''The Mercy'' is a 2017 British
biographical drama film, directed by
James Marsh and written by
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Z. Burns (born July 17, 1962) is an American filmmaker and playwright.
Career
After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Burns began his career in advertising and later became a television commercials director. He was part of th ...
. It is based on the true story of the disastrous attempt by the amateur sailor
Donald Crowhurst to complete the
''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race in 1968 and his subsequent attempts to cover up his failure. The film stars
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
,
Rachel Weisz,
David Thewlis and
Ken Stott. It is one of the last films scored by Icelandic composer
Jóhann Jóhannsson.
The film was released in the United Kingdom on 9 February 2018 by
StudioCanal.
Plot
In 1968, English businessman
Donald Crowhurst is inspired by Sir
Francis Chichester to compete in the
''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race, a
single-handed,
round-the-world
Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth.
The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...
yacht race. Though only an amateur sailor, Crowhurst believes that technology and gumption will enable him to succeed in a custom
trimaran
A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreati ...
, thus ensuring financial security for his wife and young children. As delays and costs mount, his main sponsor, Stanley Best, becomes so nervous that Crowhurst is forced to sign promissory notes pledging his company and home to Best. Sailing away in the ''
Teignmouth Electron'', Crowhurst must complete the race or lose everything he holds dear.
Crowhurst arranges sponsorship and a press agent to promote his voyage and he is also supported by his family. During his trip he attempts to give an optimistic version of events to both his family and press agent but inwardly he is feeling under pressure due to his financial situation, the dangers he is encountering and his loneliness. The film cuts between his voyage and scenes at home where his wife Clare is attempting to deal with the situation.
Cast
Production
On 27 January 2015 it was announced that
James Marsh would direct the film, which
StudioCanal, Blueprint Pictures, and
BBC Films would produce. StudioCanal and BBC would finance the film which had been developed by
Christine Langan.
StudioCanal would handle the international sales at the
European Film Market and would also distribute the film in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
The producers would be Peter Czernin,
Graham Broadbent, and Scott Burns, with Nicolas Mauvernay and
Jacques Perrin of Galatée Films.
On 31 March 2015
Rachel Weisz was reported to be in discussions to play Clare.
On 20 May 2015 Weisz was confirmed as Clare, and
David Thewlis,
Ken Stott and
Jonathan Bailey joined the cast.
This is the second collaboration of
David Thewlis and director
James Marsh after ''
The Theory of Everything''. Bailey's casting was confirmed by ''Deadline'' on 27 May 2015.
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on location on 20 May 2015 in the United Kingdom.
In early June 2015 filming was underway in
Teignmouth, Devon, and in mid-June, the production was spotted filming at the
Isle of Portland in
Dorset. By late July, filming had moved to
Malta,
where some scenes were planned to be shot in the water tanks at Mediterranean Film Studios in
Kalkara.
During the filming,
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
was hospitalised with a hip dislocation. ''The Mercy'' was also part shot at
West London Film Studios. Some scenes were filmed at
Chatham Dockyard in
Kent, where HMS ''Gannet'' was used as the port where the wives of the competition sailors posed for the press. As well as filming at
Bewl Water reservoir in
Kent, which features as the Teignmouth inlet where
Donald Crowhurst (
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
) sails locally alone and with his family.
For the purpose of this film, a full-scale replica of the ''Teignmouth Electron'' was constructed by U.K. boatbuilders Heritage Marine, and was used for film sequences shot in England and in Malta. After completion of filming, the replica was purchased by artist
Michael Jones McKean, who also owns the original ''Teignmouth Electron'' remains beached at
Cayman Brac; the replica is currently dry docked in storage on the island of Malta.
Release
In November 2017,
Roadside Attractions acquired US distribution rights to the film. It was initially scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2017, but was eventually moved to 9 February 2018. Despite this, it was screened for awards consideration to members of the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts in New York City on 28 November 2017, followed by two screenings in Renfrew Street, Glasgow on 5 December and Fountain Park, Edinburgh on 7 December that year.
Noting that another film based on the same story was also being produced,
Studiocanal (the producers of ''The Mercy'') purchased the rights to its competitor ''
Crowhurst'', promising to release it soon after the release of the larger-budget production.
Reception
On
review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 74% based on 82 reviews, with a
weighted average rating of 6.24/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Mercy'' sails on Colin Firth's layered central performance, which adds necessary depth and nuance that the story sometimes lacks." On
Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
See also
* ''
Crowhurst'', a 2017 film on the same subject directed by
Simon Rumley
* ''
Deep Water'', a 2006 documentary on the subject
References
External links
*
*
''Desperate Voyage: Donald Crowhurst, The London Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, and the Tragedy of Teignmouth Electron''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercy, The
2017 films
2017 drama films
Films directed by James Marsh
Films shot in England
Films shot in Malta
British biographical drama films
2010s adventure films
2017 biographical drama films
Drama films based on actual events
Seafaring films based on actual events
Sea adventure films
Sailing films
StudioCanal films
BBC Film films
Films produced by Graham Broadbent
Films produced by Scott Z. Burns
Films scored by Jóhann Jóhannsson
Films with screenplays by Scott Z. Burns
2010s English-language films
2010s British films