CABOBLANCO

US, 1980, 87 minutes, Colour.
Charles Bronson, Dominique Sanda, Fernando Rey, Jason Robards, Gilbert Roland, Simon McCorkindale?, Camilla Sparv.
Directed by J. Lee Thompson.

Caboblanco marks the decline of Charles Bronson in the popularity that he held in the '70s with a great number of films. After Telethon, directed by Don Siegel, he made Love and Bullets, Death Hunt and this film, which were not particularly successful. The film is pretentious in its conception - very elaborately filmed - but does not live up to its promise. This is the case with so many of the films directed by J. Lee-Thompson?. Thompson, a British director of such films as Tiger Bay and then The Guns of Navarone for Hollywood, made a great number of films which were entertaining but were frequently excessively ordinary. He directed Charles Bronson in St. Ives and The White Buffalo. Bronson has a very good supporting cast who do the best they can with the material.

1. The film as a Charles Bronson adventure vehicle? Action, violence? An entertaining plot? Characterisation? Themes?

2. The Panavision colour photography, Mexican locations? The atmosphere of Caboblanco and the sea? The rich villas? The town? The echoes of Casablanca? Musical score? Special effects especially for underwater scenes, gun battles, fights?

3. The conventions of the action melodrama: the post-war period, the isolated outpost, the tough hero exiled from home, the mysterious foreign heroine, the German villain? The plot and counterplot for gold? Greed and violence? The intricacies of the plot? Conventions?

4. The plausibility of the plot: the presence of Giff in Caboblanco? His contact with Jacques? Marie's arrival and her search for the contents of the ship? Beckdorf and his plans, greed? His army and henchmen? The policeman in his pay? The British and their search for the treasure? The interaction of these characters for the treasure?

5. Giff as hero - the echoes of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca? His strong presence? His knowledge of where the sunken ship was? His looking after Marie, falling in love with her, the affair? His challenges to the police chief? The confrontation with Beckdorf? The final violence - and his survival? A tough laconic hero?

6. Marie, the enigmatic heroine? Her background, the Resistance, love for Jacques, deal with Beckdorf, involvement with Giff? Her plan and giving the information to Beckdorf? Its violent consequences? The final dangers? The happy ending? The parallel with Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca?

7. The police chief and his corruption, at the beck and call of Beckdorf? His sensuality with the local women? His having to make a decision for or against Beckdorf? His backing out at the end - and surviving?

8. Beckdorf as villain? German background? German background, stealing Nazi treasure? His villa in Peru? His being in touch with Peruvian officials? His hold over the police chief? The kidnapping of Marie and the deals with her? The confrontation with Giff? His murder of the English diver? Confrontation with the English? His plan for recovering the treasure? His being tricked and his death? His private army and their violence, his henchmen and his death in the hotel? The brutal treatment towards his mistress - and her drinking, her being kicked out, her being brutalised by his henchmen?

9. The mistress and her contact with Giff, living in the villa, being turned out, going back to the hotel, being brutalised?

10. The English and their search? The diver and his death? Clarkson and his narration of the story? His searching out evidence against Beckdorf? His being shot and pursued? Rescued by Giff? Looked after by the doctor?

11. The action sequences - underwater sequences, the violent sequences with Beckdorf's army, the final fight, the pursuit of Clarkson?

12. How well handled were the popular ingredients? Did Caboblanco deserve its exotic title? The caption 'Where legends begin?