MOONFLEET [1995 / 2019] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
Wild and Wonderful as the Thrill – Packed Novel That Inspired It!
Adventure and intrigue await all ye who venture into the small and sinister village of Moonfleet on the windswept moors of Dorset (Dorsetshire). Particularly as directed by master-of-menace Fritz Lang, this colourful tale of a young boy’s experiences among some really bad companions enthrals in the tradition of the films like ‘Kidnapped’ and ‘Treasure Island.’
Here, young John Mohune [Jon Whiteley] arrives at his ancestral estate, now owned by the dashing, and mysterious Jeremy Fox [Stewart Granger]. Out of love for the boy’s mother, but against his better judgment, Jeremy Fox grudgingly allows John Mohune to stay. Jeremy Fox soon becomes attached to the boy, but his devotion is tested when John Mohune discovers a hidden smugglers lair beneath the village graveyard and learns a shocking secret that could cost both John Mohune and Jeremy Fox their lives.
FILM FACT: The book “Moonfleet” was published in England in 1898 but not published in the USA until 1951. M-G-M bought the film rights and announced Stewart Granger as the star immediately. William Wright was originally going to produce the film. At one stage Merle Oberon was going to be the female lead. Eventually actress Joan Greenwood was brought over from England. In October 1953 the film was officially put on M-G-M's schedule. The film was a critical and financial failure on release. According to M-G-M records the movie earned $567,000 in the USA and Canada and $1,007,000 overseas. It made a loss of $1,203,000. The film was released in France in 1960 and had 917,219 admissions. The prestigious French film publication Cahiers du Cinéma named ‘MOONFLEET’ as one of the 100 most essential films ever made, listing it at #32.
Cast: Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood, Viveca Lindfors, Jon Whiteley, Liliane Montevecchi, Melville Cooper, Sean McClory, Alan Napier, John Hoyt, Donna Corcoran, Jack Elam, Dan Seymour, Ian Wolfe, Lester Matthews, Skelton Knaggs, Richard Hale, John Alderson, Ashley Cowan, Frank Ferguson, Booth Colman, Oliver Blake (uncredited), Leo Britt (uncredited), Dorinda Clifton (uncredited), Tom Cound (uncredited), Charles Davis (uncredited), Jean Del Val (uncredited), Michelle Ducasse (uncredited), Elspeth Dudgeon (uncredited), George Ford (uncredited), Alex Frazer (uncredited), Stuart Hall (uncredited), Dick Johnstone (uncredited), Lillian Kemble-Cooper (uncredited), Colin Kenny (uncredited), Guy Kingsford (uncredited), James Logan (uncredited), Peggy Maley (uncredited), Keith McConnell (uncredited), John O'Malley (uncredited), Patrick O'Moore (uncredited), Bruce Payne (uncredited), Hilda Plowright (uncredited), Jack Raine (uncredited), Gordon Richards (uncredited), Erin Selwyn (uncredited), Guy Teague (uncredited), Wilson Wood (uncredited) and Ben Wright (uncredited)
Director: Fritz Lang
Producers: John Houseman and Jud Kinberg
Screenplay: Jan Lustig (screenplay), Margaret Fitts (screenplay) and J. Meade Falkner (novel)
Composer: Miklós Rózsa
Costume Designer: Walter Plunkett
Color Consultant: Alvord Eisem
Cinematography: Robert Planck, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Eastman Color)
Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1 (CinemaScope)
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 86 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: With the film ‘MOONFLEET’ [1995] we are informed at the start of the film, that Two Hundred years ago, the great heath of Dorset [Dorsetshire] ran wild and black down to the sea. Here, in hidden coves and lonely villages, the smuggling bands plied their violent trade, And here, one October evening in the year of 1775, a small boy came in search of a man whom he believed to be his friend.
With the film ‘MOONFLEET,’ some say with hindsight, that the film was a reverently flawed American adaptation of a prize-worthy English novel “Moonfleet.” Although J. Meade Falkner’s 1898 novel was wildly popular in his native England, as much beloved in its own time as Robert Louis Stevenson’s similarly-themed film ‘Treasure Island.’ The “Moonfleet” novel was almost immediately forgotten after its initial flourish of success and it would remain unknown and unpublished abroad until 1951.
Even with an absence of 53 years, the novel “Moonfleet” and it debut paperback release in America was a publishing phenomenon, prompting M-G-M, then, still regarded outside of Hollywood as the king of features, then snatched up the rights to produce it. And Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had the perfect star to partake of its lavish exercise; Stewart Granger, whose real name was by coincidence James Stewart.
Alas, by the time the film ‘MOONFLEET’ reached the cinema screens, M-G-M had been hit hard by escalating production costs, a severe dip in revenues, and the unceremonious deposition of its founding father, Louis B. Mayer. So in hindsight, ‘MOONFLEET’ became a studio-bound minor film, rather than a major masterpiece; imbued with director Fritz Lang’s dark vision, ironically complimentary to the novel’s adult melodrama, and, utterly void of the usual swashbuckling nonsense that had, by 1955, become something of Stewart Granger’s stock-in-trade. For his part, Stewart Granger abhorred this, much preferring the stage to screen work. Nevertheless, he made the very best from his aversion to kissing scenes, described as a “powdery mess” with a thin trail of saliva often ruining the take, to the annoyance of director Fritz Lang.
The film ‘MOONFLEET’ opens with a ground-swelling main title by film composer, Miklós Rózsa; typical of the maestro in all its robustly romantic strains, ever so slightly skewed with dissident chords toward the ominous. What follows is a tale told mostly under the murky cover of a perpetual windswept and spooky night.
For the place Moonfleet on the windswept moors of Dorset (Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast, circa 1757, is a foreboding coastal enclave in the south of England, a bastion for villainy, despite its God-fearing community, made superstitious by rumours of a ghost that haunts the craggy cliffs leading down to the waterfront. It should be noted that the film ‘MOONFLEET’ takes far too many artistic liberties with the novel; everything from changing the ghost’s moniker.
“Redbeard” instead of “Blackbeard” to renaming its pint-sized protagonist; and in the novel’s John Trenchard, now John Mohune and virtually the novel’s entire last act, including John Trenchard’s imprisonment is excised. There are far too many discrepancies between the novel and the film to discuss at any length herein. But the biggest changes involved John Mohune, an orphan who lives with his aunt, Miss Arnold in the book.
In the film, John Mohune [Jon Whiteley] is alone in the world; wandering the moors in search of Jeremy Fox [Stewart Granger] and his late mother has instructed him to seek out for guidance. In J. Meade Falkner’s novel, John Mohune befriends, Elzevir Block [Sean McClory] the landlord of the Mohune Arms instead. Elzevir Block has only just lost his son, David, killed by Magistrate Maskew [John Hoyt] during a raid. In the film, we get hints of a former love affair between Jeremy Fox and John Mohune’s deceased mother, Olivia; also, the inference, that John Mohune may be Jeremy Fox’s illegitimate son.
Having unearthed the casket of Sir John “Redbeard” Mahone, and now in possession of his silver locket, containing cryptic instructions on where to locate a fabulous diamond, young John Mohune attempts to inform Jeremy Fox of his discovery. Meanwhile, Jeremy Fox is being entertained at Lord James Ashwood’s palatial estate. His wife, Lady Clarista Ashwood [Joan Greenwood], lures Jeremy Fox into her private chamber adjacent to the great hall where she makes a vain attempt to rekindle what was, presumably, their previous illicit affair. Jeremy Fox is unimpressed, but modestly interested when Lady Clarista Ashwood suggests Jeremy Fox and Lord James Ashwood enter into a lucrative alliance to defy Magistrate Maskew’s finite determination to enforce the law.
To ensure John Mohune’s safety, but also to rid himself of Ann Minton [Vivica Linsford] once and for all, Jeremy Fox arranges for the smuggler’s boat to take Ann Minton and John Mohune back to the isles once they have successfully unloaded their smuggler’s cargo on the beach. Unwilling to yield to these plans, Ann Minton informs Magistrate Maskew of Jeremy Fox’s illegal rendezvous. Jeremy Fox and his men are intercepted by Magistrate Maskew’s forces. Jeremy Fox and John Mohune flee into the hills, though not before Jeremy Fox is wounded by Magistrate Maskew’s stray musket, but also manages to strike the magistrate in the head with a large rock, thereby knocking him off a perilous perch to his death.
The men struggle and Jeremy Fox is impaled on Lord James Ashwood’s sword. Although the wound afflicted will eventually prove fatal, Jeremy Fox manages to shoot Lord James Ashwood dead. The horses spooked by the noise, bolt, dragging the coach behind them and lands into a ditch, killing Lady Clarista Ashwood as well. Making his way back to their secret hiding place, Jeremy Fox instructs young John to remain with him until the dawn.
Nobly, Jeremy Fox feigns a prolonged journey and period of separation – one, from which he will never return. As Lord James Ashwood falls asleep, Jeremy Fox sets out in the nearby boat, his dying remains carried out to sea. At dawn’s first light, John Mohune awakens and fulfils his destiny; comforted by Parson Glennie [Alan Napier] and Grace [Donna Corcoran] at the gates of Mohune Manor, but with his own future as yet uncertain.
The Golden Age of Hollywood’s affinity for redefining great literary masterworks to suit its own tastes and temperaments is working overtime on ‘MOONFLEET’ and the changes to the film are rather devastating, particularly the creation of Jeremy Fox – a character with no counterpart in the J. Meade Falkner’s book.
It cost M-G-M a whopping $1,203,000, and ‘MOONFLEET’ was photographed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope by the great Robert H. Plaink, who had his work cut out for him here, fighting Eastman Color’s often inconsistent and murky tones, plus the shortcomings of early vintage ‘scope’ with its one-focal-length lens responsible for virtually all camera set-ups. Given these disadvantages, miraculously, ‘MOONFLEET’ is a visual masterpiece; and director Fritz Lang, indulging in some truly impressive and complicated camera set-ups; the action is always in focus. ‘MOONFLEET’ joins other great Fritz Langs as a beautiful illustration of that lifelong theme of his work. ‘MOONFLEET’ is never boring but it never rises to its potential, which may explain why it was a major bomb for M-G-M. Even Stewart Granger was said to have denounced it because if veered far off course from the source of the original novel. However, ‘MOONFLEET’ is revered in France as one of Fritz Lang's greatest films. Viva la difference!
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us the film ‘MOONFLEET’ in a glorious Eastman Color and enhanced with a CinemaScope 2.55:1 aspect ratio. Flesh tones can still appear slightly pasty and orange. But reds, blues and browns look extraordinary ripe and robust. A light smattering of film grain is very indigenous to its source. Contrast is excellent and age-related artefacts are gone for a smooth visual presentation. So all in all, Warner Archive Collection has done some sterling work on the image presentation.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘MOONFLEET’ with a stand-alone 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio that resurrects vintage 4-track ‘scope’ stereo and shows off Miklós Rózsa’s film music score to its best advantage. Also with the film ‘MOONFLEET’ it is very much dialogue driven film and with some brief action sequences exhibit some interesting early directional stereo sound effects. So overall Warner Archive Collection has done its very best in presenting the audio experience in the best possible way, and probably you will hear it better than when the film was first released in 1995.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Theatrical Trailer [1995] [1080i] [2.55:1] [3:05] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘MOONFLEET,’ and we are informed that there is A NEW KIND OF DRAMA to hold you SPELLBOUND and it is ‘MOONFLEET’ in CinemaScope! The SUSPENCE of the SUPERNATURAL! Strikingly Original WNTERTAINMENT to hold you SPELLBOUND! This trailer thankfully maintains the film's CinemaScope 2.55:1 aspect ratio, but sadly it is in very poor quality and it is even darker than the Blu-ray image quality and has very muddy unnatural colours, which I cannot understand why the Warner Archive Collection could not have upgraded the image for this trailer. Despite this, it is still focuses on the historical aspect of the storyline of the film’s perspective.
Finally, ‘MOONFLEET’ reflects a dandified 18th-century Dorset gent who leads a double life as a smuggler is entrusted with looking after a boy whose mother has just died – but the orphan uncovers his secret and the pair becomes embroiled in an adventure involving a diamond and an evil aristocrat. Fritz Lang's period drama based on J Meade Falkner's novel, starring Stewart Granger, Jon Whiteley, Joan Greenwood and George Sanders. With the film ‘MOONFLEET,’ to some critics they felt it was a long way from being the best film on director Fritz Lang's illustrious CV, this adaptation of J Meade Falkner's swashbuckling classic still makes for rousing entertainment. Set in Dorset in the 1770s, the fast-moving tale of smuggling and secret identities provides Stewart Granger with the chance to add a touch of devilment to the expected romantic dash and derring-do. George Sanders gives his usual performance of silky smooth malevolence, but, as is so often the case in such action adventures, too little is asked of the female leads, Joan Greenwood and Viveca Lindfors tend to suffer slightly here. Nevertheless, this is a solid piece of good old-fashioned M-G-M escapism. Despite some of the negative critic comments at the time of the films release, I really enjoyed this dandified 18th-century swashbuckling M-G-M film. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
