Erskine Childers tale of a an attempt to invade England was made into a movie in 1979. Its just come out as a region 2 DVD and I'm in heaven. The plot concerns a British sailor on holiday off the coast of Germany hunting duck and charting the sands that are forever shifting around the small islands there. Stumbling upon something that doesn't feel right he calls a friend from the Foreign Office to come and join him. Soon the pair are off on a grand adventure, the likes of which they don't make any more (nothing blows up and their are no car chases). Very much an old school adventure film, this was painfully dated the instant it came out as Star Wars, Smokey and the Bandit and Alien ruled the roost. No matter I love this film. It has the feel of the works of Robert Lewis Stevenson or any of the great adventure writers that NC Wyeth illustrated. Slow and deliberately paced it never lets you get bored, since revelations and bits of action happen at just the right time. I love that much is made of skills that don't involve shooting things. Finely crafted and perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon, this is one of my favorite movies.
Review of The Riddle of the Sands
The Riddle of the Sands
(1979)
Grand old style adventure is perfect for that rainy afternoon
18 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers