Albert RN
Encyclopedia
Albert R.N. is a 1953
British war film directed by Lewis Gilbert
and starring Anthony Steel.
inmates of a POW camp think they have an informer among them after several escape attempts fail. One of the prisoners makes a dummy
which they christen "Albert" and use at roll call
in order to foil the German
guards.
, the prisoner of war camp in northern Germany for naval officers. It was used as a stand-in for a head count while a prisoner escaped and was used on two separate occasions. Worsley made a new 'Albert' for use in the film. Senior Commissioned Gunner (TAS) Lieut. John William Goble RN. aided Worsley in the developement of "Albert" in the POW camp, Marlag O and acted as technical adviser for the film. Worsely made a third 'Albert' for the retrospective exhibition of his work held in Brighton College
's Burstow Gallery. After the show, it was donated to the Royal Naval Museum
Portsmouth.
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
British war film directed by Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert CBE is an English film director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:He was the son of music hall performers, and spent his early years travelling with his parents, and watching the shows from the side of the stage. He first performed on-stage at the age of 5, when asked to drive a...
and starring Anthony Steel.
Plot
The BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
inmates of a POW camp think they have an informer among them after several escape attempts fail. One of the prisoners makes a dummy
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
which they christen "Albert" and use at roll call
Roll call
Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a list to determine the presence or absence of the listed people . The term applies to the calling itself, to the time moment of this procedure, and to a military signal that announces it Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a...
in order to foil the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
guards.
Historical background
The film is based on a true story. Albert R.N. was a dummy constructed by John Worsley (1919–2000) in Marlag OMarlag und Milag Nord
Marlag und Milag Nord was a German Prisoner-of-war camp in Military District X, located near Westertimke, Germany.There were over 5,000 Allied Merchant seamen captured by the German forces during World War II...
, the prisoner of war camp in northern Germany for naval officers. It was used as a stand-in for a head count while a prisoner escaped and was used on two separate occasions. Worsley made a new 'Albert' for use in the film. Senior Commissioned Gunner (TAS) Lieut. John William Goble RN. aided Worsley in the developement of "Albert" in the POW camp, Marlag O and acted as technical adviser for the film. Worsely made a third 'Albert' for the retrospective exhibition of his work held in Brighton College
Brighton College
Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...
's Burstow Gallery. After the show, it was donated to the Royal Naval Museum
Royal Naval Museum
The Royal Naval Museum is the museum of the history of the Royal Navy in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard section of HMNB Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. Its current Acting Director is Graham Dobbin....
Portsmouth.
Cast
- Anthony Steel as Lieutenant Geoffrey Ainsworth
- Jack WarnerJack Warner (actor)Jack Warner OBE was an English film and television actor. He is closely associated with the role of PC George Dixon, which he played until the age of eighty....
as Captain Maddox - Robert BeattyRobert BeattyRobert Beatty was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.-Career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Beatty began his acting career in Britain in 1939....
as Lieutenant Jim Reed - William SylvesterWilliam SylvesterWilliam Sylvester was an American television and film actor. His most famous film credit was Dr. Heywood Floyd in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey...
as Lieutenant 'Texas' Norton - Michael Balfour as Lieutenant Henry Adams
- Guy MiddletonGuy MiddletonGuy Middleton Powell, usually credited as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor.Middleton was born in Hove, England and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before turning to acting in the 1930s...
as Captain Barton - Paul CarpenterPaul Carpenter (actor)Paul Carpenter was an Canadian actor and singer.He sang with Ted Heath and His Music in the 1940s.-Selected filmography :* Landfall * Albert R.N. * The House Across the Lake...
as Lieutenant Erickson - Moultrie KelsallMoultrie KelsallMoultrie Rowe Kelsall was a Scottish film and television character actor, who began his career in the industry as a radio station director and television producer...
as Commander Dawson - Eddie ByrneEddie ByrneEddie Byrne was an Irish actor. Outside Ireland he is probably best known for his minor role as General Vanden Willard in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but fans of cult sci-fi might also remember him as the skeptical Inspector Mulrooney in The Mummy and as the kindly Dr. Reginald Landers in...
as Commander Brennan - Geoffrey Hibbert as Lieutenant Craig
- Peter JonesPeter Jones (actor)Peter Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.-Early life and career:Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory...
as Lieutenant Browne - Frederick ValkFrederick ValkFrederick Valk was a German-born Jewish stage and screen actor of Czech descent who fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution, and subsequently became a naturalised British citizen...
as Camp Kommandant - Anton DiffringAnton DiffringAnton Diffring , born Alfred Pollack, was a German actor.-Biography:Diffring was born in Koblenz...
as Captain Schultz - Frederick Schiller as Hermann
- Walter GotellWalter GotellWalter Gotell was a German actor, known for his role as General Gogol, head of the KGB, in the James Bond film series.Gotell was born in Bonn, Germany; his family emigrated to the United Kingdom after the Nazis came to power...
as Feldwebel - Peter SwanwickPeter SwanwickPeter Swanwick was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" in the 1967 TV series, The Prisoner...
as Obergefreiter