Fury at Smuggler's Bay (1961)

Squire Trevenyan (Peter Cushing), a magistrate in 18th century Cornwall becomes entangled with a dangerous gang of shipwreckers led by the brutal Black John (Bernard Lee). In attempting to stop the wreckers one evening, his son Christopher (John Fraser) kills one of the men. He feels that his testimony to their actions is enough to put the whole gang in chains, yet his father is reluctant to do so and instead ushers his son away to London. Black John has a hold over the squire that he is reluctant to admit and it takes a dashing highwayman known as the Captain (William Franklyn) to finally set things right and stop the wreckers. 

Fury at Smugglers' Bay was a British production released in 1961. Swashbuckling films were not too common in the early 1960s, especially British-made ones, so this film was well-received upon its release. Director John Gilling did an excellent job of keeping the story engaging with taut direction, beautiful location shooting (with Wales taking the place of Cornwall), and populating the film with a very capable cast of actors. 

John Fraser was one of the most underrated young actors of British films of the 1960s. He is best known today for his performance of Lord Alfred Douglas in The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1963) but he made a number of light dramas and comedies as well (The Horsemasters, Tunes of Glory, Tamahine, A Study in Terror) and was just an overall well-rounded actor who could tackle any role with conviction. In Fury, he plays the heroic son of the squire who loves the daughter of a tavern keeper known to be involved in smuggling activities... not the ideal match for a man in his noble position so this puts him in a upsetting relationship with his father.

Michèle Mercier plays this lucky lass named Louise. Mercier was the French version of Gina Lollobrigida and was often cast in parts owing to her shapely figure and not her acting ability, not that it was second-rate. June Thorburn also has a small part in the film as the squire's daughter Jenny. This lovely English actress is best known for her roles in Tom Thumb (1960) and The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1963) but she also did a number of interesting television productions including an adaptation of Wuthering Heights in 1962. John Gilling later used her in another of his swashbucklers, The Crimson Blade (1963). 

William Franklyn was a prolific film and television actor who played a similar glamourized highwayman in Walt Disney's The Legend of Young Dick Turpin (1965). Liz Fraser, of the Carry On series, plays a barmaid, and George Coulouris plays Louise's "papa" who is involved in the smuggling. Bernard Lee takes the spotlight as the ruffian Black John. This was a far cry from his later dignified role as the head of MI6 in the James Bond series. Lastly, the star of the film, Peter Cushing does a good job as Squire Trevenyan, although he could have given off a little more emotion, which would have made the character less dutifully dull.

One associates Peter Cushing with Hammer Film Productions, so much so that even when he switches studios the film takes on the appearance of a Hammer Production. Fury at Smugglers' Bay was produced by John Gilling Enterprises and distributed by Regal Films International, yet it has all the earmarks of a Hammer film production - Eastmancolor, lush photography by Harry Waxman (The Family Way, Beast in the Cellar), roguish heroes, buxom barmaids, and a historical period setting. All that was missing was Christopher Lee and some additional splattering of blood...but thankfully, neither appeared in this production. 

Overall, Fury at Smugglers' Bay is an engrossing swashbuckler and a great film to watch on a rainy afternoon, but it could have used a touch of humor and a bit more of Universal Studios' "swash" added into the mix to make it more rousing and memorable. Nevertheless, if it appears on television, it is worth a watch.