Callan
UK theatrical poster
Directed byDon Sharp
Written byJames Mitchell
Based onA Red File for Callan
by James Mitchell
Produced byHarry Benn
Derek Horne
StarringEdward Woodward
Eric Porter
Carl Möhner
Catherine Schell
Peter Egan
Russell Hunter
CinematographyErnest Steward
Edited byTeddy Darvas
Music byWilfred Josephs
Production
company
Magnum Films
Distributed byEMI
Release dates
May 23, 1974 (London)
June 12, 1974 (United Kingdom)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Callan is an 1974 British thriller film directed by Don Sharp and starring Edward Woodward, Eric Porter and Carl Möhner.[1][2]

It was based on the pilot episode of the ITV television series Callan which ran from 1967 to 1972.[3]

Plot

David Callan (Edward Woodward), a leading intelligence agent/assassin in the employment of the S.I.S., was forced into retirement when he lost his nerve. Now, he is called back into service to handle the assassination of Schneider, a German businessman. Colonel Hunter (Eric Porter), his former employer, promises Callan that he'll be returned to active status as long as he follows his orders. But Callan refuses to act until he knows exactly why Schneider has been marked for death...

Cast

Production

The script by James Mitchell is based on his original TV pilot "A Magnum for Schneider" and the novelization thereof, Red File for Callan, although only the novel is listed in the film's credits (as A Red File for Callan). The film was based more on the novel than on the original television script.

Callan's boss Hunter is played by Eric Porter, and Meres too is re-cast, this time played by Peter Egan. The only recurring actors from the TV series were Edward Woodward as Callan, Russell Hunter as Lonely, and Clifford Rose as Dr Snell.

Callan was the first film with a Dolby-encoded optical soundtrack.[4]

The film was shot in late 1973 at Lee Studios and on locations such as the Spint Crossing at Newbury. Director Don Sharp called it "a joy to film" in part because Woodward's "character was so set but he came to it so fresh again."[5] "We're making a much more extended approach than the TV series," said Woodward during filming. "We could have easily fallen into the trap of making an elongated TV series, but we didn't want it to look cheap. But we mustn't close the claustrophic tight atmosphere that made it so effective and true to life."[6]

Reception

Sharp said the film received "lovely notices".[5]

The Observer called it "surprisingly enjoyable".[7] The Guardian said it "amounts to little more, nor much less, than an episode of the telly series writ large."[8]

References

  1. ↑ BFI.org
  2. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (27 July 2019). "Unsung Aussie Filmmakers: Don Sharp – A Top 25". Filmink.
  3. ↑ CALLAN Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 41, Iss. 480, (Jan 1, 1974): 144.
  4. ↑ Sergi, Gianluca (2004). The Dolby Era: Film Sound in Contemporary Hollywood. Manchester University Press. p. 46. ISBN 0719070678.
  5. 1 2 Sharp, Don (2 November 1993). "Don Sharp Side 6" (Interview). Interviewed by Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson. London: History Project. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Otterburn-Hall, William (6 January 1974). "Does the Violent Callan Really Care About People?". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 19.
  7. ↑ Cross-country parable Milne, Tom. The Observer 26 May 1974: 31
  8. ↑ Malcolm, Derek (23 May 1974). "Sailor Blue". The Guardian. p. 10.


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