The Camp on Blood Island – 1958

A Hammer production released by Columbia Pictures
Copyright MCMLVII by Hammer Film Productions Ltd. – Ail rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate No. 18790
All characters and incidents portrayed and the names used are fictitious
RCA Sound Recording

Black & White 81 Mins
Megascope

Storyline

Opening title:- “This is not just a story – it is based on the brutal truth”. In Japanese-occupied Malaya, the World War II prisoner-of-war camp on the aptly named Blood Island is governed by the brutally sadistic regime of Colonel Yamamitsu, who has sworn that, if Japan loses the war, then he will slaughter every single prisoner in both the men’s and the neighbouring women’s camps. When Colonel Lambert, the senior officer among the prisoners, learns through their secret communications system that the war is over and the Allies are victorious, it becomes imperative for the truth to be kept from Yamamitsu long enough for the liberating troops to arrive…..

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Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Art Director	John Stoll	44	13 Dec 1913		25 Jun 1990	76	5		5
Associate Producer	Anthony Nelson-Keyes	46	13 Nov 1911		19 Mar 1985	73	41		41
Ast. Director	Robert Lynn	39	9 Jun 1918		15 Jan 1982	63	7		7
Camera Operator	Len Harris	41	19 May 1916		21 Feb 1995	78	52	1	53
Conductor	John Hollingsworth	42	20 Mar 1916		29 Dec 1963	47	36	2	38
Continuity	Doreen Dearnaley	29	20 Nov 1928		3 Feb 1992	63	13		13
Director	Val Guest	46	11 Dec 1911		10 May 2006	94	29		29
Director of Photog.	Jack Asher BSc	42	29 Mar 1916		Apr 1991	75	14		14
Editor	Bill Lenny	30	1928		2002	74	10	2	12
Executive Producer	Michael Carreras	30	21 Dec 1927		19 Apr 1994	66	82	3	85
Hairdresser	Henry Montsash	52	17 Sep 1905		29 Sep 1974	69	16		16
Make-up	Tom Smith	37	15 Aug 1920		3 Apr 2009	88	5		5
Music Composer	Gerard Schurmann	34	19 Jan 1924		24 Mar 2020	96	2		2
Producer	Anthony Hinds	35	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	84	1	85
Production Manager	Arnold Brettell	44	18 Dec 1913		5 Nov 2006	92	1		1
Property Master	Tom Money	41	1917		1974	56	2	20	22
Re-recording	Ken Cameron	42	1 Dec 1915		8 Aug 2000	84	8	2	10
Screenplay	Val Guest	46	11 Dec 1911		10 May 2006	94	29		29
Screenplay	John Manchip White	33	23 Jun 1924		31 Jul 2013	89	2		2
Sound Recordist	Jock May	53	1 Jan 1905		8 Jan 1991	86	30	1	31
Supervising Editor	James Needs	38	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
Wardrobe	Molly Arbuthnot	49	19 Dec 1908		31 Oct 2001	92	48	4	52
Uncredited
Ast. Editor	Roy Norman	37	30 Jan 1921		16 Aug 1987	66		3	3
Boom Operator	Jim Perry							8	8
Cashier	Ken Gordon						1	7	8
Chief Electrician	Jack Curtis						3	23	26
Clapper Loader	Ted Cutlack	41	1917		1992	74		1	1
Construction Manager	Michael Lyons							10	10
Costume Ast.	Rosemary Burrows						36	5	41
Draughtsman	Don Mingaye	29	1 Jan 1929		8 Nov 2017	88	26	14	40
Floor Props Chargehand	Peter Allchorne	33	1925	01.01.1925		98		9	9
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	37	16 Jan 1921		11 Dec 2012	91		53	53
Grip	Albert Cowlard	35	1923	01.01.1923		100		10	10
Master Painter	Lawrence Wren							11	11
Master Plasterer	Arthur Banks						18	29	47
Production Accountant	W.H.V. Able	63	1895		1975	79		4	4
Production Secretary	Cynthia Maugham	50	31 Oct 1907		10 Dec 1965	58		1	1
Property Buyer	Eric Hillier	38	1920		1975	55		16	16
Publicist	Douglas Railton							1	1
Script Supervisor	Renee Glynne	31	3 Aug 1926		6 Apr 2022	95	38	3	41
Second Ast. Director	Tom Walls	45	31 May 1912		28 Nov 1992	80	1	9	10
Set Rigger	Ronald Lenoir	34	1924		1998	98		4	4
Sound Camera Operator	Michael Sale							8	8
Sound Maintenance	Charles Bouvet	51	27 Oct 1906		1978	71		6	6
Still Photog.	Tom Edwards				1999			26	26
Studio Manager	A.F. Kelly							4	4
Stunt Performer	Joe D'Orazio	35	27 Jul 1922		9 Mar 2022	99		2	2
Third Ast. Director	Hugh Harlow	18	17 Jun 1939	17.06.1939		83	3	28	31
Transport Driver	W. Epps							1	1
Transport Driver	Wilfred Faux							1	1

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Betts	Barry Lowe	33	1 Jan 1925		12 Dec 2011	86	6	2	8
Captain Sakamura	Marne Maitland	43	18 Dec 1914		Mar 1992	77	8		8
Colonel Lambert	Andre Morell	48	20 Aug 1909		28 Nov 1978	69	9		9
Colonel Yamamitsu	Ronald Radd	29	22 Jan 1929		23 Apr 1976	47	2		2
Cyril Beattie	Walter Fitzgerald	61	18 May 1896		20 Dec 1976	80	1		1
Davis	Michael Brill	30	1 Jan 1928		13 Apr 2011	83	2		2
Dr Keiller	Richard Wordsworth	43	19 Jan 1915		21 Nov 1993	78	4		4
Driver	Michael Ripper	45	27 Jan 1913		28 Jun 2000	87	34	2	36
Dutch	Carl Mohner	36	11 Aug 1921		14 Jan 2005	83	1		1
Father Anjou	Michael Goodliffe	43	1 Oct 1914		20 Mar 1976	61	5		5
First Prisoner	Jack McNaughton	52	22 Dec 1905		22 Feb 1990	84	2	1	3
Hallam	Max Butterfield	26	10 Jun 1931		1991	59	2	1	3
Helen Beattie	Mary Merrall	68	5 Jan 1890		31 Aug 1973	83	1		1
Interpreter	Wolfe Morris	33	5 Jan 1925		21 Jul 1996	71	5		5
Jap Officer	Lee Montague	30	16 Oct 1927	16.10.1927		95	2		2
Kate Keiller	Barbara Shelley	26	13 Feb 1932		3 Jan 2021	88	8		8
Lieutenant Bellamy	Phil Brown	41	30 Apr 1916		9 Feb 2006	89	2		2
Major Dawes	Edward Underdown	49	3 Dec 1908		15 Dec 1989	81	1		1
Mala	Lillian Sottane	24	1 Jan 1934		12 Jun 2015	81	2		2
Nurse	Jan Holden	26	9 May 1931		11 Oct 2005	74	3	1	4
Sergeant	Edwin Richfield	36	11 Sep 1921		2 Aug 1990	68	10		10
Shields	Michael Gwynn	41	30 Nov 1916		29 Jan 1976	59	4		4
Sick Prisoner	Jacqueline Curtis	20	30 May 1937	30.05.1937		85	1		1
Thornton	Peter Forbes-Robertson	31	16 Jan 1927		7 Dec 1995	68	1		1
Woman Prisoner	Anne Ridler	28	8 Feb 1930		2 Feb 2011	80	1		1
Woman Prisoner	Grace Denbeigh-Russell	67	6 Jun 1890		28 Jan 1969	78	2		2
Woman Prisoner	Betty Cooper	47	1 May 1910		3 Feb 1979	68	3	1	4
Woman Prisoner	Barbara Lu Ying	24	4 Nov 1933		6 Apr 1997	63	2		2
Uncredited
2nd Prisoner	Howard Williams	25	10 May 1932	10.05.1932		90	3	2	5
Female Prisoner	Pat Lewis							1	1
Foster	Geoffrey Bayldon	34	7 Jan 1924		10 May 2017	93	3	2	5
Japanese Driver	Vincent Wong	30	4 Feb 1928		13 Mar 2015	87		4	4
Japanese Executioner	Milton Reid	40	29 Apr 1917		1987	69	1	3	4
Japanese Patrol	Kenji Takaki	64	10 Mar 1894		May 1984	90		1	1
Japanese Sentry	Anthony Chin	28	1 Jan 1930		22 Oct 2000	70	2	1	3
Japanese Soldier	Jack “Kid" Berg	48	28 Jun 1909		22 Apr 1991	81		1	1
Japanese Soldier	Arnold Lee							1	1
Japanese Soldier	David Goh							1	1
Japanese Soldier in Tower	Paddy Hayes							1	1
Male Prisoner	Charles Rayford				1999			2	2
Male Prisoner	John Tatham	46	29 Jul 1911		Dec 1996	85	1	8	9
Male Prisoner	Alf Casha	59	26 Feb 1899		Mar 1979	80		4	4
Male Prisoner	Jack Armstrong						1	6	7
Male Prisoner	Cyril Kent							2	2
Male Prisoner	Jack Dearlove							1	1
Male Prisoner	Robin Burns							1	1
NCO Prisoner	Anthony Lang				2 Mar 1992			3	3
Relief Soldier	Ted Carroll				1998			2	2
Small Boy	Michael Felton							1	1
Woman's Camp Prisoner	Aileen Lewis	44	9 Apr 1914		12 Feb 2014	99	1	5	6

Production


FILMING BEGAN	14 July 1957
UK RELEASE	20 April 1958
STUDIO	Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England
LOCATION	Callow Hill Sandpit, Virginia Water, Surrey, England	Mining sequences

Footnotes

Publicised as Hammer’s 50th film, this graphic depiction of the brutal ill-treatment of POWs by their Japanese captors sparked considerable controversy on its release, coming so soon after the events portrayed.
These days the film is rarely given an airing, probably for similar reasons. Hammer eventually (in 1965) produced a sequel, “The Secret of Blood Island”, which is now equally rarely seen.

Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection