Le justicier

"The Moonraker" is an account of the escapades of a dedicated Cavalier gentleman, Anthony Earl of Dawlish, aka Mr Rice, pursued by Roundhead soldiers seeking King Charles II after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. George Baker, as Dawlish, brings to life a Scarlet Pimpernel type character, who skillfully manages to assume the identity of a puritan scholar whilst rescuing supporters of the late King's son from the army of Cromwell.

This is a neglected film, which deserves more attention than it has received. Although in the second half it tends to restrict action to the environs of an inn, there is much to enjoy in the detail. The personal motivations of protagonists are also laid bare, and more than one is called to question their convictions.

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.

American style period film set in the time of the English Republic, although somewhat more violent and without the hearty laughing.

George Baker is Moonraker, a soldier of fortune taking the son of Charles I across to France. John LeMesurier briefly plays the role of Cromwell, and Marius Goring a roundhead general.

The fight scenes are well choreographed, but the film is otherwise carelessly made with many shots of vehicular tracks and even an asphalt road (I mean come on, they were far from ubiquitous at the time). There is an American boy to enable a release in USA.

THE MOONRAKER (not to be confused with the Roger Moore James Bond film) is a late '50s swashbuckler set during the time of the English Civil War. Charles I is dead, and Charles II is on the run from Cromwell's troops after being defeated at the Battle of Worcester. Into this simmering mix comes George Baker's Moonraker, a dashing hero who fights for all that's right and proper.

The genre is ripe for parody (anyone who's seen THE FLASHING BLADE ought to agree) and, indeed, THE MOONRAKER is a dated film, twee sometimes in its pleasantries. Nonetheless, it proves to be an amusing enough little film, punctuated with enough intrigue and rapier fights to keep it moving merrily along. The scriptwriters have an ear for historical dialogue so that the cast members have a lot of fun slinging it back and forth.

Baker never really made it as a leading man but he's not bad here, and at least looks the part with his broad chest and dominant height - there's nothing worse than a feminine 'girly man' in this type of role. Sylvia Sims is as alluring as ever as his love interest, and Paul Whitsun-Jones bags a particularly fine comic relief role as the overbearing Parfitt. Eagle-eyed viewers may spot Brit favourites Patrick Troughton and John Le Mesurier (as Cromwell, no less!) in brief roles.