| Never Let Go | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Guillermin |
| Produced by | Peter De Sarigny |
| Written by | Peter de Sarigny Alun Falconer |
| Starring | Peter Sellers Richard Todd |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Editing by | Ralph Sheldon |
| Distributed by | Rank Films |
| Release date(s) | 7 June, 1960 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Never Let Go is a 1960 British thriller film starring Peter Sellers and Richard Todd. It concerns a man's purchase, loss of, and attempt to recover a Ford Anglia car. Sellers played a London villain, in one of his rare straight roles.
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John Cummings (Richard Todd), a struggling salesman, buys a Ford Anglia car from Lionel Meadows (Peter Sellers) a London car dealer. Meadows, a criminal looking to make quick money, has a young petty thief Tommy Towers (Adam Faith) steal the car.
Cummings, who needed the car to keep his job, becomes desperate. He begins to become suspicious, and starts investigating the activities of Meadows and his associate Cliff (David Lodge). Meadows, disturbed by his inquiries, murders the only witness who could identify the carjackers.
Despite being warned off by the police, Cummings persists in his attempts to recover the car, even when his wife (Elizabeth Sellars) threatens to leave him and take the children away. He finds the weak link in Meadows' operation, his young girlfriend Jackie (Carol White) whom he continually threatens and abuses.
Taking Jackie under his wing, Cummings sets out to prove that he is correct and that Meadows is a major criminal, stealing dozens of cars. He eventually convinces the police, but even then, they are not too bothered at helping him recover his car. Cummings is forced to take the law into his own hands.
Critical reception to Never Let Go was mixed. A 1963 review of the film in the New York Times was unfavourable, describing Sellers "grinding his way through the rubble of a drearily routine plot" and attributed his performance in the film, different from his usual comedic roles, to "That itch to play Hamlet, I suppose; a desire to change his pace, which Mr. Sellers has often proclaimed he likes to do".[1] Sellers was unhappy with the reception that he received and this reputedly led him to swear that, in future, he would stick to comic roles. (His lead role in Waltz of the Toreadors is certainly comedic although the film itself is best described as a drama.)
Ironically, a number of other players in Never Let Go made their reputations in comedy; this is particularly so of Peter Jones who plays Richard Todd's ruthless boss.
Much of the action takes place at Chichester Place, Paddington and the Victory Cafe exterior shots were taken outside 2a Chichester Place.
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