The Syndicate (1968 film)

1968 British film by Frederic Goode

The Syndicate

DVD cover

Directed by| Frederic Goode
Written by| Geoffrey Hays
Produced by| Harry Field
Starring| William Sylvester
June Ritchie
Robert Urquhart
Cinematography| George Stevens
Music by| Edwin Astley

Color process| Colour by
Technicolor

Production
company

Associated British-Pathé

Distributed by| Warner Pathé Distributors (UK)
American International Pictures (USA TV)

Release date

* 1968 (1968)

Running time

| 106 minutes
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

The Syndicate (also known as Kenya: Country of Treasure and Treasure in Kenya) is a 1968 British film directed by Frederic Goode for Pathé Films, from a screenplay by Geoffrey Hays, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Denys Rhodes.[1][2] The film stars William Sylvester, June Ritchie, Robert Urquhart and Christian Doermer.

## Plot

[edit]

An American, down on his luck, joins a German uranium prospector and a Kenyan couple to search for uranium. A series of tragic and mysterious events strike the party.

## Cast

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* William Sylvester as Burt Hickey
* June Ritchie as Mari Brant
* Robert Urquhart as George Brant
* Christian Doermer as Kurt Hohmann
* John Bennett as Dr. Singh

## Release

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The film was passed by the British Board of Film Classification on 3 March 1967, with a running time of 106 minutes. It was cut to 63 minutes and released as a supporting feature to Wait Until Dark in September 1968.[3] A 91-minute version was obtained by American International Pictures television division as part of a feature-film package, and was retitled Kenya: Country of Treasure.[4]

## Reception

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The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Frederic Goode has more than once in the past proved himself an interesting if minor director, but this African adventure is very undistinguished. Nothing is made of the Kenya locations, and the story is stilted melodrama. Substantial cuts may be partly to blame, but even in this truncated version the film is nowhere near incisive enough to be remotely interesting."[5]

## References

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1. ^ "The Syndicate". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
2. ^ Broderick, Mick (1991). Nuclear Movies: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of International Feature Length Films Dealing with Experimentation, Aliens, Terrorism, Holocaust, and Other Disaster Scenarios, 1914–1990. McFarland Publishing. ISBN 978-0899505435.
3. ^ "The Syndicate (1968) - IMDb". IMDb.
4. ^ p.222 Craig, Rob American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography McFarland, 19 Feb 2019
5. ^ "The Syndicate". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 35 (408): 160. 1 January 1968. ProQuest 1305824479.

## External links

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* The Syndicate at IMDb