The Challenge, released as It Takes a Thief in the United States, is a 1960 British neo noir crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Jayne Mansfield and Anthony Quayle.[1]
The Challenge | |
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Directed by | John Gilling |
Written by | John Gilling |
Produced by | John Temple-Smith |
Starring | Jayne Mansfield and Anthony Quayle |
Cinematography | Gordon Dines |
Edited by | Alan Osbiston and John Victor-Smith |
Music by | Bill McGuffie |
Production company | Alexandra |
Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The film was shot in England from 12 October[2] to around December 1959. Mansfield flew back to America on the 16th, after she finished filming.[3]
Mansfield plays Billy, the ruthless gang leader who persuades Maxton to take part in a big robbery. Maxton is shopped and convicted of robbery. Maxton serves his time, returns home to his son. The gang want the money which he buried but Maxton wants nothing more to do with it or them. The gang then kidnap Maxton's son and demand the money as ransom. There follows a race against time to save Maxton's son. At the end of the film, a policeman tells Maxton that the stolen money had been found three years previously.[4]
Films directed by John Gilling | |
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