Michael_Elliott Moonfleet (1955) ** (out of 4) Dickens-like adventure tale of young John Mohune (Jon Whiteley) who is sent away by his dying mother in search of his uncle Jeremy Fox (Stewart Granger). Once there the boy learns that his uncle is pretty much a pirate who has a couple "higher folks" (George Sanders, Joan Greenwood) in his back pocket. Soon the uncle comes across a map that might lead to a priceless diamond that has been lost for generations but there are going to be many obstacles in his way. Some would argue that director Lang's later career is one poor movie after another but I would never go that far. I think it's safe to say that the director delivered many routine features at this point in his career and I think it's easy to say that he wasn't too involved with this film. Yes, he directed it but the overall feel of the movie is that of something with no energy and no passion so I can't help but think that Lang didn't think too highly of the material. This certainly isn't a horrid movie but at the same time there's very little going on here that's worth watching. One of the problems is that the characters simply aren't that interesting. I can't say that I was interested in the boy or his problems. I wasn't really worried about the uncle, the diamond or any of his relationships. The screenplay pretty much goes all over the place and at times I had a hard time trying to follow what was going on in terms of some of the relationships in the film but perhaps it's best because it probably would have just added more boredom. Whiteley is pretty bland in his role as is Granger. This isn't a good thing considering they're the ones suppose to be carrying the film. Sanders is always charming but he doesn't appear too often. MOONFLEET uses its 2.55:1 ratio for some nice images but this isn't enough to keep the film moving.

rochvelleth Moonfleet was great. I like the premise - boy is sent to find man (after his dying mother promises the man will look after him). Turns out man was in love with boy's mother, and when he couldn't have her spent his life not really loving anyone but having lots of women anyway. Man manages not to be too friendly to the boy at first.Also turns out man is the ringleader of a gang of smugglers. And boy's ancestor had this famous diamond that Redbeard (local ghost of the village of Moonfleet) is meant to be looking for.You can probably guess the rest of the plot. But I shan't give it away, because honestly, you should all go watch it.What I loved about it, apart from the derring-do (fights, dressing up as soldiers, sneaking about in the countryside, smuggling) and the wonderfulness of Stewart Granger (looks, voice, a real hero persona), was the really touching bits.OK, I'm about to spoil the ending now. DON'T keep reading if you haven't already seen it.Man ends up saving the boy's life a couple of times, but still insists he'll leave him behind and go off to his new life of crooked prosperity once he's helped him to find the diamond. They find the diamond, and indeed he leaves him behind (leaving him a note while he's asleep). Just as he's going off to the new life of crooked prosperity, however, he has a change of heart and goes back for the boy. But another guy stabs him in the back, and he's mortally wounded. He goes back to where the boy is still sleeping, takes the note away, and then wakes him up, gives him the diamond, tells him to stay in Moonfleet, doesn't reveal he's dying and promises to come back someday before rowing off into the night. And it was *so darn sad*. I wasn't expecting to cry, but I did - very pathetic, perfect catharsis.I love a film that leaves you still thinking about the ending for a while.

xbrad68 Moonfleet would have been a good film to have a remake of had there been more time. Perhaps Freddie Prinze Jr could have played the young smuggler who finds the treasure clue and is then imprisoned.My Daughter Julias Artificial Intelligence Computer on the Creator of Humans homeworld of Coaltrain said: "I'm Okay Daddy. I like looking at you and the Moonfleet in the daytime." This hints to me that after the Conquest of the Universe, the Care Rank Ki Aliens the Creators of Humans put the moonfleet (that I am a skipper in on Moon 168) close to their home world of Coaltrain that may really be named Ki. Here is the latest Moon 168 read back: "Conquest Complete, Eagles Meet. Real plane of existence. Still making more sense" There are many other movies from the 1950s worth watching also.

James Hitchcock It is a long time since I read J Meade Falkner's novel, but I remember enough of it to realise that this film bears little resemblance to it. Around the middle of the eighteenth century John Mohune, the young son of a once-wealthy but now ruined aristocratic family, is sent after the death of his parents to stay with Jeremy Fox, the squire of the Dorset village of Moonfleet. Before her marriage to a cousin, Fox was the lover of John's mother, but they were prevented from marrying by the opposition of her family, who thought he was neither wealthy nor well-born enough for her. As the fortunes of the Mohunes have declined, however, so those of Fox have risen, and he is now the wealthiest man in the village, living in their ancestral mansion.Fox takes a liking to the boy, and a friendship grows up between them. Unknown to John, however, Fox is not the respectable country gentleman he appears. His main source of wealth is his involvement in the lucrative, but highly illegal, smuggling trade, and he has plans to go into partnership with Lord Ashwood, a local nobleman, in a venture which involves plundering foreign ships and which effectively falls little short of piracy. The debonair Fox is also something of a ladies man, with at least two mistresses, one of whom denounces him to the authorities when he tires of her. The main plot concerns Fox and John's search for a long-lost diamond which had once belonged to one of the Mohune family."Moonfleet" has similarities to "Treasure Island" although it is set in Britain rather than on a remote tropical island. The relationship between the likable rogue Fox (a name presumably chosen because of its connotations of cunning) and young John parallels that between Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins. The film has been aptly described as situated on the boundary between a traditional cape and sword adventure and a Gothic horror movie. The style of acting is more that of the swashbuckling adventure. Stewart Granger, taking over where Errol Flynn left off, made something of a speciality of dashing heroes in historical costume dramas ("Blanche Fury", "Saraband for Dead Lovers", "Scaramouche" and "Beau Brummell" are other examples) and he makes an attractive hero here. The other contribution that stands out is from George Sanders, always a good villain, as the corrupt aristocrat Ashwood.Director Fritz Lang, however, brings a very Gothic look to the film. Moonfleet may be situated on one of the most scenic counties in England, but it is no picturesque village. The atmosphere is often a dark, gloomy one, with numerous shots of the shabby alehouse or the mist-shrouded churchyard. Fox may be a likable rogue, but the smugglers are for the most part dangerous ones who would have no compunction about murdering a child. (There is a fine duel between Fox and one of their number fought to decide whether John should live or die after he inadvertently overhears their plans). This is not a great film, but is nevertheless a well-made, watchable adventure. 6/10