La croisère maudite

I read the book a few years after it was published, but I just discovered that they had made this TV movie only recently. It was difficult to track down, but I got a copy. It was worth the time and effort and money.

The story of And the Sea Will Tell is completely fascinating. I read most of the long book on a long flight (I'd love to read it again, but no longer have my copy). The movie does a terrific job of telling this story from start to finish. I would suggest reading the book first.

There are a lot of TV movie screw-ups in the film bit they don't take away from such a great story. For example, when they first see land in Palmyra, there are mountains when the island is a tiny atoll just above sea level. And obviously, there was no diction coach on set to steer Rachael Ward through some American vowels. She had many moments revealing her English roots. Once again, the story survives.

P.S. There is no way the girlfriend was innocent. She should still be in prison. I would imagine that Bugliosi was doing her. It shows once again, if you have money in America, you can literally get away with murder.

I am a big fan of Vincent Bugliosi, going all the way back to "Helter Skelter", the book he wrote when he was the lead prosecuting attorney of one of the most riveting crimes of the 20th Century in the USA. I have read several other books he has written; all good. This is a terrific read, but the film is pretty limited, being a "made for TV film". You have to understand this was back in the day when that was not so good. Now (well over 25 years later), "made for TV" is an outdated term, as there are so many different forms and avenues of film production and direction. I read book this on a fairly long plane flight, finishing right before landing. A good friend of mine picked me up at the airport. I mentioned this book, and how I thought it could be made into a very good film. My friend then told me he had read in the local TV listings that not only had it been made into a film; it was scheduled to be shown the very next evening! I was stunned, to say the least. The book had been out for about 2 years, if memory serves correctly. The film follows the book without too many changes; it was a true crime, which I prefer to read (or watch) over fiction. This is the case when you are dealing with Bugliosi, a brilliant true crime novelist. All in all, this is a very good read and a fairly good film; but best of all, a true story

Movie was very good. I'm familiar with Buglioso(sp?) from Manson trial. This was a very difficult case to try either way; no witnesses and ambiguous evidence. If the facts were drawn out I'm sure that screen play writers had much to do with the result. The way Crenna played Buglioso was consistent with my previous recollections of his personality and legal style. To say that an atty. that takes people's cases is an "ambulance chaser" is dumb; professionals of every skill devote their lives to their professions; teachers want to teach, doctors to treat patients, cops want to find the guilty, etc. In fact, for a "made for TV show, I thought that it was very well done and followed legal procedure closely

Told in flashback this true-crime mini-series is very hard to follow. Having read the book several years prior to viewing the movie was quite a help to me. The film does present some questions to the viewer in a very subtle manner, but upon closer inspection, one has to wonder if Bugliosi was just trying to salve his conscience for defending a murderer. The movie shows that Bugliosi is just as adept in jury manipulation as a defense attorney as he was as a prosecutor. This one is easy to pass up.

You may also be interested in the book, which was written by Vincent Bugliosi, author and former California prosecutor ("Helter Skelter" encompassing the Manson murder cases of 1969).

Richard Crenna, as usual, is very good as a high-profile attorney who actually ends up defending Jennifer Jenkins, an innocent bystander, who was involved with Buck Walker, in a murder case which occurred on the South Pacific Island of Palmyra. Rachel Ward is very believable as Jennifer, and Hart Bochner plays the dark and dangerous sociopath to the hilt.

Deidre Hall and James Brolin portray Mack and Muff Graham, a semi-retired couple who sail as a vocation- (Mack enjoys it, Muff does not) The ominous incidental music and clues into the treachery of the open sea are hinted at.

The Hawaiian and South Pacific photography is quite beautiful, you can imagine yourself living in such an environment, and assimilating into it. Buck Walker, an apparent sociopath, enjoyed the high life; while he could not afford it, he found other ways to attain it.

In a sense, the Buck Walker character is similar to Charles Manson. A sociopath with a sense of entitlement, he and Jennifer sail to Palmyra on a broken down make-shift boat, but he sees Mack Graham (and his million dollar boat) as fair game. Jennifer, while friendly towards the Grahams, does not ascertain the depth of Buck's envy and capacity for violence.

Since this story took place in the late 70's, Buck and Jennifer were considered by Mack and Muff Graham to be "hippies", harmless enough, who just happened to run out of food and supplies on the desolate island of Palmyra. As it turns out, nothing could have been further from the truth.

A very interesting story which will leave you interested in the true story, and Bugliosi's book. 9/10.