''The Moon-Spinners'' is a 1964 American

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

starring

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...

Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach ( ; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a British Aca ...

and

Peter McEnery Peter Robert McEnery (born 21 February 1940) is a retired English stage and film actor. Early life McEnery was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, to Charles and Ada Mary (née Brinson) McEnery. He was educated at Ellesmere College, Shropshire. Hi ...

in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. Produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

, the film was loosely based upon a 1962 suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson. It featured the legendary

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actress

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienn ...

in her final screen performance. ''The Moon-Spinners'' was

' fifth film in the series of six for Disney. It includes her first "proper" on-screen romance in a Disney film.

Plot

A young English woman named Nikky Ferris and her aunt, Frances, a folk

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

, travel to the village of

Elounda Elounda (), alternatively transliterated as Elounta or Elouda, is a small town on the northern coast of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos. Settlement structure Elounda is formed of seven villages an ...

, on the island of

. They rent a room at the Moon-Spinners Inn, though the innkeeper, Sophia, initially refuses them until her teenage son Alexis and Aunt Frances persuade her. Sophia's older brother, Stratos, not wanting any guests at the inn, questions Aunt Frances about why she chose the Moon-Spinners Inn, then reluctantly allows her and Nikky to stay one night. During a wedding party at the inn later that evening, Nikky meets a young Englishman named Mark Camford, who invites her and Aunt Frances to dinner. He hints that Stratos is more than he appears. Mark then invites Nikky for a morning swim in the Bay of Dolphins. Later that night, Mark follows Stratos when he goes night fishing at the Bay of Dolphins. While watching Stratos, Mark is attacked. The following morning, Nikky is disappointed to hear that Mark has abruptly checked out. While out walking, Nikky follows a trail of blood to a church basement where she finds a wounded Mark hiding. He asks Nikky to fetch some supplies, refusing to explain how he was shot. Nikky returns with a first aid kit,

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

, and a travel rug. Mark urges Nikky and her aunt to go to the nearby town of Agios Nikolaos for safety. Returning to the inn, Nikky runs into Stratos, who is looking for her after learning about the missing items from Aunt Frances. Stratos sees through Nikky's cover story and searches the church, which is empty. Stratos ties Nikky up in a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

while enlisting his crony Lambis to find Mark. Mark and Alexis later rescue Nikky. Nikky and Mark take refuge in the ruins of an ancient temple. Mark reveals he is a former bank employee. While transporting jewelry from the bank to the Countess of Fleet, he was attacked and robbed, then fired. Mark believes Stratos stole the jewels and hid them somewhere in the Bay of Dolphins. The duo spend the night hiding in the temple while Stratos hunts for them. The next morning, the British consul at

Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...

, Anthony Gamble, finds the pair and takes them to his summer villa in Agios Nikolaos, where his wife, Cynthia, looks after them. Anthony, who is actually Stratos' partner in crime, assures Stratos that he will deal with the couple. Nikky learns from the Gambles that a rich woman named Madam Habib is arriving on her yacht. Mark surmises that Stratos intends to sell her the stolen jewels. Cynthia drugs Mark so that the Gambles can send him, along with Nikky, to an

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

hospital. En route to the airport, Mark awakens, tells Nikky he has to stop Stratos, kisses her, and leaves. He fights Stratos but fails to prevent him from absconding with the jewels. Nikky steals a motor launch and heads to Madame Habib's yacht. Nikky tells Madam Habib that Stratos is a thief and is selling stolen jewels belonging to the Countess of Fleet, who happens to be an old friend of Habib's. Stratos arrives for the transaction. Mark, Frances, and Alexis arrive with the police and a fight ensues. Stratos is arrested and Madam Habib returns the jewels to Mark. Alexis leaves by boat, waving at Mark and Nikky, implying that they will be married by the time they return to Crete.

Cast

as Nikky Ferris *

as Stratos *

as Mark Camford *

Joan Greenwood Joan Mary Waller Greenwood (4 March 1921 – 28 February 1987) was an English actress. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark. She played Sibella in the 1949 film ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'', and also app ...

as Frances Ferris *

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas (, ; born Eirini Lelekou (); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through ...

as Sophia *

as Madame Habib * Michael Davis as Alexis *

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...

as Anthony Gamble *

Paul Stassino Phaedros Stassinos (1930 – 28 June 2012) was a Greek Cypriot actor whose international stage name was Paul Stassino. Early life Stassino was born in Platres and grew up in nearby Limassol, but spent most of his acting career in England. He h ...

as Lambis *

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...

as Cynthia Gamble *

André Morell Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as ...

as Yacht Captain *

George Pastell George Pastell (13 March 1923 – 4 April 1976) was a Cypriot character actor in British films and television programmes. Sources vary as to whether his real name was Nino (IMDb) or George Pastellides (BFI). His marriage record gives his name ...

as Police Lieutenant *

Tutte Lemkow Tutte Lemkow (born Isak Samuel Lemkow; 28 August 1918 – 10 November 1991) was a Norwegian actor and dancer, who played mostly villainous roles in British television and films. His chief claims to mainstream familiarity were his roles as ...

as Orestes *

Steve Plytas Phokion Stavros Plytas (9 January 1913 – 27 December 1994), known professionally as Steve Plytas, was a Greek film and television actor based in the United Kingdom. His stage work included West End appearances in Tennessee Williams' ''The Nig ...

as Hearse Driver * Harry Tardios as Bus Driver * Pamela Barrie as Ariadne *

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...

as Cat Effects (uncredited)

Differences between the book and the film

The plots in the film and the book bear little resemblance. The book is aimed at an adult romantic suspense readership, while the film is aimed at a wider Disney audience, with a plot appropriate for a young adult audience. The lead character in the film, Nikky Ferris, is a teenager out of her depth, where Nicola Ferris is a secretary in the British Embassy in Athens, fluent in Greek. In the book, a mature Nicola travels alone to Crete and deals with life-and-death situations, though her cousin Frances Scourby, a botanist, joins Nicola Ferris late in the action. In the film an adolescent and less resolute Nikky is accompanied by her aunt Frances, a musicologist interested in folk tunes. The film leaves out entirely the main character Colin Langley, Mark's 15-year old brother, who in the film is a composite with the local Greek boy, Alexis. The film morphs the character Lambis, the captain of the boat rented by the Langley brothers to tour the Greek Isles, from an ally to an adversary. In the film Mark Camford is on the trail of jewel thieves for a theft in which he was custodian of the jewels. The novel leaves out the character of Madam Habib entirely. In the novel Mark and Colin Langley are tourists in Crete who unwittingly witness a local murder, Mark is shot and initially left for dead, Colin is kidnapped by the killers and escapes with the help of Sophia, and Mark Langley is subsequently hunted by the local killers who he must elude while searching for his brother. Initially unwittingly (Lambis involves Nicola against her will), and later as an ally, Nicola becomes increasingly entangled by circumstances. Mark insists that Nicola stay clear of further involvement in his dangerous situation, and Nicola checks into Stratos's hotel in Agios Georgios, unknowingly finding herself among Mark's pursuers. On her way to warn Mark, Nicola encounters the escaped young Colin and protects him until he is reunited with Mark. Nicola Ferris takes a more active part in the more dangerous denouement of the plot in the novel than does Nikki Ferris in the film, who just appeals to Madam Habib to untangle the situation.

Production

The film production is similar to other Disney live-action features made in the 1950s and 1960s for more mainstream audiences, such as ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'' (1950) and ''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne. It is considered a classic within its genres and world literature. It was originally serialised from March 1869 to June 1870 i ...

'' (1954). It was Walt Disney's penultimate live-action film in which he was credited as producer while alive. Disney persuaded silent film actress

, who had been retired for two decades, to return to the screen for her last film. For the 2006 biographical documentary film '' Pola Negri: Life Is a Dream in Cinema'', both Mills and Wallach were extensively interviewed about their work with Negri in ''The Moon-Spinners''.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

offered a mixed review, praising "the ripening attractiveness of the young British actress Hayley Mills and some beautiful scenery in color on the island of Crete", but calling the film "essentially an entertainment for the younger set". With regard to adult viewers, he noted that "it is a picture in which standard melodrama abounds – the kind that the older observer may find just too bubbling with clichés".

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, describing the film as a "distilled Hitchcockian suspense yarn, diluted for the consumption of children", gives it an approval rating of 63%.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon-Spinners, The 1964 films 1964 children's films 1960s mystery films American mystery films Walt Disney Pictures films Films directed by James Neilson Films produced by Walt Disney Films based on British novels Films set in Crete Films shot in Crete Films about vacationing American neo-noir films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films produced by Bill Anderson (producer) Films scored by Ron Grainer 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language mystery films