Moonfleet
1955 History / Adventure / Drama
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Credits
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Summary
The setting is the windswept southwest coast of England in 1757. A young orphan,
John Mohune, arrives in the village of Moonfleet in search of his legal guardian, Jeremy
Fox. John quickly learns that Fox is the head of a band of smugglers, but, despite
the danger, he is reluctant to part from him. When he discovers that one of his
ancestors possessed a famous diamond, John is determined to recover it…
Review
This massively overrated period drama is barely recognisable as the work of one of the
world’s greatest directors, Fritz Lang. The Austrian director is reputed to have
hastily regretted signing the contract to make the film for MGM, and this can be seen
in the end result – a dreary, characterless adaptation of a tired historical novel.
Although the film was shot in CinemaScope – Lang’s one and only experience of the medium
– very little opportunity is made of the artistic possibilities this offers. Apart
from a few location sequences, the bulk of the film is shot in the studio, with unconvincing
exterior sequences that make the film look cheap and horribly dated. Stewart Granger
is appropriately cast as the ambiguous hero but appears disinterested in the role; like
Lang, he appears to be just going through the motions. Whilst MGM had been
expecting a swashbuckling adventure film along the lines of Treasure Island, what Lang
delivered was something quite different – an unpalatable mix of mild horror and Sunday
afternoon drama.
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