The Hostage

Ron Randell is almost invisible as the star of this stilted shoestring political drama presumably based upon the abduction and hanging of two British sergeants by Irgun in Palestine in July 1947. (A similar fate befell Albert Finney in his film debut a few years later in 'The Entertainer'.)

A few brief snatches are spoken of the language native to the mythical republic of Santanio similar to the Vosnian heard in 'State Secret'. I was surprised to learn it was based on a 1953 TV serial, since it already felt like a TV production cut down to eighty minutes; which would have explained why it felt so disjointed.