MovieChat Forums > Kidnapped (1972) Discussion > Why is this not better known?

Why is this not better known?

posted 2 years ago by whynotwriteme (7817)
2 replies | jump to latest

I grew up watching all the big British period epics of the '60s and '70s on TV: Zulu, Lawrence of Arabia, Alfred the Great, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Man who Would be King, etc. Yet I never knew about this film until fairly recently.

Why is it so obscure? It has a big star in Michael Caine, plus lots of other familiar British actors including Trevor Howard, Donald Pleasance, and Jack Hawkins. It's based on a classic R. L. Stevenson novel, it's a colorful and entertaining adventure film.

What happened? Why is this an unknown movie today?

[–] Owlwise (1548) 2 years ago

It's sadly the fate of many fine films that weren't popular successes at the time & were unjustly forgotten after that. And I agree, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing story with an impressive cast that should be better known.

[–] whynotwriteme (7817) 2 years ago

Yes, I was very pleasantly surprised by this. It did seem liike a film from a much earlier era than the early '70s. If not for the presence of Caine, you could imagine this as being a 1940s or '50s release. It put me in a Robert Louis Stevenson mood. I'm going to watch the '50s Errol Flynn version of "The Master of Ballantrae" next. I remember enjoying the '80s TV adaption with Richard Thomas and Michael York during high school. That version seems to be unavailable now.

Do you know of any more of these 60s-70s lost British historical movies? There's one I remember seeing ages ago about a thief in 1800s London. It was called "Where's Jack?" I can't find a copy anywhere.