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Tiger Bay

1959 DVD Certificate PG.gif
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 37 members

A 12-year-old Hayley Mills made her big-screen debut in this melodramatic thriller as Gillie, a young girl living in Cardiff. She accidentally witnesses a Polish sailor named Korchinsky shoot his girlfriend dead in a fit of rage after he finds out she's left him for another man. Gillie steals the murder weapon, and tries to get .. Read more

Starring John Mills, Horst Buchholz, Hayley Mills, Anthony Dawson
Director J. Lee Thompson
Run time 102 mins
Genres Drama

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  • Critics' reviews (3) of Tiger Bay

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    Hayley Mills gives an astonishing performance here in her film debut, playing a young girl who befriends murderous sailor Horst Buchholz and hinders detective John Mills's investigation at every turn. The “kid and the killer” plot had cropped up regularly during the 1950s and this variation has nothing new to say on the subject. But J Lee Thompson (always a fine director of children) surrounds 12-year-old Hayley with credible characters and faithfully captures the sights and sounds of Cardiff's docklands.

    • Radio Times
  • 2 stars out of 4

    Generally very proficient police chase melodrama with strong characterizations: a considerable box-office success of its time.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful member's review of Tiger Bay

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  • Rated - 4 stars

    Tiger Bay

    I'm not a massive fan of black & white film - I'm all about the colour which I realise is limiting my horizons somewhat but what can you do? I only thought to rent this because I had just written an article about the destruction of 1950s Tiger Bay in Cardiff and I liked Hayley Mills in Pollyanna.

    As it was, I was very pleasantly surprised.

    The story of a young girl who witnesses a Polish sailor kill his lover in a jealous fit of rage, a whole range of emotions are to be found in a mere 105 minutes. The relationship that emerges between Gillie (Hayley Mills) and sailor Korchinsky (Horst Buchholz) is believable, beautiful and tragic to the last.

    To a modern audience, the pace may seem to move quite slowly but the tension of the film is so great that this hardly signifies. You find yourself ensnared by the characters almost immediately - their plight becomes your plight and, although you know the ending is inevitable, you cannot help but will it to be otherwise.

    Watch the film; it's short and you won't regret it. (And it certainly doesn't hurt that Buchholz is fantastically good-looking.)

      • A customer from Cardiff
  • Most recent members' review of Tiger Bay

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  • Rated - 3 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Great

    I have always loved Horst Buchholz especially in the Magnificent Seven

      • citygirl from London
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Rating breakdown

37 Member ratings
  • 100
2
  • 90
3
  • 80
11
  • 70
9
  • 60
5
  • 50
2
  • 40
2
  • 30
0
  • 20
2
  • 10
1

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