offbeatlen Reviews

Armchair Cinema: Sea Song (1974) Season 1, Episode 3

Single-handed sailor discovers a stowaway on board

[6/10 · 27 November 2007]

Ray Carter is a young millionaire with an aversion to publicity. However he has entered his 35 foot catamaran "Gamma Ray" in a single-handed ocean race from the south of England to just north of the Azores and back. The second day he discovers a pretty girl stowaway on board and immediately tries unsuccessfully to dump her overboard. For a few days they spar at a distance, he resenting her presence since he is effectively disqualified from the race now and she unhappy because he will not accept her for what she appears to be. Their mutual animosity is eventually overcome to the point where on an island at which they have stopped to refill water containers, they are caught in a downpour and remove their clothes in an abandoned barn where they are sheltering. Making love comes quite naturally and the two seem to have gained mutual respect for one another until on the return trip to England, a press helicopter finds the boat and takes photographs of the two people on board. Upon arrival at the finish of the race, the paparazzi swarm all over the couple who initially decline comment. However, one member of the press seems to know the girl and asks if she has a good story. There is no immediate answer forthcoming and we leave the couple, he in his Rolls Royce and she in her sedan car going separate ways leaving the viewers wondering if she will tell the story or if they will get back together later.

Ha'penny Breeze (1950)

Typical morality play where good triumphs over not so good

[18 October 2001]

I recall seeing this old movie back in the 1950's when I was living in UK. It was particularly interesting at the time since the action takes place at Pin Mill in Suffolk on the River Orwell which is just up the river from where I lived at the time.

As mentioned by the other reviewer, it is b&w and involves yachts and I believe barges are also part of the action. I would love to see a release of this on late night TV or in a collection of B-movies since it has the kind of appeal which so few movies have today.