Albert R.N.
| Albert R.N. | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lewis Gilbert |
| Produced by | Daniel M. Angel |
| Written by |
Vernon Harris Guy Morgan |
| Based on | play by Guy Morgan and Edward Sammis |
| Starring |
Anthony Steel Jack Warner Robert Beatty |
| Music by | Malcolm Arnold |
| Cinematography | Jack Asher |
| Edited by | Charles Hasse |
| Distributed by | Eros Films |
Release dates | 1953 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤80,000[1] |
Albert R.N. is a 1953 British war film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Anthony Steel.
Plot
The British inmates of a prisoner-of-war camp think they have an informer among them after several escape attempts fail. One of the prisoners makes a dummy which they christen "Albert" and use at roll call in order to foil the German guards.
Cast
- Anthony Steel as Lieutenant Geoffrey Ainsworth
- Jack Warner as Captain Maddox
- Robert Beatty as Lieutenant Jim Reed
- William Sylvester as Lieutenant 'Texas' Norton
- Michael Balfour as Lieutenant Henry Adams
- Guy Middleton as Captain Barton
- Paul Carpenter as Lieutenant Erickson
- Moultrie Kelsall as Commander Dawson
- Eddie Byrne as Commander Brennan
- Geoffrey Hibbert as Lieutenant Craig
- Peter Jones as Lieutenant Browne
- Frederick Valk as Camp Kommandant
- Anton Diffring as Hauptmann Schultz
- Frederick Schiller as Hermann
- Walter Gotell as Feldwebel
- Peter Swanwick as Obergefreiter
Historical background
The film is based on a true story. Albert R.N. was a dummy constructed by John Worsley (1919–2000) in Marlag O, the prisoner of war camp in northern Germany for naval officers. It was used as a stand-in for a head count while a prisoner escaped and was used on two separate occasions.[2]
Worsley made a new 'Albert' for use in the film. Senior Commissioned Gunner (TAS) Lieut. John William Goble RN. aided Worsley in the development of "Albert" in the POW camp, Marlag O and acted as technical adviser for the film. Worsely made a third 'Albert' for the retrospective exhibition of his work held in Brighton College's Burstow Gallery. After the show, it was donated to the Royal Naval Museum Portsmouth.
Guy Morgan and Edward Sammis, who were British POWs, wrote a play based on the story on which this film was based. This was subsequently adapted into a screenplay.[3]
Production
Anthony Steel and Jack Warner were both lent to producer Daniel Angel by the Rank Organisation. Both had previously appeared in POW movies, The Wooden Horse (1950) and The Captive Heart (1946) respectively.
A POW camp was built on Headingley Heath.[1]
At one stage the film was going to be called The Spare Man.[4]
Release
Lewis Gilbert says the film earned its money back in the United Kingdom.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Brian MacFarlane, An Autobiography of British Cinema, Methuen 1997 p 220
- ↑ Steve Holland, 'John Worsley: Energetic artist who drew a debonair police hero for the Eagle comic, and created Albert RN, the dummy hero of a famed wartime escape', The Guardian, 13 October 2000 accessed 11 July 2012
- ↑ "Dummy as star of film.". The Mail (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 13 September 1952. p. 7 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ↑ "FROM LONDON.". The Mail (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 17 October 1953. p. 60. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
External links
- Albert RN at the Internet Movie Database
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