Man from Tangier

Man from Tangier (U.S. title: Thunder over Tangier) is a 1957 British second feature^[3] crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Robert Hutton, Lisa Gastoni and Martin Benson.^[4] It was written by Paddy Manning O'Brine.

Man from Tangier
U.S. 1-sheet poster
Directed by	Lance Comfort
Written by	Paddy Manning O'Brine
Produced by	W.G. Chalmers
Starring	Robert Hutton Lisa Gastoni Martin Benson Derek Sydney
Cinematography	Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited by	Peter Mayhew
Music by	Wilfred Burns
Production company	Butcher's Film Service
Distributed by	Butcher's Film Service (UK) Republic Pictures (US)
Release date	27 June 1957 (1957-06-27) (UK[1])
Running time	67 mins[2]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

A criminal flees from Tangier to London with forged money plates, leading to the gang he works for sending a dangerous woman to pursue him.

Main cast

• Robert Hutton as Chuck Collins
• Lisa Gastoni as Michele
• Martin Benson as Voss
• Derek Sydney as Darracq
• Leonard Sachs as Heinrich
• Emerton Court as Armstrong
• Richard Shaw as Johnny
• Robert Raglan as Inspector Meredith
• Harold Berens as Sammy
• Jack Allen as Rex
• Michael Balfour as Spade Murphy
• Frank Forsyth as Sergeant Irons
• Reginald Hearne as Walters
• Fred Lake as hotel porter
• Alex Gallier as Max
• Marianne Stone as woman in hotel
• Ronnie Clark as Coster

Releases

Man in Tangier was cut by the British Board of Film Classification to 67 minutes running time, in order to achieve a "U" classification.^[2] The film premiered at Odeon Marble Arch in London on 27 January 1957, where it ran as a double bill together with Monkey on My Back (1957).^[1]

In April 2011 the film was released on DVD as a double bill together with director Lance Comfort's 1961 film The Breaking Point.^[5]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A fairly competent thriller, in which the upholders of the law are considerably more convincing than the crooks, with their alternating foreign and public-school accents. The story is very vaguely constructed; initially there seems very little reason for introducing Tangier; towards the end the action is almost incoherent."^[6]

Picturegoer wrote: "A paper-thin plot is blown up to bursting point by a lot of agitated but pointless action taking in murder, blackmail and roughstuff with precious few thrills."^[7]

Picture Show called the film a "neatly made, holding melodrama."^[8]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Lots of huff and puff bursts paper-thin plot."^[9]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "This barely acceptable B-thriller was made at a time when British cinemas habitually ran supporting features to give you time to buy your soft drinks and popcorn."^[10]