The Moon-Spinners
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Movie Reviews of The Moon-Spinners
Movie Review: Moon Spinners
Summary: 5 Stars
I have enjoyed watching the dvd and shipping was once again very fast.
Thank you.
Movie Review: "Moon-Spinners" a welcome DVD release
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a first-rate video of "The Moon-Spinners" if you take into account that it's a "full-screen presentation" only which cost it a rating star from me.The folks at Disney apparently don't think their "lesser" live-action titles merit any special presentation...and, consequently,their fans are let down.
"The Moon-Spinners" was a very good summer release in 1964 based on a mystery novel by Mary Stewart and starred the always appealing Hayley Mills who made a mint for Disney when its animation unit was only so-so, despite "Mary Poppins."
The location of Crete, alone, should have warranted a widescreen presentation. The video is crisp and clean and the sound is fairly good throughout. The video bears the Dolby Digital trademark. Aside from subtitles, there are no audio choices.
Greek actress Irene Pappas, though way too underused, lends an authenticity that is not too severely distracted from by Eli Wallach in one of his patented bad-guy-in-dark-makeup roles. He doesn't chew the scenery, but he stops just short of doing it. The ever-delightful Joan Greenwood is appropriately British with a touch of ditz as Mills' aunt who is collecting folk tunes. Mills is very good as Nicki Ferris, a gal with a 60s sensibility who thinks nothing of doing the twist at a Greek wedding, and Peter McEnery is first-rate as a British man of mystery with a dangerous secret that Mills tries to unravel as she helps him elude some dangerous men.
This is a movie that resonates for me on many levels, not the least of which is that it perfectly captures some of the flavor of the Mediterranean with its evocative photography and music. The location is a very important character in this tale. Key, too, is the part of Alexis played by Michael Davis as an earnest, ostensibly Greek, boy with a Disneyesque tendency to throw Americanisms into every situation for comic relief. The comments are more than transparent if not annoying. He helps move things along, though, and that's a plus.
There are a couple of wonderful small parts: John LeMesurier passes himself off as a consul; he and Joan Hancock, whom he identifes as his wife, are extremely convincing. Hancock has quite a nice under-the-influence scene that hints at dipsomania.
Last but not least is silent screen legend Pola Negri as "Madam Habib" -- a wealthy woman who buys rare jewels and who is the target of Wallach, LeMesurier and McEnery. Negri is wonderful as the rich woman with a conscience but with a greater love for rare jewels. She more than holds her own in her scenes with Mills and Wallach and should have been making films on a regular basis. A showdown on her yacht "Minotaur" -- with all turning out well for the hero and heroine -- ends the film.
This film features a very impressive music score by Ron Grainer -- intensely atmospheric, moody, evocative and definitely among the best for the mystery genre of the 1960s....and given John Barry's James Bond entries for that period, that's saying something!
As for the ratio, there is a specific scene where it is quite obvious the theatrical presentation was wider than it is on DVD.
Hayley is following a blood trail in a church on Crete. As she spots each drop of blood, there is an orchestral punctuation (Grainer uses his main theme and each punctuation is on the first note of a melodic line). As she goes down some stairs, you get the punctuation before the blood spot enters the frame, and if you watch it over and over (as I did), you see that someone was thinking, "Oops, gotta get that blood spot in there."
I remember seeing it in a wider perspective in a theater. It may not have been much wider, but we might have been given what the director intended us to see.
This is a no-frills release that could have been exceptional with more care from the studio. I think it's a lot of fun and a good story. It's not mindbending or thought-provoking, but it's a good entertainment for almost any time of day or night.
Movie Review: Fun Mystery and Prime Hayley Mills!
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Moon-Spinners" is a great treat. It blends Hitchcockian mystery and suspense (Disney style) with light humor and romance in an exotic, beautiful locale (the island of Crete). It reminds me of some of the other better Disney mysteries like "Escapade in Florence" with Annette Funcinello that also mix appealing teen-aged protagonists with delicious mystery in a scenic location. All elements work well and I appreciate that they intertwine authentic local culture into the mix. Hayley Mills is also at her best. She was one of the most engaging young actresses of the 60's -- pretty, spirited, fun. I like the guest appearance by Pola Negri in an over-the-top role. That is also very common to the 60's -- older stars appeared in many of the Funicello "beach party" flicks and in Doris Day comedies like "The Glass-Bottom Boat." That was a nice aspect to these films -- that older stars were honored and given a place among the popular young stars. Like some of the other reviewers here, I saw this film first as a kid probably on "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" and I was not at all disappointed in revisiting it. As a Hayley and mystery fan, it fills the bill admirably with any cloying aspects (like the Greek boy who misuses American expressions) kept to a minimum. And I adore Hayley's wardrobe with the big headbands, "I Dream of Jeanie" hair twists and falls, and cool clothes. The DVD itself has no extras, but many times I find extras gratuituous and not of much value.Movie Review: You Spin Me Round
Summary: 4 Stars
Anyone who is aquainted with the Disney movie legacy knows for certain they have an abundance of material. Not all releases can possible be dished out in luster form as a commemorative edition including many extras. A lot of those productions do come bare bones in dvd releases, and sometimes that is fine with me, considering these films are available at all to begin with. Moon-Spinners is just such a category as I recall seeing this feature in a two part Wonderful World of Color Sunday night movie, and havent seen it since. It is pure joy to cut to the chase, pardon the phrase, to watch this kind of movie instantly by flicking it on a dvd player, and push play, sit back & enjoy the wonderful memories of such a heartfelt production with Haley Mills giving another believable performance.
I enjoy Mary Poppins anniversary 2-disc, as well as the animation platinum editions, but Disney is overstocked in an incredible amount of out of the Disney vault films to give each and every single one a grand extra feature treatment. Now if they could only release The Prince and the Pauper live action movie, I wouldnt mind the bare bones of that either, just so I could watch it. Clarity, smarity, I just want to watch the dang thing to relieve the Disney movie shakes from my childhood!
Movie Review: A MYSTERY OF ADVENTURE, ROMANCE, & HAYLEY MILLS!
Summary: 4 Stars
Disney travels to the Grecian island of Crete to film this enjoyable tale of a young English girl, played by teen favorite Hayley Mills and her Aunt (Joan Greenwood), who are traveling the area in search of native folk songs. While visiting Crete, Hayley meets young and handsome Peter McEnery, and is soon swept up into mystery, romance, and intrigue. The film has a Hitchcock feel to it, and reminds the viewer a little of "To Catch A Thief" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much." I believe it's the locales and the fine performance of Eli Wallach, as the jewel thief Strattos. I highly recommend "The Moon-Spinners," it has a vacation feel and is quite enjoyable to watch, especially for Hayley Mills fans. The dvd is featured in the full screen format, however, the picture's transfer is very clean and the audio sounds good. I too, would prefer the films in their original wide screen formats, but just to have these Disney classic films available to add to my dvd library, whether full screen or wide screen, is something to be thankful for.