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I watched this on ThisTV and hope someday to watch it unbroken, but here are some thoughts:

The male lead is a boorish, self-absorbed jerk; cynically rejecting the status quo. But, I suppose he might be considered the "protagonist" - though more of an observer - our eyes and ears in this quest for "the sailor".

Vanessa Redgrave was mostly wonderful and at times beautiful to look at as well.

I thought her character seemed so heroic (and the real protagonist). Maybe I've misjudged her, but I thought her quest for that perfect lover - the love she lost (imaginary or real?) - was a heroic quest.

And, what a brave (even pioneering) movie - a wealthy widow sailing the Mediterranean into exotic ports with her burly handsome crew. She, a sensualist, sleeping with any man she fancied and then setting sail (a twist on the old merchant sailor's practice of "leaving a man in every port" - nearly). Her crew joked about her sexual exploits behind her back and speculated as to whether her "Sailor from Gibraltar" really even existed (or just an excuse to go "cruising" for men).

At its foundation, the film's outlook seems Existential Nihilism - life has no purpose and, is there even such a "thing" as love?

Is that all there is - just to exist and then die? Shall we give in to our hedonist desires - and just go on from one day to the next - on an endless cruise? Maybe love is all there is - and "mystery".

Was there a Sailor? Did she really once know the greatest love? Will she search for him forever, sailing from port to port? Will there finally be someone to join her in her search and shelter her from the heckling world - as it closes in around her - to love her as she is?

This film, though flawed and uneven in spots - is IMO a gem. There are so many precious (I think) moments, like when she goes on safari into the African bush (searching for her sailor - in the company of cannibals) and stands eye-to-eye with a beautiful statuesque African woman - peering into her eyes - trying to discern if she has been with her man (and would she give him up?).

I'm looking forward to watching this film again.

And: I don't say this very often, and with all due respect to this work of art - I would really, really like to see this movie remade! Please!

"Alan" (Ian Bannen) is a Scotsman on holiday in Italy when he has a bit of a barny with his girlfriend "Shiela" (Vanessa Redgrave) and strops off in the company of the enigmatic and wealthy "Anna" (Jeanne Moreau). She is busy searching for a sailor she knew decades ago, and with virtually no chance of ever finding him the two set off on her luxury yacht on their nautical wild goose chase. It's on this boat that they encounter the larger than life "Louis" (Orson Welles) who suggests to "Alan" that all may not be right with his friend. Indeed, he - like we may have already considered - wonders if this mythical sailor ever really did exist, or was perhaps he just a fantasy? That's the interesting gist of the film, really. Is there such a thing as true love or is it all just a sexual yellow brick road with there always being another exciting curve up ahead. "Anna" is certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to enjoying herself with the opposite sex, and Moreau exudes a certain ethereal beauty with her characterisation. Perhaps Bannen just did too good a job, though, as his character just came across as an arse and I struggled to understand why she would ever have aligned with him in the first place. Welles owns his few scenes but hasn't really enough to do to make great impact on the plot and sadly that leaves us with an all too bitty drama that does pose some interesting questions about the nature of "love" but hasn't quite the oomph to deliver those strongly enough. There is some lovely Mediterranean photography but otherwise, it's a bit undercooked.