Soho Conspiracy is a 1950 British 'B'[1] musical drama film directed by Cecil H. Williamson and starring Jacques Labrecque, Zena Marshall and Peter Gawthorne.[2] It was written by Ralph Dawson, Williamson, Mario Monicelli and Stefano Vanzina.
Premise
A young man attempts to stage a charity concert in order to raise funds to refurbish a Soho church.
Production
The film incorporates footage from the 1948 Italian film Mad About Opera (Follie per l'opera) for the climactic concert performance.[1]
Cast
- Zena Marshall as Dora
- Jacques Labrecque as Carlo Scala
- Peter Gawthorne as Father Shaney
- John Witty as Guy
- Max Harrison as Gondotti brother
- Syd Harrison as Gondotti brother
- Gino Bechi as himself
- Beniamino Gigli as himself
- Tito Gobbi as himself
- Tito Schipa as himself
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Gay but amateurish film, whose main virtue is the singing by the Italian stars; this, however, appears to have been contrived by the wholesale lifting of excerpts from other (unnamed) films."[3]
The Daily Film Renter wrote: "A curious mixture, lavishly produced, of melodrama and slapstick, in which the comedy is more easily followed than the story itself."[4]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Cut-price film 'borrows' wholesale from earlier movies for its distinguished 'guest stars'"[5]
References
- 1 2 Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ↑ "Soho Conspiracy". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ↑ "Soho Conspiracy". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 17 (193): 174. 1 January 1950. ProQuest 1305818858.
- ↑ "Soho Conspiracy". The Daily Film Renter (6070): 6. 20 September 1950. ProQuest 2600943902.
- ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 375. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.