Moonfleet (1955)

Moonfleet is set in Dorset, England. The Fleet refers to the land just west of Portland, Southern England.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Jan Lustig (screenplay), Margaret Fitts (screenplay),

Stars:

Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stewart Granger	...	Jeremy Fox
George Sanders	...	Lord Ashwood
Joan Greenwood	...	Lady Ashwood
Viveca Lindfors	...	Mrs. Minton
Jon Whiteley	...	John Mohune
Liliane Montevecchi	...	Gypsy (as Liliane Montevecchi of the Ballet de Paris)
Melville Cooper	...	Felix Ratsey
Sean McClory	...	Elzevir Block
Alan Napier	...	Parson Glennie
John Hoyt	...	Magistrate Maskew
Donna Corcoran	...	Grace
Jack Elam	...	Damen
Dan Seymour	...	Hull
Ian Wolfe	...	Tewkesbury
Lester Matthews	...	Major Hennishaw

Storyline

Somewhere in the 18th century Great Britain, noble but penniless young boy John Mohune is sent by his dying mother to Moonfleet, to put himself under the protection of a certain Jeremy Fox. The boy discovers that Fox is both a former lover of his mother and the leader of a gang of buccaneers. A strange friendship grows as their adventures go on.

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Plot Keywords:

smuggling | diamond | one word title | coming of age | smuggler | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

24 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Schloss im Schatten

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the final film for Skelton Knaggs. This film was released almost two months after his death.

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Goofs

Right at the beginning of the film, when the little boy comes to, there's a shot where we can see the people surrounding him (as seen by the boy). But judging by the boy's place on the table in the next shot, he should be looking at the people upside down.

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Connections

Featured in Les messages de Fritz Lang (2001)

User Reviews

They dishonoured you sir.

"Two hundred years ago the great heath of Dorsetshire ran wild and bleak down to the sea. Here in the hidden caves and lonely villages, the smuggling bands plied their trades. And here, one October evening of the year 1757, a small boy came in search of a man whom he believed to be his friend"

This is the opening salvo for the MGM adaptation of J. Meade Falkner's novel of the same name. Miklós Rózsa's luscious sweeping score then tones down to let us read and savour, and from here on in we are hooked into this booming colourful adventure. With the makers practically overhauling J. Meade Falkner's novel, it's perhaps unsurprising that fans of the novel have no time for this. Thus if you have read the book and not seen the film then perhaps you best avoid it? Likewise those who are in to swashbuckling as a preferred genre, do not be lulled into the belief that because Stewart Granger is the lead character of Jeremy Fox here, that this is Scaramouche 2, because it has plenty of swash but not enough buckle for those of that persuasion.

You witless, gutless misbegotten gallows-bait!

Filmed in Cinemascope and Eastman Color, Moonfleet is a hugely enjoyable adventure that encompasses smugglers, rapscallions, wonderfully costumed soldiers, and crucially, an engaging bond between a man and his newly adopted son. The sets and Oceanside location are excellent, and the costumes from Walter Plunkett benefit greatly from the "coulourscope" filming process, Robert H. Plank's photography sharp and a treat for the eyes. Story wise there are plot holes to thrust your épée or foils thru, and goofs that have no place in a production such as this, but if a keg of smuggled brandy and a search for a hidden diamond has you interested? Well this will deliver without a shadow of a doubt. George Sanders, Joan Greenwood and young Jon Whiteley (excellent) join Granger in delighting to the end of this enjoyable piece. Fritz Lang directs and fuses Gothic traits with bravado adventure leanings and the results are very easy on the eye, go on, have a look see.

8/10 Hurrah!