Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Moonfleet by fritz lang fritz lang, stewart granger. Come see director lang struggle to adapt the widewide screen to accommodate his brand of real cinema. It was made into a film in 1955 called the smugglers of moonfleet, starring stewart granger. Moonfleet is a 1955 eastman color film filmed in cinemascope directed by fritz lang which was inspired by the novel moonfleet by j. Equally good, in my opinion is whiteley, playing a major, vital role, and carrying it off splendidly. Stewarts first entrance into a pub is one of the greats, and he carries the film brilliantly. The book was filmed by fritz lang in 1955 and released under the. Familiar holly wood heavies make up grangers gang of smugglers, including jack. Director fritz lang brings a very gothic look to the film. Scaramouche 1952 with stewart granger classic film freak. A young orphan is sent to the village of moonfleet, in dorset, england to stay with his mothers former. Langs film has enjoyed some cachet among french film critics.
Corrupt smuggler stewart granger is redeemed by the faith of a young boy who believes in him. He decided to try acting and attended webberdouglas. Adventure and intrigue await all ye who venture into the small and sinister village of moonfleet on the windswept moors of. At first, the greedy renegade does his best to reject the kiduntil he learns the boy is. Fritz langs moonfleet is a gothic melodrama, akin to jamaica inn, with the king of mgm swashbucklers stewart granger, who befriends an orphan boy unaware. He decided to try acting and attended webberdouglas school of dramatic art, london. Born in london, stewart granger studied acting at the webberdouglas school and started his career on the stage, beginning in films as an extra. Voir plus didees sur le theme stewart granger, annees 40 et vieux films. Familiar holly wood heavies make up granger s gang of smugglers, including jack elam and sean mcclory. With stewart granger, george sanders, joan greenwood, viveca lindfors. Stewart granger was born james leblanche stewart in london, the grandson of the actor luigi lablache.
Marlon brando, warren beatty, stewart granger, mae. Moonfleet was not langs type of film it is a romantic childs film. Marlon brando, warren beatty, stewart granger, mae west some of hollywoods greatest stars were also its worst advertisement, says chris petit chris petit sat 31 dec 2005 18. Smugglerrogue jeremy fox stewart granger, more melancholy than usual is upset when the young but determined john mohune jon whiteley, excellent shows up in moonfleet, a notorious smugglers roost. British actor stewart granger was born james stewart on the 6th may 19 in london. Moonfleet was first published in 1898 and hailed as an adventure story. Granger s dashing good looks, energy, humour and the arrogance that laced his romantic ardour made him the british cinemas foremost sex symbol, with a huge teenage following, and in hollywood he. Stewart granger may 6, 19 august 16, 1993, british. As dismissive as this phrase might at first seem, it is in fact an apt summary of the heightened grimness of fritz langs moody adventure saga. Grangers dashing good looks, energy, humour and the arrogance that laced his romantic ardour made him the british cinemas foremost sex symbol. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame through his appearances in the gainsborough melodramas. He studied acting at the webberdouglas school of dramatic art and began getting work as an extra in british films in 1933. Fox exudes an aura of class and bravado, along with an obvious love of life and the finer things it can offer, all of which combine to make him a beguiling presence to.
Sort by sodom and gomorrah 1962 directed by robert aldrich featuring stewart. Stewart grangers reputation as a motion picture actor rests largely on his swashbuckling roles in a series of sumptuous costume epics made for mgm in the 1950s, the waning days of this once very popular film genre. The young lad is played by jon whitley who was so good in the kidnappers and with dirk bogarde in the spanish gardner and hunted. Ortoli, philippe, stewart granger 191993, in mensuel du cinema paris, october 1993. Bronzedup french ballet dancer liliane montevecchi is doing a gypsy bit as unwanted offspring john jon whiteley arrives to tell his buccaneer father fox stewart granger he doesnt wish to be sent away, in fritz langs moonfleet, 1955 view the tcmdb entry for moonfleet 1955.
In 2017 the salisbury playhouse announced a major new. The format suited to snakes and funerals effectively hamstrings the great filmmakers expressive camera direction, yet the movie is one of the best of mgms lastgasp 50s. Stewart granger, jon whiteley, george sanders, joan. Jan 01, 2004 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Fox exudes an aura of class and bravado, along with an obvious love of life and the finer things it can offer, all of which combine to make him a. Stewart granger actors and actresses films as actor. A young orphan is sent to the village of moonfleet, in dorset, england to stay with his mothers former lover, who has the facade of a gentleman but is a leader of a gang of swashbuckling bootleggers. See more ideas about stewart granger, old movies and. Once logged in, you can add biography in the database.
A young boy jon whiteley is sent by his dying mother to moonfleet in the west country. A gothic melodrama set in england during the 18th century, the film is about john mohune, a young orphan, played by jon whiteley, who is sent to the dorset village of moonfleet to stay with his mothers former lover, jeremy fox. There, he finds himself under the wing of stewart grangers suave smuggler. Moonfleet 1898 begins as a mystery and an adventure story, a tale of. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to. Later as an adult, i returned to this book to read it anew and experience the. The story is set in dorset, england in 1757 and casts stewart granger as jeremy fox, an aristocratic ladies man who has just returned from an extended trip to europe with a beautiful mistress, mrs. Although he was at his peak in such 1950s hollywood adventure. Bronzedup french ballet dancer liliane montevecchi is doing a gypsy bit as unwanted offspring john jon whiteley arrives to tell his buccaneer father fox stewart granger he doesnt wish to be sent away, in fritz langs moonfleet, 1955. The same objections can be directed at both metropolis and moonfleet, and yet both share the same bleak view of the universe where man grapples with his personal. A british buccaneer is torn among three seductive women. Starring stewart granger, scaramouche is out of place in film history. In his autobiography sparks fly upward, actor stewart granger described the 1955 film moonfleet as a dreary costume epic.
Moonfleet by fritz lang fritz lang, stewart granger, george. In the 1750s, young orphan john mohune jon whiteley arrives at the seaside dorset village of moonfleet seeking jeremy fox stewart granger, a onetime friend of his late mother, to whom she has turned over care of the boy. By 1935, he made his stage debut in the cardinal at the little theatre hull. There, he finds himself under the wing of stewart granger s suave smuggler a former lover of his mum and. Fritz langs moonfleet the movie badly bungles the novels tale, but somehow manages to still be a very entertaining film, thanks to solid performances from stewart granger and george sanders, ably assisted by alan napier and melville cooper. Moonfleet, fritz langs third last hollywood film, has always been. Moonfleet is a movie starring stewart granger, george sanders, and joan greenwood. Stewart granger, george sanders, melville cooper, joan greenwood, viveca lindfors, jon whiteley, liliane montevecchi, sean mcclory. Stewart s first entrance into a pub is one of the greats, and he carries the film brilliantly. It clings tenaciously at the end of hollywoods golden age, declared by many critics to have ended a few years earlier. This is partly why many of langs films seem to have a comic booklike quality about them. Moonfleet manufactured on demand on movies unlimited. An adventure novel thats one of its kind, the book takes you to moonfleet, a quaint little coastal village, in 18th century england.
The best stewart granger web site includes biography, gallery, and film posters. Fox, played by stewart granger, is a morally ambiguous character, an elegant gentleman intimately involved with smugglers. Meade falkner, directed by fritz lang, and with stewart granger, george sanders, joan greenwood, viveca lindfors, jon whiteley, liliane montevecchi, melville cooper, sean mcclory, alan napier, john hoyt, donna corcoran, jack elam, dan seymour, ian wolfe, lester matthews. Stewart granger, jon whiteley, george sanders, viveca lindfors, joan greenwood, ian wolfe. British period piece from director fritz lang stars stewart granger as the leader of a gang of buccaneers, who, one day, becomes the guardian of a young orphan. A young orphan is sent to the village of moonfleet, in dorset, england to stay with his mothers former lover, who ha. In the 1750s, young orphan john mohune jon whiteley arrives at the seaside dorset village of moonfleet seeking jeremy fox stewart granger, a onetime. The atmosphere is often a dark, gloomy one, with numerous shots of the. He went to hollywood, under contract to mgm, in 1950, and appeared in a series of swashbuckling roles. Peter bogdanovich, on the other hand, rather generously, i think, contends that that era ended ten years later with the man who shot liberty valance, the last great film of john ford.
Granger later said i hated working with fritz lang he was a kraut and it was a bloody awful film. As his appeal declined, he returned to make films in europe. Fritz langs moonfleet the movie badly bungles the novels tale, but. In 1757, moonfleet is a small village along the coast of southern england.
Its fritz lang versus cinemascope, for the first and last time. He studied acting at the webberdouglas school of dramatic art and. The plot is an adventure tale of smuggling, treasure, and shipwreck set in 18th century england. He attended epsom college but left after deciding not to pursue a medical degree. Meade falkner, directed by fritz lang, and with stewart granger, george sanders, joan greenwood, viveca lindfors, jon whiteley, liliane montevecchi, melville cooper, sean mcclory, alan napier, john hoyt, donna corcoran, jack elam, dan seymour, ian wolfe, lester matthews, skelton. His explanations concerning the choices that he made in the film industry are understandable.
Dec 31, 2005 marlon brando, warren beatty, stewart granger, mae west some of hollywoods greatest stars were also its worst advertisement, says chris petit chris petit sat 31 dec 2005 18. Moonfleet is a 1898 novel written by english writer j. A young orphan is sent to the village of moonfleet. Fritz langs moonfleet is a gothic melodrama, akin to jamaica inn, with the king of mgm swashbucklers stewart granger, who befriends an orphan boy unaware that he leads a gang of smugglers. Moonfleet is a 1955 film starring stewart granger, george sanders, joan. Mgm bought the film rights and announced stewart granger as the star immediately. With one of the largest book inventories in the world, find the book you are looking for. Fritz langs moonfleet the movie badly bungles the novels tale, but somehow. Fox for a mentor played by stewart granger, while the role of the working class elzevir block was reduced to leading a group of the smugglers. Stewart granger, james lablache stewart, britishborn motionpicture actor born may 6, 19, london, englanddied aug.
At first, the greedy renegade does his best to reject the kiduntil he learns the boy is due to inherit a precious and expensive heirloom. Wild and wonderful as the thrillpacked novel that inspired it. Stewart granger, jon whiteley, george sanders, joan greenwood, viveca lindfors, liliane montevecchi it must be stressed that langs cinema has not declined over the years. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame through his. Set in the eighteenth century, moonfleet is about john mohune, a young orphan, played by jon whiteley, who is sent to the dorset village of moonfleet to stay with an old friend of his mothers, jeremy fox.
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