More than decent, if little known*, WWII-aftermath story about young Concentration Camp survivor Dolores Hart who makes a dangerous, against-the-odds underground journey to Palestine with help from an unexpected protector, Dutch Inspector Stephen Boyd. Serially rescued from a White Slave Trafficker; Scotland Yard detectives & river-barge examiners; from Customs & International border agents; eluding Nuremberg prosecutors in need of Holocaust witnesses; Moroccan Import/Export traders and freight ships running illegal goods to Israel. So many obstacles the lack of directorial style from Philip Dunne (a classy scripter who occasionally directed) may actually help; flat presentation keeping cascading close calls from going all Perils of Pauline. Instead, an on-the-move picaresque, partially making up for poorly executed physical action. (Bad background models can’t be blamed on Dunne.) If only our two leads were better cast. Dolores Hart too gosh darn All-American, it’s Concentration Camp Gidget Goes to Palestine. While Stephen Boyd misses the Dutch Uncle aspect that would make the inevitable romance less a fait accompli. (He’s also too close a match to the Brits chasing them.) So acting honors, quite a load of them, go to support: Leo McKern’s grumpy bargeman; Donald Pleasence as Scotland Yard Fairy Godfather; Harry Andrews unexpectedly believable as an Arab gunrunner; and Robert Stephens, typically fine, here as a cunning (and conning) foreign-based British Agent. The film also improves as it goes along which is always nice.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Next year, Hart would abandon Hollywood for the nunnery.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: *The ‘LISA’ film of 1962 was DAVID AND LISA, now something of a tough watch. Though Keir Dullea’s ‘David’ shows just the kind of sensitivity missing in Hart’s perf.
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