THE SECRET OF BLOOD ISLAND is one of the rarest Hammer Films out there, at least at this moment in time; it was released on VHS but so far hasn't appeared on DVD or Blu-ray. It's a serviceable WW2 thriller, set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the jungle and populated by British soldiers. The story has Barbara Shelley as the spy heroine of the hour, whose plane is shot down in the vicinity. She has a hair cut and masquerades as a soldier in the camp, trying to evade the cruelties of the Japanese captors, played by Michael Ripper and Patrick Wymark (wonderfully hissable in yellow face). The film, if I'm truthful, is a little staid and drawn out, with the pace flagging regularly despite the suspense of the premise. It does have a decent cast with the likes of Jack Hedley, Charles Tingwell, Bill Owen, Lee Montague and Glyn Houston all doing their best 'stiff upper lip' performances. Director Quentin Lawrence was best known for his TV work, although he also shot Hammer's CASH ON DEMAND. It's not one of Hammer's best movies, nor is it one of their best war movies, but it has its moments and is better than I was expecting.
4 Reviews
Stupid Idea Made Worse By Bad Casting And Lazy Plotting
Theo Robertson6 February 2014
Considering this film is 50 years old you'd expect it to have more than 50 votes and one comment . It's a film I've never seen broadcast on telly and Mike insinuates it's only been shown once late at night in the 1970s . After just watched the film I'm not surprised it's obscure
A major problem with it is the entirely ridiculous premise - " Female agent gets shot down in Malaya 1944 and in POW camp " . Yeah it's stupid but perhaps if the story had been developed more and was more thought out it wouldn't seem so ridiculous . . True people can hide in plain sight but as it stands here it's a ridiculous idea
There's other annoying aspects to the story . For example the lazy plotting where the Japanese commanding officer proclaims that at least one of the prisoners knows about this female agent . Now he knows that a female agent is in he area because she's been spotted by villagers but there's no way he'd know that she's made contact with one of the prisoners . This type of lazy plotting grates
It should also be pointed out that despite using Oriental actors as Japanese guards the two main characters are played by British actors Patrick Wymark and Michael Ripper both of whom are absolutely laughable . In fact you often think you're watching some pantomime version of ALLADIN . Considering Japanese war crimes were on a par with the Nazis and would easily be remembered when this film was made you're left with a feeling that can best be described as tasteless
A major problem with it is the entirely ridiculous premise - " Female agent gets shot down in Malaya 1944 and in POW camp " . Yeah it's stupid but perhaps if the story had been developed more and was more thought out it wouldn't seem so ridiculous . . True people can hide in plain sight but as it stands here it's a ridiculous idea
There's other annoying aspects to the story . For example the lazy plotting where the Japanese commanding officer proclaims that at least one of the prisoners knows about this female agent . Now he knows that a female agent is in he area because she's been spotted by villagers but there's no way he'd know that she's made contact with one of the prisoners . This type of lazy plotting grates
It should also be pointed out that despite using Oriental actors as Japanese guards the two main characters are played by British actors Patrick Wymark and Michael Ripper both of whom are absolutely laughable . In fact you often think you're watching some pantomime version of ALLADIN . Considering Japanese war crimes were on a par with the Nazis and would easily be remembered when this film was made you're left with a feeling that can best be described as tasteless
Risible in every respect
malcolmgsw15 May 2020
You know that the film is going to be laughable when Michael Ripper and Patrick Wymark play Japanese officers.Then there are the nonsensical plot devices.I am not aware of SOE using women agents in the Far East.Why would any agent with vital information be flown over enemy territory.Shelley says she is flying to Kuala Lumpar.However this was occupied by the Japanese.So the plot makes no sense.Hammer should have stuck to horror.
A very entertaining POW drama
GusF10 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Hammer's fourth and final war film, this is a very entertaining POW drama. The film takes place in September 1944 and, like the studio's previous war film "The Camp on Blood Island", it concerns a small Malayan island which is being used as a prison camp by the occupying Japanese forces. I have often seen this film referred to as being a sequel in spite of the fact that the aforementioned film takes place in August 1945. However, it is not really a prequel either as it merely reuses the central idea from "The Camp on Blood Island", which it contradicts to the point that the two films are incompatible. In any event, it is not on the same level as the first "Blood Island" film. That said, it has a rather strong script by John Gilling and the director Quentin Lawrence, who previously helmed one of Hammer's best films "Cash on Demand", is able to maintain a tense atmosphere.
The film stars Barbara Shelley in an excellent performance as a British spy named Elaine, who crash-lands on Blood Island while on her way to Kuala Lumpur 200 miles away. She is charged with a vitally important mission of sabotage which, if carried out successfully, will ensure that the occupying Japanese Army is distracted while its British counterpart attempts to liberate Malaya. After the Japanese learn of her presence from two of the natives, the inmates of the POW camp help her to hide among them by pretending to be a man named Bill. In contrast to the first film, there is no camp for women so she will stick out like a sore thumb as the only white woman on Blood Island. Given that they are risking serious reprisals if she is caught, many of the inmates are not too happy with the situation. Elaine is a strong, determined woman who is dedicated to her mission and has been trained to think of nothing else as its success will save hundreds of lives, potentially even thousands in the long run. However, her training cannot overwhelm her humanity as she feels enormous guilt about putting the lives of every man in the camp at risk. These feelings intensify after one of them, George Bludgin, is whipped to death when an English cigarette that she gave him is found in his possession and lies to his captors about it. Elaine knows that she must complete the sabotage within days if the invasion plan has any serious chance but she clearly did not anticipate that there would be so many complications. Bludgin's death upsets her greatly but she manages to keep a cool head throughout the film.
Jack Hedley is no André Morell but he is quite a good leading man as Sgt. John Crewe, the inmate who found Elaine and decided to shelter her in the camp in the first place. Charles Tingwell is very good as the senior officer Major Bryden, a man of great honour and integrity who is deeply concerned about his men's welfare but knows that they must help Elaine to escape for the good of Malaya and the war effort. Edwin Richfield gives a great performance as a disturbed Irish soldier named Tom O'Reilly, who resents Elaine because of the danger that she poses and resents all women as he thinks that none of them can stand to look at him due to the disfigurement that he suffered at Dunkirk. Bill Owen offers some good comic relief in the early parts of the film as the likable Bludgin, which makes his death more affecting than it would have been otherwise. On the other hand, the generally very reliable Patrick Wymark is very bad as the camp commander Major Jocomo, who comes across as a complete caricature in no small part because of the silly voice and accent that the actor adopts. I wish that the wonderful Korean-American actor Philip Ahn, who played Major Yamazuki in Hammer's best war film "Yesterday's Enemy", had been cast instead. David Saire manages to be even worse than Wymark as the head of the Kempeitai, the Japanese military police. In the atypically serious role of Lt. Tojoko, Hammer's most prolific actor Michael Ripper is certainly the best of three as he does not put on any silly voices, though the character could hardly be described as "nuanced." The film also features nice appearances from Philip Latham, Glyn Houston and Lee Montague who, like Shelley, Richfield and Ripper, appeared in "The Camp of Blood Island" as a different character.
Overall, this is great fun with some nice character work, particularly when it comes to Elaine and O'Reilly. However, the film ends so abruptly that it almost gave me whiplash. It could have benefited from another five minutes to tie up some loose ends.
The film stars Barbara Shelley in an excellent performance as a British spy named Elaine, who crash-lands on Blood Island while on her way to Kuala Lumpur 200 miles away. She is charged with a vitally important mission of sabotage which, if carried out successfully, will ensure that the occupying Japanese Army is distracted while its British counterpart attempts to liberate Malaya. After the Japanese learn of her presence from two of the natives, the inmates of the POW camp help her to hide among them by pretending to be a man named Bill. In contrast to the first film, there is no camp for women so she will stick out like a sore thumb as the only white woman on Blood Island. Given that they are risking serious reprisals if she is caught, many of the inmates are not too happy with the situation. Elaine is a strong, determined woman who is dedicated to her mission and has been trained to think of nothing else as its success will save hundreds of lives, potentially even thousands in the long run. However, her training cannot overwhelm her humanity as she feels enormous guilt about putting the lives of every man in the camp at risk. These feelings intensify after one of them, George Bludgin, is whipped to death when an English cigarette that she gave him is found in his possession and lies to his captors about it. Elaine knows that she must complete the sabotage within days if the invasion plan has any serious chance but she clearly did not anticipate that there would be so many complications. Bludgin's death upsets her greatly but she manages to keep a cool head throughout the film.
Jack Hedley is no André Morell but he is quite a good leading man as Sgt. John Crewe, the inmate who found Elaine and decided to shelter her in the camp in the first place. Charles Tingwell is very good as the senior officer Major Bryden, a man of great honour and integrity who is deeply concerned about his men's welfare but knows that they must help Elaine to escape for the good of Malaya and the war effort. Edwin Richfield gives a great performance as a disturbed Irish soldier named Tom O'Reilly, who resents Elaine because of the danger that she poses and resents all women as he thinks that none of them can stand to look at him due to the disfigurement that he suffered at Dunkirk. Bill Owen offers some good comic relief in the early parts of the film as the likable Bludgin, which makes his death more affecting than it would have been otherwise. On the other hand, the generally very reliable Patrick Wymark is very bad as the camp commander Major Jocomo, who comes across as a complete caricature in no small part because of the silly voice and accent that the actor adopts. I wish that the wonderful Korean-American actor Philip Ahn, who played Major Yamazuki in Hammer's best war film "Yesterday's Enemy", had been cast instead. David Saire manages to be even worse than Wymark as the head of the Kempeitai, the Japanese military police. In the atypically serious role of Lt. Tojoko, Hammer's most prolific actor Michael Ripper is certainly the best of three as he does not put on any silly voices, though the character could hardly be described as "nuanced." The film also features nice appearances from Philip Latham, Glyn Houston and Lee Montague who, like Shelley, Richfield and Ripper, appeared in "The Camp of Blood Island" as a different character.
Overall, this is great fun with some nice character work, particularly when it comes to Elaine and O'Reilly. However, the film ends so abruptly that it almost gave me whiplash. It could have benefited from another five minutes to tie up some loose ends.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
