When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

The surprising writer who wrote this stirring action film is none other than Alstair Maclean and was later directed by Etienne Perier. What will be surprising is the selected star of the movie, Anthony Hopkins. That's right, SIR Anthony Hopkins. He plays Philip Calvert, a Royal Navy Officer who fits right in every element selected. For instance, he's at home underwater, in Scuba tanks, flying about in Helicopters, steering yachts or confront thugs with guns, knives or harpoons. His commanding officer is Robert Morley who'd like more respect from his rebellious underling, but receives little. The Maclean story has him trailing a group of vicious modern day pirates who will stop at nothing to secure a stolen shipment of Gold Bullion. The movie is fraught with exciting gunfire scenes, high explosions, physical confrontations, shootings, and innocent killings, many stem from the novel. In almost a Bond type film, Sir Calvert does encourage the audience to think of our hero as a spy. Unusual for Hopkin, but nevertheless, he performs convincingly and is insured by his cast members which include Jack Hawkins and Robert Morley. All in all, this is one film which should allow audiences to believe that young Hopkins could and did establish himself as a man of action. Recommended to all his fans. ****

Recap: At the northern coast of Scotland ships transporting large amounts of gold start to disappear. The Royal Navy and send for men to investigate. They place two men aboard the ship, and the other two to follow the ship. When the two men aboard is murdered, along with the rest of the crew, Calvert, a military commando and Hunslett, naval intelligence, continues to investigate and find themselves continuously harassed by henchmen to a wealthy skipper, Sir Skouras. To Calvert, this is just incentive to intensify his search within or outside regulations. It all comes to a violent end when Calvert must storm a castle to rescue a hostage and stop Skouras. But in the middle of the operation he gets aware of that he has been set up, and gotten most wrong.Comments: A spy thriller based on the novel by Alistair Maclean, with the same title. Made in the early seventies it shares many elements with the Bond movies of the same era. Calvert is an agent not very concerned with rules or regulations, but highly efficient in undercover assignments. As such it got a good story with new developments all along, some more surprising twists than others, but some twists nonetheless.It good some action too, even though some fight scenes and shoot outs leave a little more to wish for. Special effects have developed a lot since, but even judged by its own standards a few scenes feel a little too low budget or lack of means or effort. Mostly it is quite OK, though. But sometimes it just get silly, for example when a wooden small boat explodes upon crashing on some rocks.Starring in this movie is Anthony Hopkins in a very early role. It is almost hard to recognize him but his characteristic voice gives him away. I'm not sure I could say his performance speaks of the great star he was about to become, but it was fun to see him in a role of action hero, a role I've never seen him play before.6/10

Between OHMSS in 1969 and Diamonds are Forever in 1971 there was a chance that Bond would be retiring for good. The Rank Film Corporation figured that Alistair MacLean's maverick secret agent Philip Calvert would be the best to take his place.Obviously that didn't work out. Bond continued to prosper while Calvert faded into obscurity. You shouldn't count him out completely though as there is plenty of rugged and gritty thrills here in the vain of cold war thrillers that the high-key and glossy Bond films lack.However, a cold war villain or a madman wishing to take over the world ain't the antagonists here. A bunch of thugs hijacking ships and hiding out in a lonely port in the highlands are Calvert's enemies. Though I don't really care about such low-octane crimes and I failed to connect with the plot.Despite a touch of humour, some unusual scenery and the occasional tough guy moment there's just not enough of W8BT to get into. The film is over in 90 minutes and feels a bit rushed. I think it would have befitted considerably from a slower pace and an extra twenty minutes.Still, it's fun to see a young Anthony Hopkins doing the action hero thing, even if I have do damn clue what the title means.

It's important that films such as this be recognised as breaking away from the 60's bond fayre, and that they introduced a gritty reality all of their own. Bond indeed could never say 'bastard'. Even though he really was. Bond films strayed from the books,which as period literature remains quite good. Where as EBT was reasonably similar to what the author wanted to get across. A man in a dangerous situation, dealing with ruthless adversaries,who kills without hesitation. Very military, very straight to the point. Bound to upset the Vicars wife at the local tea party. But he wouldn't care, he would sooner be elsewhere, Pursuing the enemy, where ever they hide in the class system, tap, tap, he's slotted, move on. A perpetually restless individual, as Mr Hopkins no doubt was at that point in his life. Drowning his frustrations in alcohol when off duty (as does every professional?) I am off to Scotland this month, to the Kyle of Lochalsh. To me as a teenager this was a significant film in my development, as well as the book. In a politically correct world, where cynical reality can only be found in 'spin', a world in which the late author could only bemoan; I find solace in this film. Where people actually disprove of my children playing with their toy guns and reading Commando magazine; in the comfortable cities which refuse to recognise the reality of living and surviving in the Hebridies; Please take me back to 1971!. These old values are as strong as ever and this films principles and values remain the same to this day.Alan David Noorkoiv.