Alistair Maclean

[Bernardo]

I read through Alistair Maclean's novels years ago when they were published by Heron as a set and to get some fun out of my hang-up on films, if I see a Maclean story that has been put on celluloid I add it to the collection.

I have:

Guns of Navarone

Caravan to Vaccares

The Satan Bug

When Eight Bells Toll

Bear Island

Where Eagles Dare

Ice Station Zebra

Fear is the Key

Force 10 from Navarone

Puppet on a Chain



Is that a complete list of his novels on film?

[dremble wedge]

There's also;



The Way to Dusty Death (1995)

River of Death (1989)

The Hostage Tower (1980) - although I'm not sure if that was a novel...

Golden Rendezvous (1977)

Breakheart Pass (1975)

The Secret Ways (1961)

[Caine]

I'm reading South by Java Head at the moment, I think that might be a fillum as well.

[batman]

I didn't realise I was such a big fan of AM films .... I have all of these except The Secret Ways and The Way to Dusty Death. Most of them are rattling good adventure yarns and are ideal viewing for a wet Sunday afternoon. The only 'dodgy' ones are Golden Rendezvous and River of Death which suffer from low budgets and poor scripting.

[Caine]

name='batman']I didn't realise I was such a big fan of AM films .... I have all of these except The Secret Ways and The Way to Dusty Death. Most of them are rattling good adventure yarns and are ideal viewing for a wet Sunday afternoon. The only 'dodgy' ones are Golden Rendezvous and River of Death which suffer from low budgets and poor scripting.

Same here, if I think back I've read a few over the years, all good yarns but for some reason I never particularly fancy one until I realise I'm halfway through it.

[batman]

I haven't read one for ages ..... 'Caravan to Vaccares' was the last one when I was on holiday a few years back. I tried reading one of those Alastair MacNeill books but found it to be very poor. It was 'Death Train', which was made into an equally poor film with Pierce Brosnan.

[LukeAFB]

There's also "Campbell's Kingdom", with Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker and other well known British actors. Supposedly takes place in Canada, but was shot in Scotland.

[batman]

Wasn't 'Campbell's Kingdom' written by Hammond Innes?

[luthien]

LukeAFB,Sorry to point out that 'Campbells Kingdom'

was a novel by Hammond Innes,and not Alistair McLean!

[jonpsych]

name='batman']I didn't realise I was such a big fan of AM films .... I have all of these except The Secret Ways and The Way to Dusty Death. Most of them are rattling good adventure yarns and are ideal viewing for a wet Sunday afternoon. The only 'dodgy' ones are Golden Rendezvous and River of Death which suffer from low budgets and poor scripting.

Much as I love Amsterdam Puppet on a Chain has to come into the category of real clunkers, the puppets were the least wooden int he film.



Now Caravan to Vaccares provided many memories in a darkened bedroom thinking of Charlotte Rampling as she undressed

[LukeAFB]

You're both right. Mental error on my part.

[Bernardo]

Thanks, copying the list now, it is amazing the information here... IMDb eat your heart out.

[m35541]

Puppet on a Chain had a really checkered production history with much of it reshot later. Suzanna Leigh has a couple of pages about it in her biography (she's not in the released film - her part was removed and reshot).

[Lord Brett]

name='m35541']Puppet on a Chain had a really checkered production history with much of it reshot later. Suzanna Leigh has a couple of pages about it in her biography (she's not in the released film - her part was removed and reshot).

Puppet on a Chain was one of the most flat, disappointing major films I've ever seen. It was sold on the strength of its motor boat chase (wasn't that filmed by Don Sharp?) but the rest was like a cheap b-movie shot in expensive locations. I guess that's why it doesn't show up very often.

[cooleyn]

I'd like to add a (probably very boring) little fact here.



"Where Eagles Dare" was slightly different from all the other Alastair Maclean films, in that he was asked by the film-makers to "write a script for a wartime action movie" before any book had been written, so that (in effect) the book came after the film.



The film was originally destined to be called, "The Castle Where Eagles Dare to Fly", before some genius decided to shorten it (thank God!)



Told you this would be boring.



Sorreeeeee....



BROADSWORD CALLING DANNY BOY!! (had to say it)

[woody123]

Would love to see a decent film version of H.M.S.Ulysses and South By Java Head.I have a vague recollection of Maclean being interviewed in a magazine saying that Ulysses had been optioned but the cost was prohibitive.Maybe with the dreaded CGI someone could do it.java head would be feasible though,you'd only need a cargo vessel of the period and a small cast.Wouldn't cost a lot by today's standards.

[mallee59]

Would like to see Ulysees as well

my favs are where eagles dare, when eight bells toll and fear is the key

[Bernardo]

Haven't seen Fear Is The Key for some time now. Bear Island is not too bad. I used to read Maclean, got most of his novels and collect his film versions when they come round. Some have been spoilt by the 'Only in America' syndrome that infects Hollywood but most are good 007 yarns with less SFX.

[batman]

Fear Is The Key is very good IMHO. I like MacLean movies, even the bad ones (River of Death anyone?) are good fun

[TheLurkerKIng]

name='woody123']Would love to see a decent film version of H.M.S.Ulysses and South By Java Head.I have a vague recollection of Maclean being interviewed in a magazine saying that Ulysses had been optioned but the cost was prohibitive.Maybe with the dreaded CGI someone could do it.java head would be feasible though,you'd only need a cargo vessel of the period and a small cast.Wouldn't cost a lot by today's standards.

As would I. "H.M.S. Ulysses" is not only one of my favorite novels by Maclean, it is also one of my favorite sea stories of all time.



It was his debut novel, and is somewhat autobiographical, as he served in that area during World War II.