Dick Barton Strikes Back

Dick Barton Strikes Back is a 1949 British spy film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Don Stannard. [1] It was the third of three films that Hammer Film Productions made about agent Dick Barton, although it was the second released.[2]

Dick Barton Strikes Back
Directed byGodfrey Grayson
Written byElizabeth Baron and Ambrose Grayson, based on a story by Ambrose Grayson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCedric Williams
Edited byRay Pitt
Music byRupert Grayson
Frank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed byExclusive Films
Release dates
  • 3 June 1949 (1949-06-03) (United Kingdom)
  • 4 May 1950 (1950-05-04) (United States)
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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Captain Richard 'Dick' Barton and his associate Snowey White, uncover a spyring of international psychopathic criminals with plans to dominate Great Britain, if not, the world, using a terrifying weapon of mass destruction.

Title

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The film's title during production was Dick Barton and the Silent Plague.[3]

Cast

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Critical reception

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Mystery File wrote: "This is a little kid's idea of a Spy Movie, with transparent trickery, obvious "surprise" villains and character development just below the level of a CLUE game, but it was clearly also the precursor of the James Bond films, with the suave, hard-fighting hero flung in and out of the clutches of sinister villains and predatory females with equal aplomb. It's a time-waster, sure, but a fun thing, with death rays, a sinister carnival and a really gripping final set-to up and down a (rather unsettlingly phallic) tower."[4] The Spinning Image found "an excellent example of pure pulp cinema, Dick Barton Strikes Back is solidly entertaining and never flags, right up to the finish line."[5] TV Guide called it "the best of the three Dick Barton films".[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949) - Godfrey Grayson - Review". AllMovie.
  3. ^ Bruce G. Hallenbeck, British Cult Cinema: Hammer Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Hemlock Books 2011 p46
  4. ^ "» A Movie Review by Dan Stumpf: DICK BARTON STRIKES BACK (1949)".
  5. ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back Review (1949)". www.thespinningimage.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Dick Barton Strikes Back - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
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