''The Sailor's Return'' is a 1978 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Jack Gold Jacob M. Gold (28 June 1930 – 9 August 2015) was a British film and television director. He was part of the British realist tradition which followed the Free Cinema movement. Career Jacob M. Gold was born on 28 June 1930, in North Lond ...

and starring Tom Bell,

Shope Shodeinde Shope may refer to: People *Gertrude Shope (1925–2025), a South African trade unionist and politician *Richard Shope (1901–66), an American virologist *Robert Shope (1929–2004), an American virologist *Simeon P. Shope (1837–1920), an Americ ...

and Elton Charles. It is based on the 1925 novel '' The Sailor's Return'' by

David Garnett David Garnett (9 March 1892 – 17 February 1981) was an English writer and publisher. As a child, he had a cloak made of rabbit skin and thus received the nickname "Bunny", by which he was known to friends and intimates all his life. Early ...

Premise

A sailor returns to his hometown to open a pub bringing with him his new black wife. Very quickly they find themselves ostracised by the community.

Cast

* Tom Bell ... William Targett *

... Princess Tulip * Elton Charles ... Billy / Olu Targett *

Denyse Alexander Denyse Alexander (born 28 June 1931) is a British stage, film and television actress. She was married to the film and television director Jack Gold from 1957 until his death in August 2015. Selected filmography Film roles * '' Orders to Kill' ...

... Mrs. Cherret *

Julia Swift Julia may refer to: People *Julia (given name), including a list of people with the name *Julia (surname), including a list of people with the name *Julia gens, a patrician family of Ancient Rome *Julia (clairvoyant) (fl. 1689), lady's maid of Qu ...

... Annie *

Pat Keen Patricia Margaret "Pat" Keen (21 October 1933 – 1 March 2013) was an English actress whose career on stage, television and film ran from the 1950s to the 2000s. Born in Willesden, Brent, London, Keen trained at the Central School of Speec ...

... Mrs. Bascombe *

Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was an English actor. He is known for his stage acting and his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary in the 1980s sitcom ''Yes Minister'' and the Cabinet Secre ...

... Mr. Fosse *

Jill Spurrier Jill is an English feminine given name, a short form of the name Gillian, which in turn originated as a Middle English variant of Juliana. Jill was such a common name that it had an everygirl quality, as in the 15th century English nursery rhyme ...

... Mrs. Frickes *

Ray Smith Ray Smith may refer to: Sportspeople *Ray Smith (center) (1908–1984), American football player *Ray Smith (cricketer) (1914–1996), English cricketer *A. Ray Smith (1915–1999), American baseball executive *Ray Gene Smith (1928–2005), America ...

... Fred Leake *

Mick Ford Mick Ford (born 1 August 1952) is a British actor, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his portrayal of intellectual convict Archer in the cinema version of ''Scum (film), Scum''. Early life and education Ford was born on 1 August 19 ...

... Tom Madgwick * Peter Benson ... Charlie Nye * Ann Way ... Mrs. Clall *

Paola Dionisotti Paola Dionisotti (; born 1946 in Turin) is an Italian-British actress active on stage and British television since 1975. Early life Dionisotti is the daughter of Italian literary critic Carlo Dionisotti and Marisa Pinna Pintor. She has two sist ...

... Lucy Sturmey *

George Costigan George J. Costigan (born 8 August 1947) is an English actor who is best known for portraying Bob in the 1987 film ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' and for roles in TV series such as '' Happy Valley'' and '' So Haunt Me''. Early life Born in Portsmouth ...

... Harry Targett *

Clive Swift Clive Walter Swift (9 February 1936 – 1 February 2019) was an English actor and songwriter. A classically trained actor, his stage work included performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but he was best known to television viewers for h ...

... Reverend Pottock * Victor Winding ... Ship's Captain

Production

The film was made by

Euston Films Euston Films is a British film and television production company. It was originally a subsidiary of Thames Television, and operated from 1971 to 1994, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network. Euston ...

, with support from the

National Film Finance Corporation The National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) was a film funding agency in the United Kingdom in operation from 1949 until 1985. The NFFC was established by the Cinematograph Film Production (Special Loans) Act 1949 ( 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 20), a ...

. The budget of the film was £400,000.With Gold-on-the-World Radin, Victoria. The Observer 6 Nov 1977: 31.

Release

The film was selected to close the 1978

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

. Distributor receipts as at the end of 1978 were £46,152.Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 357. Income is distributor's receipts, combined domestic and international, as at 31 Dec 1978.

References

External links

* 1978 films British historical drama films 1970s historical drama films Films directed by Jack Gold Films based on British novels Films scored by Carl Davis Films set in England 1978 drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films English-language historical drama films {{1970s-UK-film-stub