Highly Dangerous (1950)

Interesting facts

• Filmed in: Pinewood Studios

Highly Dangerous is a 1950 British spy film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Margaret Lockwood and Dane Clark. It was written by Eric Ambler based on his 1936 novel The Dark Frontier. It was released in the USA by Lippert Pictures.

Production

Margaret Lockwood had not made a film in 18 months following Madness of the Heart, and had been focusing on stage work.

Earl St John wanted a comeback vehicle and commissioned Eric Ambler to write a film specifically as a vehicle for Lockwood. Ambler had recently specialised in melodramas, but Highly Dangerous was a comedy thriller in the vein of Lockwood's earlier hits, The Lady Vanishes and Night Train to Munich. It was directed by Roy Ward Baker, who had served with Ambler during the war.

"One thing about Eric is that he presents you with a script that is beautifully finished in every detail", said Baker. He added " Eric had invented a language for the people the other side of the curtain which wasn’t Russian or anything else and the poor actors had to learn this stuff. He was playing a game with that."

"I think Margaret Lockwood wanted to play a modern woman", recalled Baker. "It was actually Eric Ambler's first or second book, although the book had a different title and its main character was a man; Eric changed it to a woman to make it more interesting".

The studio wanted a Hollywood leading man to play opposite Lockwood. Wendell Corey was originally sought before the role was given to Dane Clark, who had recently left Warner Bros. "He was just delivering a stock leading man movie performance, which was virtually nothing," said Baker. "He wasn’t very efficient. I think he fell in love with London. He also fell deeply in love with Jean Simmons, which was unrequited. He was a pillock, I’m afraid.

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