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    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1960s
    Movies - 1960s Movies - C 3 Mins Read

    Court Martial of Major Keller, The (1961)

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    Major Keller (Laurence Payne) is a highly decorated and respected British army officer, who is now facing a court-martial for willfully bringing about the death of his commanding officer Colonel Winch (Ralph Michael) on a WWII battlefield.

    The prosecution has a number of witnesses to testify that Keller was coveting Winch’s attractive wife Laura (Susan Stephen) and his psychiatric report indicates he is a man motivated by ambition who killed the colonel to secure a promotion for himself.

    Keller maintains that while he did bring about the death of his commanding officer, he did so with justification and in the line of duty as he considered him to be unfit to command (Winch had been drinking excessively and was cracking up mentally as a result of severe battle fatigue).

    Keller claims that while his regiment was in France, Winch’s condition was such that he led his men into a situation where they were heavily outnumbered by the Germans and at least one-third of them died.

    Worse followed when Winch put the security of the entire army at risk leaving Keller with no other option but to shoot him. Unfortunately, Keller has no one who can corroborate his story.

    A surprise witness eventually throws an unexpected light on the situation and the case against Keller is dropped. It seems, though, that the killing was unnecessary after all.

    The story is told in flashback through the eyes of witnesses and Keller himself. Though clearly made with a very low budget (the use of archive footage is particularly poor), the script is good (“Mr Avengers” Brian Clemens did the writing) and the acting is never less than acceptable.

    Although filmed in 1961, this British-made B-movie from the Danziger Brothers (who churned out dozens of cheap and cheerful “quota quickies” in the 1950s and 1960s) was not actually released in the UK until 1964.

    Major Keller
    Laurence Payne
    Laura Winch
    Susan Stephen
    Colonel Winch
    Ralph Michael
    Captain Harrison
    Richard Caldicot
    Morrell
    Basil Dignam
    Lt. Gen. Sir Harold Power
    Austin Trevor
    Major Wilson
    Simon Lack
    Miller
    Jack McNaughton
    Captain Cuby
    Hugh Cross
    Sergeant
    Peter Sinclair
    Lieutenant Cameron
    Humphrey Lestocq
    Burford
    Michael Anthony
    M.O. Aubrey
    John Barron
    Captain Phillips
    Richard Bennett
    Colonel Faversham
    John Brooking
    White
    Michael Collins
    Cummins
    David Courtney
    Colonel Callum
    John Trevor-Davis
    Thompson
    Tony Doonan
    Corporal Battersby
    Douglas Ives
    Beaumont
    Weyman Mackay
    Sergeant Penning
    Larry Noble
    Holt
    J. Mark Roberts
    Sergeant McCall
    Stuart Saunders
    Colonel Johnson
    John Scott
    Captain Fuller
    Mark Singleton
    Lieutenant Mace
    Graham Stewart
    Rydon
    Tony Thawnton
    Purvey
    Peter Vaughan

    Director
    Ernest Morris

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