''The Moonraker'' is a British

swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

film made in 1957 and released in 1958 and set in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. It was directed by David MacDonald and starred George Baker, Sylvia Syms,

Marius Goring Marius Re Goring, (23 May 191230 September 1998) was a British stage and screen actor. He is best remembered for the four films he made with Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in '' A Matter of Life and Death'' and as Julian Cr ...

Gary Raymond Gary Barrymore Raymond (born 20 April 1935) is an English film, television and theatre actor. Biography Gary Raymond was born in Brixton, London, to theatrical parents, both of whom were variety artistes. The youngest of three brothers, Gary a ...

Peter Arne Peter Arne (born Peter Randolph Michael Albrecht; 29 September 19241 August 1983) was a British character actor. He made more than 50 film appearances including roles in ''Ice Cold in Alex'', ''The Moonraker'', ''Conspiracy of Hearts'' and '' Vi ...

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

and

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

."Moonraker, The", ''Monthly Film Bulletin''; London Vol. 25, Iss. 288, (1 January 1958): 62. It is based on the 1952 play of the same title by

Arthur Watkyn Arthur Watkins (1907–1965) was a British writer and public official who served as Secretary of the British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-govern ...

. It was shot at

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

with sets designed by the art director Robert Jones The film depicts a fictionalised account of the

escape of Charles II After the final Royalist defeat of the English Civil War against Cromwell's New Model Army at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, the future Charles II of England (already by that time King of Scotland) was forced to flee, famously av ...

, arranged by a foppish

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

nobleman, the Earl of Dawlish, who leads a double life as a

roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

-baiting highwayman called The Moonraker, who already has helped more than thirty royalists to escape to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The film was one of the last productions made by the

Robert Clarke Robert Irby Clarke (June 1, 1920 – June 11, 2005) was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s. Early life Clarke was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He decided at an early age that h ...

regime at

Associated British-Pathe Associated may refer to: *Associated, former name of Avon, Contra Costa County, California * Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto, a school in Canada *Associated Newspapers, former name of DMG Media, a British publishing company See also *Associat ...

Synopsis

After the

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell d ...

at the end of the

Second English Civil War The Second English Civil War took place between February to August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641� ...

, the main aim of General

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

(

) is to capture Charles Stuart (

), son of the executed

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. However, the dashing Royalist hero nicknamed The Moonraker ( George Baker) prepares to smuggle him to safety into France, under the noses of Cromwell's soldiers. According to the story, the hero is named after the smuggler term,

Moonrakers Moonrakers is the colloquial name for people from Wiltshire, a county in the West Country of England. Legend This name refers to a folk story set in the time when smuggling was a significant industry in rural England, with Wiltshire lying on t ...

, who were reputed to hide contraband in the village pond and to rake it out by moonlight.

Cast

* George Baker as the Moonraker, otherwise Anthony, Earl of Dawlish * Sylvia Syms as Anne Wyndham *

as Colonel Beaumont *

as Edmund Tyler *

Clive Morton Clive Morton (16 March 1904 – 24 September 1975) was an English actor best known for playing upper class Englishmen, he made many screen appearances, especially on television. In 1955, he appeared in Laurence Olivier's '' Richard III'' and is ...

as Lord Harcourt *

as Charles Stuart *

Richard Leech Richard Leeper McClelland (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), known professionally as Richard Leech, was an Irish actor. Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McCl ...

as Henry Strangeways * Iris Russell as Judith Strangeways * Michael Anderson Jr. as Martin Strangeways *

Paul Whitsun-Jones Paul Whitsun-Jones (25 April 1923 – 14 January 1974) was a Welsh character actor. Born in Newport in Monmouthshire, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood in Middlesex. He started his acting career in 1948 with two years ...

as Parfitt *

as Captain Wilcox *

Julian Somers John Julian Somers (12 November 1903 – 11 November 1976), known as Julian Somers, was a prolific English stage and screen actor. Career By 1934, Somers was appearing in rep at Croydon. In 1937, he was on stage in Jeffrey Dell's play ''Night Al ...

as Captain Foster * Sylvia Bidmead as Meg *

Patrick Waddington Patrick William Simpson Waddington (19 August 19014 February 1987) was an English actor, educated at Gresham's School at Holt in Norfolk. He was born and died in York, England. Biography Waddington was the grandson of William Waddington, the p ...

as Lord Dorset *

Fanny Rowe Frances Rowe (26 June 1913 – 31 August 1988) was an English stage, film and television actress. Early years Rowe was born in Preston, Lancashire, the daughter of a parson, and educated at Channing School For Girls in Highgate and then wen ...

as Lady Dorset * Jennifer Browne as Henrietta Dorset * Richard Warner as Trooper * George Woodbridge as Captain Lowry * Victor Brooks as Blacksmith

Production

The film was based on a play by

, who was the British film censor. The play debuted in 1952, starring Griffith Jones and

Jean Kent Jean Kent (born Joan Mildred Field; 29 June 1921 − 30 November 2013) was an English film and television actress. Biography Born Joan Mildred Field (sometimes incorrectly cited as Summerfield) in Brixton, London in 1921, the only child of va ...

. The ''Manchester Guardian'' called it "a disarming and naive piece... of dramatic tushery." In February 1952 Robert Clark of Associated British proposed that his company purchase the film rights as a vehicle for Audrey Hepburn, who they had under contract, and either

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited app ...

. Associated British had an arrangement with Warner Bros; Jack Warner liked the story and agreed to a co production starring Hepburn and Wilde.Porter p. 12 The play had been very successful in the provinces, so Watkyn wanted £10,000 for the film rights; neither Clark nor Warner would pay this, so Watkyn refused to sell until the play opened in London. When it did, it was a box office disaster and only lasted four performances. Watkyn agreed to sell the rights. However the film was not made with Hepburn. The film was eventually made several years later. It was one of the last film Clark green-lit while head of the company and he is credited as "director of production". According to one writer, "this was an unusual occurrence for Clark, and indicates his intense interest in the project. And indeed ''The Moonraker'' should be interpreted as Clark's 'last stand' on politics and film culture. Rather than display a preference for the attractive and swashbuckling Cavaliers (as is so often evident in British popular culture), Clark's film takes care to establish the moral superiority of the Roundheads. Its soldiery are on the whole presented as moral men convinced of the probity of their cause, and Cromwell (John Le Mesurier) is a dignified and balanced leader. Clark clearly favoured an interpretation of history which presented Puritanism as more sober and even-handed than its alternative." The film was shot at Boreham Wood with location filming at Dorset, Wiltshire and Hertfordshire. Sylvia Syms and Peter Arne were under long-term contract to ABPC at the time.

Reception

Critical

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said that "on its chosen level, which is that of boys' romantic yarn, this film may be said to succeed. It moves at such a breathless rate that many of its probabilities go unremarked." ''Variety'' called it "a routine costume meller."

Box office

''Kinematograph Weekly'' listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958.

Notes

References

External links

*
''The Moonraker''
at BFI
''The Moonraker''
at Letterbox DVD {{DEFAULTSORT:Moonraker, The 1958 films 1958 drama films 1950s historical films British adventure films British historical films British drama films English Civil War films Films directed by David MacDonald (director) Films scored by Laurie Johnson Films shot at Associated British Studios British swashbuckler films Cultural depictions of Oliver Cromwell Cultural depictions of Charles II of England British films based on plays 1950s English-language films 1950s British films