CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM

UK, 1957, 100 minutes, Colour.
Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Michael Craig, Barbara Murray, James Robertson Justice, Athene Seyler, Sid James.
Directed by Ralph Thomas.

Campbell's Kingdom is the kind of adventure very popular in the '50s. Its Canadian setting is very attractive and presented in colour. The story is by the adventure writer Hammond Innes. Direction is by Ralph Thomas who made a great number of comedies and adventures in the '50s from Doctor in the House and the consequent series to A Tale of Two Cities. Many of these films starred Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Michael Craig and had James Robertson Justice in support. These are the ingredients of this film which shows the clashes of the rugged men of the Canadian outback. It is conventional enough material but made with British precision and flair.

1. Was this a good adventure story? How well did it use adventure conventions? Which? or did it rely too much on cliche? Where?

2. How authentic was the Canadian background? How interesting was the presentation of frontier life? How strong was the atmosphere of work and the search for oil? The building of the dam?

3. How interesting and accurate a picture of big business interests did the film give? What comment on ruthlessness did the film make? What atmosphere of business ruthlessness and morals did the film give?

4. How convincing a hero was Bruce Campbell? How did the film use the convention of the outsider coming in and challenging the status quo? How convincingly did Bruce Campbell do this? Was it important that he only had six months to live? Was an Englishman? Was the grandson of someone who was not liked?

5. Was Owen Morgan a convincing villain? Was those role overdone? or was he realistic? What motivated him and drove him on? Why was he ruthless and cruel? How ambitious? Disregarding people's lives, even the workers? His hold over the simpleton Max?

6. Was Jean a convincing romantic figure? Was she well integrated into the plot itself? How? were you surprised at her relationship to the man who had defrauded Campbell? Was her desire to make up convincing?

7. Comment on the role of the aunts in the film. Did they add humour? A human touch? Their integration into the plot by one's curiosity and the other's offering money?

8. The character of Boyd Bladen? His relationship to Jean? Conventional? His role in determining whether oil was there or not? His alliance with Campbell against Morgan?

9. How little regard for life was there in this frontier town? How interesting was the scheme that Campbell worked out in order to test out whether the oil was there? The clashes? The murders?

10. The importance of oil in the film? The lengths to which Campbell and his group went to get to the oil field? The dangers they risked on the hoist etc., the plan for blowing up the bridge causing the landslide, deceiving the guards?

11. What was your response to Morgan's sabotaging of the drills? The burning of the fuel? The atmosphere of vendetta in the fields?

12. How interesting was the response of Campbell's group in getting the oil to the top and continuing the search? Were you glad when they discovered oil? Why ?

13. Was the breaking of the dam expected? Was it satisfactorily prepared for? Were Bruce Campbell's interventions too heroic? Even his attempt to save Morgan's life? Was there poetic justice in Morgan's being destroyed by his dam?

14. How convincing was the end with Campbell's discovery that he was not ill but could live? Was this too far-fetched? Unnecessary for the film? Too romantic?

15. Was this a convincing adventure? Is it now dated? or does it still remain enjoyable on an average level?