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Adventure

Sammy Going South

"Incredible Adventure in a Land That Knows a Thousand Dangers!"

User Score15 votes
62%6.2/10
Release1963
Runtime2H 8M
LanguageEnglish
StatusReleased

Synopsis

After he is orphaned by an air raid on Port Said during the Suez Crisis, a young boy attempts to go by himself from the Suez Canal to Durban in South Africa where his nearest relative, Aunt Jane, lives. On the way he meets a variety of different people who help or hinder his journey - including an ageing diamond smuggler.

Principal Cast8

Full Cast & Crew (42)

Media3

Backdrops

Sammy Going South backdrop 1

Posters

Sammy Going South poster 1
Sammy Going South poster 2

Director

Alexander Mackendrick

Alexander Mackendrick

Director →

Trailer

Certification

NR

Keywords

africajourneychild protagonistsuez crisis

External Links

Reviews1

Wuchak6/10

**_A 10 years-old boy’s colorful adventures in western Africa_** After a tragic bombing during the Suez Crisis in November, 1956, an English lad is forced to flee Port Said, Egypt, and travel to Durban, South Africa, a journey of some 5000 miles. Along the way he runs into an Arab “guide,” a concerned white woman tourist (Constance Cummings) and an old man hunter (Edward G. Robinson). “A Boy Ten Feet Tall” (1963) is also known by the name of the 1961 novel it’s based on, “Sammy Going South” (an inferior title). It’s, thankfully, not a Disney kid’s flick, but more along the lines of the future "The Black Stallion Returns" and, especially, “Duma,” which happens to be the best of the lot. Both this movie and “Duma” feature a galago (bush baby) scene. The director went on to do “A High Wind in Jamaica,” which is cut from the same cloth, an exotic adventure featuring kids and adults. It runs 1 hour, 53 minutes, and was shot at Shepperton Studios, just southwest of London, with location work done in Kenya (Mombasa), Uganda and Tanganyika, which is now Tanzania. GRADE: B-

Aug 22, 2025

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Countries:United Kingdom
Production:Michael Balcon ProductionsBryanston FilmsBritish Lion FilmsParamount Pictures