source: The Riddle of the Sands

The Riddle of the Sands

I found Riddle Of The Sands to be a fine film, it flowed nicely and has that fine english old school comradeship charm about it. While it's not heavy on action or budget, I found it to be a refreshing break from some of the more modern films. Having a simple story line and most probably a low budget, Riddle Of the Sands shines quitely and is somewhat under rated by many in my opinion. with it's beautiful music and a fine cast, I feel This film is an all time Great...

The Riddle of the sands is an espionage thriller, but it is also a coming of age story. Carruthers begins as a prat and little by little under Davies' gentle tutelage, he becomes a great human being and a man. The film draws this beautifully, and the three leads are adorable together. For people who like boats, it's a feast, and major actors of the film are the boats... Dulcibella is a great fictional heroine and she (and the others) are beautifully rendered here. The music is haunting. Yes it doesn't move fast, but that's what sailing's about. It's a pleasure in a fast-moving world to imagine a time when things happened at sailboat speed. The DVD print is crisp and clear, and there are no format problems A joy to watch!

It's a great old sort of thriller based on a well known and loved Erskine Childers novel. The cast are excellent and the feel for the time and place, with what was to come are of an older world Don't expect action but prepare to either love it or hate it. Michael York at the height of his game Simon Macorkindale was also never better And Jenny Agutter reminding us all what a beauty and fine actress she is. I'd love a return to old style thrillers based on great stories without relying on special effects.

The people who commented obviously loved it so much. So did I. No movie can be perfect, and anything with a strong nautical theme is very, very hard to get looking right. Look at all the pirate movies where it is obvious that a period ship, recreated at huge expense, has its sails hanging slack and is being propelled through the water by engines. There was a Columbus movie not long back where the bottom edge of a sail was flapping round his face while he said something deep and meaningful. RofS is one of the few films that manage to sustain realistic nautical action and atmosphere right through. My only very minor quibble was that in the scene below decks where Clara puts on the kettle, there is far too much space above her head. But that could not detract from the "awkward English chap" conversation Arthur has with her. Of course anything with Jenny Agutter in it is a good movie, but with Jenny and sailing boats as well, this is one to love.

The book is an absolute classic, but it is not a very easy one to adapt at all. While not quite succeeding, Riddle of the Sands is a very solid film. It is quite slow in places and the actor playing Kaiser is very wooden. However, the film is beautifully shot, with striking locations, interesting fashions and exquisite photography. Howard Blake's haunting score compliments the mood of the film brilliantly and the story and the script are very interesting. The sailing scenes are excellently done, and there is a fine cast, excepting Kaiser. Michael York and Simon McCorkindale are excellent, actually in regards to McCorkindale I don't think I have seen him this good before, while Alan Badel is appropriately sinister and Jenny Agutter provides an emotional weight that wasn't there in the book but was welcome here. So all in all, solid and worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Whenever I surf over to IMDb I always seem to find forgotten classics that are unavailable in any format. This is another example of a great movie which never seems to resurface on VHS or DVD. At least this one was released on video at one time and can be found at secondhand vendors. No one has ever done a better job of transferring this lesser-known classic story to the screen. Michael York, Simon McCorkindale and Jenny Agutter are seldom better than they are here in quiet and understated performances. The director achieves the very spirit of the book in a seemingly effortless manner. Such a pity that no one who has the ability to resurrect this movie thinks it worthy of the DVD treatment it deserves.