state dies during surgery, the operating surgeon, who's a visiting American doctor, is held captive in order to preserve the terrible state secret.

Director:

Sidney Gilliat

Writers:

Roy Huggins (novel), Sidney Gilliat (screenplay)

Stars:

Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	Dr. John Marlowe
Jack Hawkins	...	Colonel Galcon
Glynis Johns	...	Lisa Robinson
Walter Rilla	...	General Niva
Karel Stepanek	...	Dr. Revo
Herbert Lom	...	Karl Theodor
Hans Olaf Moser	...	Sigrist (as Hans Moser)
Guido Lorraine	...	Lieutenant Prachi
Robert Ayres	...	Arthur J. Buckman
Howard Douglas	...	Clubman
Martin Boddey	...	Clubman
Russell Waters	...	Clubman
Arthur Howard	...	Clubman
Carl Jaffe	...	Janovic Prada / Tugboat Captain
Gerard Heinz	...	Tomasi Bendel

Storyline

Visiting in England, famed American surgeon Doctor John Marlowe is decoyed to a middle European country, and discovers the operation he is to perform is on the Vosnian dictator. When the latter dies, he is replaced by a look-alike, but Marlowe is the object of a shoot-to-kill, vicious pursuit by the secret police of Vosnia since it is vital to Vosnia that the dictator's death does not become known. Fleeing, he seeks help from an English-speaking actress, Lisa Robinson, and the two are harried across the countryside before being captured. (Produced by the British team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat "in association with London Films" and released in the U.S. by Columbia Pictures Corporation.)

---

Plot Keywords:

pursuit | secret police | cable car | male female relationship | mountain climbing | 

---

Taglines:

In all the world's capital's they wonder...and wait for...The Secret this man knows!

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 1950 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Great Manhunt

Filming Locations:

Dolomites, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carl Jaffe appears as 2 separate characters: Pravda the government envoy who meets Marlowe at his club, and later as the tug boat skipper.

---

Goofs

At the 'river docks', a London bus is visible in the background passing over the bridge. The stern of the 'barge' shown is also very clearly that of an English narrowboat, found nowhere on the Continent.

---

Quotes

Lisa Robinson: [Last Line] I think I'm going to be sick.

---

Connections

Referenced in Beyond Recognition (2003)

---

Soundtracks

Paper Doll
(uncredited)
Written by Johnny Black

User Reviews

The Operation Was Successful, the Patient Died, the Surgeon Had to Run

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. has invented a new surgical procedure. He's invited to a European dictatorship to demonstrate it. He discovers in mid-operation his patient is the country's dictator. When the dictator dies, the authorities, in the person of Jack Hawkins, can't let anyone know, so Fairbanks ... escapes and so begins the movie.

It's Sidney Gilliat doing a Hitchcock thriller on his own, and doing it very well, thank you, with a fine cast, with heroine Glynis Johns showing up a third of the way into the movie in a cheap music hall singing "Paper Doll" very badly and Herbert Lom hilariously sleazy as a black-market fixer. There's an exciting mountain-climbing sequence shot in the Dolomites and the entire movie is shot through with a sardonic cynicism that is capped with Miss Johns' closing words to the show.