The Big Gamble

Recently Juliette Greco died and France lost one of its greatest icons. It is easy to hear her wonderful singing voice, but less easy to see and hear her voice on film. Just for the fluidity of her facial expressions from anger to passion make anything she was in worthwhile. I liked her pairing with Stephen Boyd in this film, and they exuded enthusiasm, fun and obvious pleasure at being together. It is one of the most enjoyable of films, right from the beginning to the final scenes, and if during this period anyone wants cheering up try and track it down. It is what it says on the poster an adventure film set in an ' Africa ' that may not please the more politically correct, but enjoy it for the acting as none of the actors, including Sybil Thorndyke, Gregory Ratoff and David Wayne never put a foot wrong. And yet it is Greco's film and it is a great pity that this wonderful actress and singer is less known in the US and the UK as she should be. Forget the existentialist tag and just watch this very human woman who had warmth, a face that in its beauty could express anything without a word said, and yet when she did speak either in English and French the magic flows. ' The Big Gamble ' is one to see over and over again. Finally try to find this film in Cinemascope, as I have not succeeded in doing so.

Stephen Boyd and bride Juliette Gréco go to his family in Ireland, where matriarch Sybil Thorndike persuades the family to finance their scheme to start a trucking firm in Africa. The catch is they have to take along bank clerk David Wayne lest they do anything foolish or get into trouble. There is foolishness and trouble, of course, a lot of it provided by Wayne.

There's loads of nice scenery, and Africa looks good too. The movie was shot in Ireland and Côte D'Ivoire. Cinematographer William Mellor shoots the trucking scenes in the countryside to make the landscape look threatening, old lovers and Gregory Ratoff turn up; if the trials and tribulations make it look like THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT written very big, there's still meat on e bones of this story.

It's the fourth movie Miss Gréco appeared in for producer Darryl F. Zanuck in his European wanderjahr after handing over 20th Century-Fox to others. He would return after the disaster of CLEOPATRA, and be kicked out himself after TORA! TORA! TORA! bombed, the last of the old-line moguls. He would die in 1979, aged 77.

Not one of Richard Fleischer's happiest projects, (he complained Producer Darryl F. Zanuck insisted on coming to Africa with the crew and kept interfering). It's a romp that doesn't really romp; an African adventure that's played too broadly and in desperate need of a script, (Irwin Shaw did the screenplay and it wasn't his finest hour). Stephen Boyd is the brash, arrogant Irishman who heads to the Ivory Coast with French wife Juliette Greco and Irish cousin David Wayne in the hope of starting up a trucking business. Needless to say, things don't go too well. There are a few good set-pieces as well as too much local colour and the opening scenes in Dublin are now of some historical interest in showing how a city can change in fifty years. Ideal for a wet Saturday afternoon is about the best you can say for it.

I love this movie though I was very young when it was made and did not see it at the time. I thought it was fantastically well made. Very well acted by entire cast. But star of the film was the young boy Davey. I wonder what happened to the actor who played him, Fergal Stanley . Did he become a professional actor ? I imagine he is highly successful in his chosen field. Does anyone know did he make other films If so I would love to know. Top marks, highly recommended. Would love to hear others views on this and other films made around the same time with a similar theme that would be of interest and appeal to someone who loved The Big Gamble

This is an entertaining movie about the trials and tribulations, and there are many, of an Irishman, his wife and his cousin, as they decide to travel to the Ivory Coast to start a trucking business. For all you Stephen Boyd fans, in this one, he's young, handsome and Irish and has just the right rambling, pioneering spirit needed for the part. He's fun to watch! Juliette Greco is charming and amusing as his wife and David Wayne contributes well to some of the best scenes in the film.

The characters love, fight, get drunk, sing Irish ballads, and meet up with many out-of-the-ordinary local characters during this cross-continent global trek from Ireland to Africa.

There's never a dull moment! It's an enjoyable little film.