SOS Pacific

Eddie Constantine, American expatriate actor who was a star in French cinema is the hero of SOS Pacific. He's a prisoner in the custody of Clifford Evans when the plane they are on goes down in the Pacific.

The survivors make it to an island but the island is the site of an atomic test. And none of these people would even know how to stop a test if they could. Which is the main weakness of the plot.

Stlll this is an exciting adventure saga and it boasts a really good performance by Richard Attenborough as the sniveling rat coward who puts them all in danger. He also ratted out Constantine on a smuggling rap so Constantine has a personal score to settle.

The whole cast is excellent, but pay close attention to Attenborough. One of the sleaziest most cowardly performances you'll ever see.

This is a very under-rated film which sets off at a good pace, and gathers momentum as the story progresses. As suspense thrillers go, it's hard to beat, and is helped in no small way by terrific playing from a top class ensemble cast. Special mention must go to Richard Attenborough as the oily, sly grass. Attenborough simply oozes slime in the role, and demonstrates yet again what a very fine actor he is. Pier Angeli, Eddie Constantine and John Gregson are all uniformly excellent as well. It's a film that never seems to receive regular airings, which is a pity as it is well worth seeing and is highly recommended. The location scenes are good, and the direction and cinematography are first rate too. The film really is a long lost gem!

I saw this in a theater as a child. It was extremely memorable to the point that my brother and I would frequently bring it up and wonder what the name was. 50+ years later Google came to the rescue. I found a DVD available and snapped it up. YES! It was much as I remembered.

A better quality version would be much better since this was a grainy full frame affair. The story held up however.

A small seaplane encounters trouble when it hits bad weather when it flies off from a small island in the pacific. The cockpit catches fire with faulty electrics, the radio does not work properly, the navigator dies because of the fumes emitted from the wrong type of fire extinguisher.

Running low on fuel the plane lands near a small deserted island. The passengers swim ashore only to realise they are in imminent danger as the island is a testing site for a nuclear bomb.

SOS Pacific is a British B disaster film with a motley flying crew of owner-pilot Jack Bennett (John Gregson) who unravels because he has cut corners. The disgruntled navigator Willy (Cec Linder) who hates his job. Pretty flight attendant Teresa (Pier Angeli.)

The six passengers include an old policeman who gets air sick, Petersen (Clifford Evans) carrying a prisoner Mark (Eddie Constantine) a tough sailor who is charged with smuggling. Whitey (Richard Attenborough) a small time snivelling crook who has snitched against Mark. Dr Strauss, a German scientist on his way to a teaching job, snooty Miss Shaw and Maria, a good time party girl.

It is all rather formulaic, we just know Petersen will be the only one to man up under pressure and the pretty ladies will fall for him. Whitey will buckle under pressure and become villainous. Not sure why the policeman put him and Mark on the same plane.

I saw this when I was about seven years old from the back of our car at a drive in movie. I thought it was a very exciting movie at the time but that was the only time I saw it, and would like to find a copy of it. I have not been able to find it in DVD or VHS yet, if anyone knows where it is available, please let me know. This movie has an Alfred Hitchcock feel to it, the suspense slowly builds to a climactic ending. I am surprised that it is not more well known as I have found few references to it on the internet. Most of the actors are not familiar to me except for Richard Attenborough whom I also enjoyed in "The Great Escape".