The Moonraker

The Moonraker (1958)

After the battle of Worcester at the end of the Civil War, the main aim of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth is to capture Charles Stuart. The future king's escape depends on the intrepid Earl of Dawlish, who as the Moonraker has already spirited away many Royalists. Dawlish travels to the Windwhistle Inn on the south coast to prepare the escape, where he meets Anne Wyndham, the fiancée of a top Roundhead colonel.

Date of release
1958-08-02
TMDB
6.9 / 10 (10)
Runtime
1h 22m
Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Director
David MacDonald

Casting

Interesting facts

The Moonraker is a 1958 British swashbuckler film directed by David MacDonald and starring George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, John Le Mesurier and Patrick Troughton. It was based on the 1952 play of the same title by Arthur Watkyn. It was released in 1958.

Production

The film was based on the 1952 play by Arthur Watkyn.

In February 1952 Robert Clark of Associated British proposed that his company purchase the film rights as a vehicle for Audrey Hepburn, whom they had under contract, and either David Niven or Cornel Wilde. Associated British had an arrangement with Warner Bros; Jack Warner liked the story and agreed to a co production starring Hepburn and Wilde.

The play had been very successful in the provinces, so Watkyn wanted £10,000 for the film rights; neither Clark nor Warner would pay this, so Watkyn refused to sell until the play opened in London. When it did, it was a box office disaster and lasted only four performances. Watkyn agreed to sell the rights. However the film was not made with Hepburn.

The film was made several years later. It was one of the last films Clark green-lit while head of the company and he is credited as "director of production". According to one writer, this was an unusual occurrence for Clark, and indicates his intense interest in the project. And indeed The Moonraker should be interpreted as Clark's 'last stand' on politics and film culture.

The film was shot at Elstree Studios, Boreham Wood with sets designed by the art director Robert Jones, with location filming in Dorset, Wiltshire and Hertfordshire. The castle was Leeds Castle in Kent.

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