Moonfleet (1955) - film review

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…

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.

© James Travers 2007

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