It's great that someone decided to film the book. It is not an easy one to manage. Others have noted how well the sailing scenes are done. Simon MacCorkindale is excellent and convinces as an enthusiastic and athletic amateur yachtsman. Michael York is stiff and is the same as he has been elsewhere. The first half of the film is quite good.
That was the good news. On the negative side, the 1970s show through too much. The men's hair is a bit too long and the beards look as if they came out of the dressing-up box.
Worst of all, no attempt is made to get the German right. There are German actors, who, of course speak correctly. However, it was a disastrous move to leave undubbed the atrocious accents of the non-German actors. I could go on.
In the second half of the film, we seem suddenly to be the world of the Famous Five, or, at best, an old episode of the Saint or Danger Man. The fight scenes are laughable. The baddies are awful, especially the Kaiser. How Alan Badel strayed into this farrago, I do not know.
Less seriously, much of the filming was done in Holland, and it shows. Holland is not really like North Germany and we never quite get the unique atmosphere of the German Frisian islands or coastline.
That was the good news. On the negative side, the 1970s show through too much. The men's hair is a bit too long and the beards look as if they came out of the dressing-up box.
Worst of all, no attempt is made to get the German right. There are German actors, who, of course speak correctly. However, it was a disastrous move to leave undubbed the atrocious accents of the non-German actors. I could go on.
In the second half of the film, we seem suddenly to be the world of the Famous Five, or, at best, an old episode of the Saint or Danger Man. The fight scenes are laughable. The baddies are awful, especially the Kaiser. How Alan Badel strayed into this farrago, I do not know.
Less seriously, much of the filming was done in Holland, and it shows. Holland is not really like North Germany and we never quite get the unique atmosphere of the German Frisian islands or coastline.