Moonfleet (1955)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

J. Meade Falkner (novel)
Jan Lustig (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 June 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Smuggling | One Word Title | Diamond | Based On Novel

Cast

Stewart Granger	...	Jeremy Fox
George Sanders	...	Lord James Ashwood
Joan Greenwood	...	Lady Clarista 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

Also Known As:

Das Schloß im Schatten (Austria) [de]
Das Schloss im Schatten (West Germany) [de]
Il covo dei contrabbandieri (Italy) [it]
Kätketty aarre (Finland) [fi]
Les contrebandiers de Moonfleet (France) [fr]
Los contrabandistas de Moonfleet (Spain) [es]
Mens bøddelen ventede (Denmark) [da]
O Tesouro do Barba Ruiva (Portugal) [pt]
O gentleman tou ypokosmou (Greece) [el]
Slottet i skuggan (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

USA:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (1955) (cut) | USA:Approved (certificate #17271) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Oceanside, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955)

Child's Eye Costumer

This is a late Fritz Lang effort for MGM, an odd assignment for him in that it's a Stewart Granger costume picture, not the sort of project one would expect the director to have been hired for. The film turns out quite nicely. It's a fairly conventional story of smuggler's on the English coast, features a fine cast of veteran players, many of whom had appeared in pictures of this sort before.

That the story is presented in large part through the eyes of a small boy lends it a measure of distinction. We see Granger's character much as the boy does, as a hero, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. Granger is excellent in the lead. Despite what appears to be a modest budget, this is a handsome film, in the grand manner. That it's a back-lot picture, thus not a real spectacle, is more than made up for by Lang's manner of dealing with his material. The movie feels like a fairy tale. The ending is unexpectedly moving, surprised me, and is still vivid in my memory.

While not a masterpiece, Moonfleet should satisfy admirers of its director and costume picture fans as well.