GB
1971
1hr 41mins
Dir: Al Viola, Roy Boulting and Arne Sucksdorff
Starring: John Hurt and Hayley Mills
A biology student’s outlook on life is changed when he is sent to Antarctica for six months to study a penguin colony
The screenplay for this rarely seen adventure drama was adapted by playwright Anthony Shaffer, based on the 1965 novel Forbush and the Penguins by Graham Billing. John Hurt played his first big role in this adventure, which was re-titled Cry of the Penguins for its US release in 1973. Originally released in 1971, the film was a massive flop for EMI, resulting in Bryan Forbes being sacked. Forbes later described the film as a “calculated risk” with an “intriguing script” and “formidable logistical problems…” Early during the opening London sequences we get to see a distant shot of Earl’s Court Underground station.
