The Moonraker (1958)

One of the best films i have seen

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

There are comparatively few films about the English Civil War,the best being Ken Hughs' Cromwell which features Richard Harris as Oliver Cromwell.This gives both sides a fair hearing,although personally I do not believe in the divine right of kings and like Cromwell believe that kings should rule through Parliament.Oliver Cromwell was very much a warts and all character and though still reviled in Ireland turned the Parliamentary Army into one of the finest armies the world has ever known.They were known as the Ironsiders,and were far removed from the incompetent swordsmen that they are usually shown as,e.g.The Scarlet Blade and the film under review here.By far the most realistic film of the Civil War was The Witchfinder General,an extremely unpleasant violent though realistic film which didn't pull its punches.The Moonraker is a much gentler film which gained a "U"Certificate and on its own level quite exciting.George Baker plays, as another reviewer puts it. a scarlet pimpernel type character helping Royalists escape to France.Although Baker is no Cornel Wilde he is rather good in the role.There are many other pleasures to be found not least John Le Mesurier's take on Cromwell.The plot concerns the Moonraker's attempts to help the future King Charles 2nd (rather well played by Gary Raymond) to escape to France.They are ensconced in an inn,all in disguise of course,while the Moonraker tries to arrange passage on a ship.Among the other guests is the lovely Sylvia Sims who is waiting for her Roundhead fiancé to turn up,he is scouring the countryside looking for the future King.When Baker puts on the old charm she soon melts.Also present is one Edmund Tyler,a Roundhead secret agent,a thoroughly nasty piece of work and a superb classic villain.Peter Arne,a poor mans Robert Douglas,specialised in such roles,always very hissable.The chap who saves the day is a cavalier gentleman by the name of Mr Parfitt whose one purpose in life is riotous living,a very loud larger than life man who without giving away too much gives his life so the King can escape.The wonderful character actor Paul Whitson Jones steals all the scenes he is in.The climatic sword fight between Tyler and the Moonraker is brilliantly staged and there are no prizes for guessing who wins.Sylvia Sims fiancé turns up,Colonel Beaumont played by Marius Goring,who unusually for a Roundhead is portrayed as a decent honourable man and when he realises the King has escaped he allows his fiancé to join the Moonraker.He is certain that the Innkeeper,his wife and son were implicated in the plot and in an act of mercy he does not press charges against them.All in all a perfect film for a wet afternoon to watch while armed with a cup of tea and the biscuit tin.Why don't they make films like this now?

The Moonraker is directed by David MacDonald and adapted to screenplay by Robert Hall, Wilfred Eades and Alistair Bell from the Arthur Watkin play. It stars George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Peter Arne, Clive Morton, Richard Leech, Iris Russell and Paul Whitsun-Jones. Music is by Laurie Johnson and cinematography by Mutz Greenbaum.With the English Civil War just finished, Oliver Cromwell (John Le Mesurier) aims to capture Charles Stuart (Gary Raymond) to stop him replacing his executed father on the throne. However, a Royalist hero known as The Moonraker (Baker) plots to smuggle Stuart to France before Cromwell and his Roundhead followers enact their plans.A British swashbuckler full of derring-do heroics, sword fights, boo- hiss villains and gorgeous Technicolor photography. Why then is The Moonraker little known or under seen? Perhaps it comes down to availability on home formats over the years? Or TV rights preventing it from being shown elsewhere other than good old Blighty? Either way it's a shame and fans of swashbucklers should definitely consider seeking this one out.The name Moonraker in this parlance is put to a smuggler who would hide his goods in the village pond and then go back at midnight to rake said goods out. Here the " Moonraking" involves smuggling important human beings out of harms way. The Moonraker in question is Earl Anthony of Dawlish, a Royalist Cavalier Scarlet Pimpernel type, a bally hero of devilish good looks and courage unbound; I mean why jump through a gap when you can dive through it instead? Cue under cover disguise, bluffings between hero and villains, simmering romance and a base station inn where many shenanigans unfold. It's not based on historical facts, it's a work of fiction, but much thought has gone into the period design, collectively impressive in architecture, weapons and clothing. How nice to actually see an English Civil War based buckling of the swash!Location work is spread about the place, where even though much of the second half of film is based inside the crafty Royalist supporting inn, there's still some lovely exteriors to enjoy. The makers missed a trick by not homaging the lead character by doing some work at beautiful Dawlish in Devon, but Wiltshire, Dorset and Kent prove to be appealing places for scenes. Ronnie Hilton's theme song over the opening credits is a bit off the pace of the movie, in that it doesn't quite fit as a starting point, but the song itself proves to play well as part of the narrative. Cast are mixed but nobody stinks the film out, Baker is no Flynn, Power or Granger, but he makes for a very likable handsome hero and he is very comfortable performing the excellently choreographed fight sequences. Syms looks radiant and gorgeous, even if the character doesn't call for her to thesp greatly. While elsewhere the most fun performance comes from Whitsun-Jones as Parfitt, a big rotund Royalist full of bluster and bravado, when asked his occupation he bellows "gentleman", you hear him and believe him and he will later on in the film get "one" of those great cinematic moments.The Moonraker, hooray! If you be a swashbuckling fan then you owe it to yourself to put this on your list of must sees! 7.5/10

"A Moonraker is a smuggler. One who dumps his contraband in the bottom of a lake then rakes it out by moonlight." (Definitely not to be confused with the James Bond escapade).I believe this film is now in the public domain as I saw it as an "afternoon matinée" on my local school cable channel, where I usually see titles from the $1 bin.While the movie was historically interesting, the action less enjoyable than Errol Flynn's Robin Hood and the staging and dialog delivery seemed slow and mechanical to me. If you are a fan of Elizabethan costume dramas, this will be a pleasant diversion for you.

Earl Anthony (aka The Moonraker) is a gentleman swordsman who is the thorn in the side of Oliver Cromwell and his battle to rid Britain of the royalists. The Moonraker is feared among Cromwell's men and has been responsible for the escape of over 30 royalists to France. When Anthony tries to lead Prince Charles Stuart to safety after a defeat at the hands of Cromwell, they are recognised and forced to evade capture – but can they get passage to France in time?Contrary to my wife's beliefs, I didn't watch this film in the mistaken belief that Roger Moore was going to burst onto the screen at any moment, but at times I wished he had. The film is a old fashioned swashbuckler done without too much in the way of individual flair. The plot is easy to predict and it is much more wordy that I had expected, with much of the second half being confined to an Inn. That said it still is enjoyable and is worth watching for what it is.The fights are a little dull and there is nothing to suggest that Anthony is worthy of his fearsome reputation but the sense of period is good. The film drifts between romance and action with an uneasy lilt to it, but the romance works well as it has the darker edge of being forbidden.The characters are all a little flat with the odd exception. Baker doesn't manage to bring anything to the role of Moonraker except the normal leading man strong jaw and big chest. The support cast are all colleagues or `evil' bad guys, the love interest is OK but is won over a little too easily. A horrid bit of miscasting is Le Mesurier as Cromwell. We all know what type of roles he is famous for playing and the end result here is that Cromwell comes off as one of them and not a real threat.Overall I enjoyed this film even though it didn't really distinguish itself in any specific way. As part of the genre it is par for the course and will please those who like this type of thing.