McGuire, Go Home! (1965) User Reviews

Conflicting loyalties make for tough love between soldier & civilian in Cyprus.

[Neil-117 · 7/10 · 3 September 2000]

Something of a romantic potboiler but strongly redeemed by two factors which stamp it as a thoroughly British rather than a Hollywood production. First, the gritty realism of its portrayal of the Cypriot independence struggle against British military rule in the 1950s. Second, its warts-and-all portrayal of everyday relationships and behaviour, instead of the typical Hollywood sanitized morality of the era.

All you need to know about Cyprus is that the locals ran a successful guerilla war against British rule in the 1950s. Against that background, the movie sets up a tangle of love and conflicting loyalties for a British officer and a beautiful Cypriot-American visitor, which generates plenty of action, suspense and tough moral choices. The characters are portrayed with refreshing realism - a few four and seven letter words pepper the script along with references to rape, divorce, alcoholism and extra-marital sex, which would have been fairly shocking for the era and probably even when the movie was made in the 1960s.

Despite a few improbable aspects of the plot (eg the officer lives in an unguarded apartment in town where his security is always at risk), the overall result is a convincingly bold, brassy, in-your-face portrayal of life and love in the middle of a dirty war - and a moderately good thriller into the bargain.

Love me some Dirk

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 5 May 2010]

"The High Bright Sun" is a 1964 film about an American girl (Susan Strasberg) caught in the Cypriot fight against the British in the '50s. The stars are Dirk Bogarde, George Chakiris and Denholm Elliot. While staying at the home of a family friend, Strasberg sees someone that she's not supposed to, and the guerrillas decide that she has to die before she tells a frequent visitor to the house, Major McGuire (Bogarde) what she's seen.

Bogarde made this film for Betty Box and Ralph Thomas of the Rank "Doctor" franchise, and it was apparently an unpleasant experience. He wasn't feeling well, the location town was a little too primitive for his tastes, and he got into a huge fight with the director, Thomas, at one point. Fortunately it was a pretty fast shoot.

Beautiful location shots and lots of suspense as the Strasberg character runs for her life. The performances are good - Strasberg could have been stronger, but the script was a little sketchy in regard to her character.

I think anything with Bogarde is worth watching.

A romantic drama with action , shootouts and pursuits , being set during the revolutionary riots for Cyprus independence

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 6 July 2019]

Set in Island of Cyprus in the revolutionary 1957, there rebels fight against the occupying English forces , during the bloody political minefield of the fifties . it deals with a student who spends a vacation at a villa to investigate about archeologic excavation and then she becomes trapped between the two warring sides . As she witnesses a resistance attack against British military in which die some soldiers. Shortly after, the vengeful local guerrilla plots to murder her in order to silence her. Dirk Bogarde is Major McGuire, an English officer whose efforts to stem Eoka guerrilla are compromised when he falls in love for American-Cyprus gal called Juno , Susan Strasberg, who is caught in the tumultuous war . As she stands at a villa where appears some Cypriot guerrilleros leaders, George Chakiris , and the chief guerrilla, Gregoire Aslan, is hiding . Along the way Juno, Susan Strasberg, is mercilessly chased by Chakiris who lays it on as a fanatical patriot . Before you stop a Bullet , before you trip over a love affair , before you foul up the whole revolution...

This is a thriller movie more than a romatic drama , in which there are thrills , emotion , crossfire , a love story , and a long as well as relentless pursuit . Misguided director Ralph Thomas attempts to create a romantic drama out of the British military presence in the late 50s , there a British Intelligence man becomes involved with an archeology student lodging at a villa . It is an acceptable and decent film , unfortunately , the storyline by Ian Stuart Beach from his own novel does not make it through the political scenarios created by a very thunderous independence conflict. Main cast, Dirk Bogarde , Susan Strasberg , George Chakiris , give enjoyable acting , similar to support cast, formed by a fine plethora of British actors , such as : Nigel Stock , Denholm Eliott , Gregoire Aslan, George Pastell, Colin Campbell , Joseph Fuest , among others .

It contains a colorful and brilliant cinematography by Ernest Steward . And evocative and atmospheric musical score by the Italian Angelo Francesco Lavagnino . This film , The high bright sun , also titled : McGuire go home , was well produced by Betty Box for the Rank Organization , being profesionally directed by Ralph Thomas , though it has some failures , flaws and gaps . Thomas was a good British craftsman who directed several films of all kinds of genres with a special penchant for comedy . His fetish actor was Dick Bogarde with whom worked in various films , many of them belong to "Doctor series" , as Doctor in house . As Ralph Thomas made : The Clouded yellow , Appointment with Venus , Upstairs and downstairs, Conspiracy of hearts , Hot-enough for June , The wind can not read , Nobody runs forever , Quest for love , Percy , Percy progress , and a Hitchcock remake : 39 stairs . Rating : 6/10. The flick will appeal to Dirk Bogarde fans .

THE HIGH BRIGHT SUN (Ralph Thomas, 1964) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 14 January 2009]

Though glossy and peopled with stars (Dirk Bogarde, Susan Strasberg and George Chakiris), this is a surprisingly compelling – if obviously biased – film about the 1950s British 'invasion' of Cyprus. Truth be told, the first half is pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff, but the latter stages – involving the various assassination attempts on Strasberg's life (a naturalized American local who, having accidentally stumbled upon a secret meeting at which the leaders of the Resistance were present, is feared to have revealed all to enemy official Bogarde, whom she has befriended and subsequently romances) – generate considerable suspense and excitement. The first plot has her being ambushed in the countryside, though the son of the eminent doctor (an old family friend) she was lodging with alerts her to this and even defends her with his life; later, she and Bogarde are besieged inside his flat; finally, the impulsive Chakiris opts to deal with the matter personally and boards the plane which is supposed to take the heroine to safety in Athens (where, however, both the flamboyant Denholm Elliott and the enigmatic George Pastell vigil over her). While Bogarde isn't particularly taxed by his stiff-upper-lipped serviceman role, Strasberg comes off quite well as the confused but resilient girl – the unwitting pawn of a dangerous political game. Also notable is the unusual score, at once exotic and moody, curiously supplied by an Italian (Angelo Francesco Lavagnino).

Almost great

[sobot · 7/10 · 12 July 2014]

I like many things about this movie. First, the story. Although it certainly has flaws, it is very interesting. All the time I was watching the movie I was trying to decide if the British and the Cyprus people were portrayed objectively or not. With the exception of few scenes (boys with a knife in the beginning and the character of Hagios) I think they are. For most of the movie Bogarde is not a nice guy at all. This only goes to show the wide variety of roles he embodied.

And I must say that I don't understand other people's negative comments about Susan Strasberg, I think she was great here. And most of all, she was gorgeous, in a natural way.

If only the plot was relieved from a few clumsy turns, it could have been a great movie...

bubblehead tourist

[dbdumonteil · 13 May 2003]

This is not for Bogarde fans:we are far from Visconti or Losey here.I wonder why he agreed to take part in such a dumb movie.The political background is botched ,for instance Chakiris 's character is a villain,period:he has no thoughts,no motivations,no opinions ,and he does not seem to care at all.But the biggest flaw is the late Susan Strasberg's "performance":she seems unable to act ;when she learns,on her way to the airport,that she can be killed any minute now,she's about as expressive as a Barbie Doll.Another priceless scene happens when she hitch- hikes and bumps into the machoest man in the island -who tries to rape her of course-Why Bogarde wants to marry this bubblehead girl remains the movie's biggest mystery!

The script ,full of holes and incoherent -on the plane,Strasberg proves she's not afraid of looking ridiculous once more-,leads nowhere,and the various titles (English: "a high bright sun";America:"" Go Home,McGuire"(sic);France:"dernière mission à Nicosie" ) shows that nobody seems to understand what they try to say.The hero is English of course and the poor girl's attentive escort , this tourist so mistreated by the villains,the Cypriot of course.

It's 1957 and you want a vacation....so why not pick a war zone?!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 17 June 2017]

Back in 1957, Cypriots were fighting against the British occupying forces. After all, they wanted their own government and not be a colony of the United Kingdom. The viewer is expected to believe that in the midst of this civil war, an American tourist goes to Cypress to hang out with the locals and garden! Yes, Juno (Susan Strasberg) is apparently interested in hanging out in a war zone. And, while she wishes to remain neutral and on good terms with the Brits and locals, she is inexorably pulled into it...and doesn't have the common sense to leave.

So despite a dumb set-up, why did I watch this film? Because it stars Dirk Bogarde...and I'd watch this excellent actor in anything. Unfortunately, in addition to the dopey story idea, the film itself is sluggish and amazingly uninteresting...with an almost detached emotional feel to it. Not a good film but not exactly terrible either.

A reasonably effective thriller!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 28 September 2017]

Nowhere near the dog everyone says it is. In fact, judged purely as an action thriller, it's very effective indeed. Some outstanding action scenes are topped by a tingling suspenseful sequence in which Miss Strasberg is stalked across the countryside by a couple of fanatical assassins.

Bogarde handles the hero bit with his usual quiet flair and assurance, Miss Strasberg looks properly terrified as the constantly imperiled heroine, whilst George Chakiris makes an unusual but all the more chilling for that, heavy. Joseph Furst is somewhat inadequate as the ambivalent doctor, but the rest of the players, particularly Nigel Stock, Denholm Elliott and Gregoire Aslan contribute strongly.

As a political tract, "The High Bright Sun" leaves just about everything unsaid. The conflict is perceived almost solely as a plot device. It works, though one does have a hankering to see the American version which doubtless trims some of the dialogue scenes and sharpens the pace.

Director, Ralph Thomas, compounds the sluggishness of many of the episodes in the Andros household and the romantic bits between Bogarde and Strasberg by shooting these mostly in TV-style close- ups, reserving his fluid camera-work for the action spots.

Produced on a lavish budget, with Technicolor photography making the most of both mayhem and scenery, "The High Bright Sun" was not calculated to soothe the critics who ten years earlier had rubbished Bogarde's similarly superficial venture into civil strife (but nonetheless effective simply as a thriller), "Simba".

Takes A Long Time To Get Going

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 23 April 2021]

One of the numerous end of empire films made at this time. Part of Ranks attempts to make more exotic films in other parts of the world.

Using 2 American actors to try and bolster the US box office. Strasberg hadn't made a film in 3 years and walks through this film as a somnambulist. Ludicrously she has an affair with Bogarde who is himself rather stiff. George Chakiris looks like a Saville Row model with a different change of clothing for each scene. The film doesn't get going till about an hour has passed.

Atmospheric spy thriller set in exotic locations

[kluseba · 8/10 · 23 June 2018]

The High Bright Sun is a movie that I watched as a child on German television and I immediately fell in love with it. I liked the cool title, the melodic soundtrack, the stunning landscapes, the solid acting and the gripping mixture between adventurous action scenes, historic references and a little love story. More or less twenty years later, I decided to revisit this film to see whether I would like it as much being an adult now. It turns out that I do.

Great movies often start with few words but impressive images. This is also the case here. We see British soldiers on Cyprus who are looking tense and nervous while civilians look at them with scorn and sulk. These opening three minutes set the tone for the rest of the movie. The story revolves around the Cyprus Uprising against British rule in the late fifties. Juno is an American archaeology student of Cypriot origin who stays at the beautiful mansion of Doctor Andros, a childhood friend of her father. She nearly gets assaulted when two local teenagers mistake her for a British woman. Soon after, she witnesses how two British soldiers get killed in their vehicle. She arrives at the scene of the crime where a dying soldier tells her that he recognized the man who attacked him from a photograph before he loses consciousness and ultimately dies. It turns out that the assailant is a general and important figure in the resistance movement who is hiding at Doctor Andros' mansion. The rebels are afraid Juno could be aware of what's going on and betray them. Doctor Andros trusts her and believes she doesn't understand what's going on. Charismatic British intelligence officer McGuire seeks Juno's cooperation in order to dismantle the group of rebels. Tension rises as the young American student gets caught in a deadly conflict that isn't hers.

There are three elements that distinguish this British production from most Hollywood productions around the same time. First of all, the movie has a gritty and tense tone from start to finish and even the few romantic passages are always quite short and not overacted. Secondly, the movie deals with some controversial topics such as codes of honor, extramarital relationships and even attempted rape. Thirdly, the movie isn't as one-sided as one could have expected. Some Cypriot rebels are pitiless while others show compassion. Some British soldiers are shown as brave while others are revealed as being stupid. This fits to the two lead characters. The American student is charming and friendly but she also risks the lives of those around her with her at times careless behavior. The British intelligence officer wants to solve murder cases and dismantle a group of rebels but he treats the American student rudely at times, makes fun of his superiors and even gets discharged at a certain point. The authentic characters are all very profound and have clear strengths and weaknesses.

The only element one could criticize nowadays is that the movie has a lot of dialogues, especially in the middle section. However, the dialogues are very solid and add some content and depth to an authentic and suspenseful film. It's an intelligent action-thriller that takes its time to unfold and doesn't use too many special effects to convince. This is the kind of directing that I really like but younger audiences might find it slightly boring because they aren't used to this type of film-making. The last forty-five minutes or so are however more fast-paced than the rest and should keep any viewer on the edge of the seat.

If you like action-thrillers with profound characters in an exotic setting, you will certainly like The High Bright Sun. Those who admire the first few James Bond movies will find something similar here but with a more realistic plot. Even though the movie obviously features the behavior, music and styles of the mid-sixties, it has stood the test of time as the story, settings and characters are quite authentic. It was a pleasure revisiting the movie and I would certainly watch it again and recommend it to anyone.

Good enough for Cyprus, Dirk Bogarde and the sly terrorist George Chakiris.

[clanciai · 8/10 · 1 July 2017]

Nothing wrong with this film, giving an interesting insight into the Cypriotic war of independence against the British in 1957, with an innocent American tourist getting caught in the civil war and a very difficult time getting out of it. Dirk Bogarde is excellent and enjoyable as always, Denholm Elliott makes a great performance but is punished for it in the end, and yet he resolved all the most difficult situations; George Chakiris is convincing enough as a very cold-blooded terrorist, he worms his way like a snake in awesome intelligence, while you could discuss Susan Strasberg - is she really the right actress for such a part? She tries to get away with it by appearing silly, but she isn't, and although she isn't she really can't cope with the awful situations she gets caught in by no fault of hers and consequently makes a rather awkward show of it. You could also discuss the realism of the terrorist plot - were the freedom fighters of Cyprus really that bad? They are not quite convincing, and although the fugitive general is, George Chakiris is not. He is too evil, as only films can make that sort of guys. Anyway, there is nothing wrong with the film which gets more exciting all the time, and it's a great story. You only wonder what would happen to the doctor afterwards. After all, his situation with double loyalties mixed up with all political opponents and contraries is the most difficult of all, and he is the one who really pays for it.

Rare excursion into the end of Empire

[lyganywern · 8/10 · 24 October 2018]

Possibly the only film set during the Cyprus troubles of the 1950s. Despite the wooden acting of the female star I found this an interesting exploration of the subject. Unfortunately, the political side is not clarified. This was not a simple struggle by "restistance" against "military rule". The main protagonist was the EOKA organisation which, plainly put, wanted "Enosis" or union with Greece. Needless to say the Turkish Cypriots were none too keen on this and seemed more pro the British Administration. EOKA's military leader was a Greek army officer, General Grivas - to whom the guerrilla chief in the film bears a striking resemblance. Echoes of this era linger today with the division of the island between Greek and Turk Cypriot inhabitants.

Landmark!

[anvar_a · 13 October 2004]

After all theses many years, the film stands out in my memory mainly for one thing:

It was the first time I ever heard a swear word -- "bastard" -- on screen. (One of the characters is referred to as a "sneaky little bastard").

In those innocent times we were so taken aback that we thought we had heard wrong.

The next notch up the scale, incidentally, came about six years later when I saw "Woodstock" and actually heard the F word....

I also remember High Bright Sun for George Chakiris -- such a charismatic young actor -- and so sad that he faded out soon after

Where can I get a video tape of this movies?

[112233 · 19 March 2002]

I have seen this movie back in the sixties, and this is one of my favorite top ten thriller. I rated it ten. Especially the character George Chakiris played in this film is so much different from all his other movies. Did anybody know where I can get a video tape of this movie. Please e-mail me if you know.

Thanks