The Moon-Spinners
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Movie Reviews of The Moon-Spinners
Movie Review: Hayley Mills fans
Summary: 3 Stars
Grew up on Disney and Hayley Mills, so this is a "comfort" trip back in time. First class actors including one from the silent era. The plot moves right along to the usual Disney implausible resolution.Movie Review: Times have changed!
Summary: 3 Stars
It was so funny to watch this movie as an adult! I remembered watching it as a young girl and I loved it so much. Now it seems kind of hokey but it was fun and funny, the scenery is still beautiful.Movie Review: The Moon-Spinners
Summary: 3 Stars
A fun Haley Mills movie, but not close to the story written by Mary Stewart. Still, worth watching.Movie Review: Moon-Spinners is a beloved classic, but Disney DVDs STINK
Summary: 2 Stars
It's mind-boggling that Disney doesn't get it. Here is a company that's sitting on one of the most extensive film libraries in existence -- and that built itself on MOTION PICTURE QUALITY, INNOVATION, AND CREATIVE SPIRIT (just look to Disney's amazing string of successes from Steamboat Willie to the Silly Symphonies to Snow White to Sleeping Beauty, with so many more) -- and they continue to produce these horribly dull, penny-pinching, artistically bogus DVDs of such enjoyable, lovely films as "The Moon-Spinners" (HOW can they still be producing pan-and-scan versions of these beautifully shot live action films -- it's inexcusable!). There are so many possibilities for the DVD of this film, such as a comparison to the travel/nature shorts they produced (and the Cretan setting of this film certainly grew out of the travel genre popular through the middle decades of the last century), or promos Disney produced at the time, and of course contemporary cartoons which would have run during television showings of this movie. And these extras would come from THEIR OWN LIBRARIES! So -- what about "The Moon-Spinners?" It's the cinematic equivalent to the engaging, spirited books for the middle-aged child by authors such as such as Jane Langton or E.L. Konigsberg. I'm always astonished by the obtuse reactions to this film in regards to Hayley Mills: this story and its treatment are woven into a compelling and lively depiction of a young girl of her age, as she moved from child roles to those of a teenager. The movie really captures the starry-eyed and energetic romantic young girl, and the mixture of naiveté and resourceful maturity of a bright teenager. In addition, the performance of Peter McEnery is full of genuinely interesting choices, and he is quite spontaneous and charismatic. James Neilson was able to mix the various elements, including the strong influence of Hitchcock's brightly colored "fun" pictures -- particularly "To Catch A Thief" -- in a very convincing way (despite the classic Disney day-for-night color shooting, where they just can't seem to avoid that big, saturated Mediterranean blue sky). Not only that, but he did it with verve and not a hint of condescension, unimaginable in today's ludicrously jaded youth market. It is a genuinely delightful mix, with moments of real subtlety, and if your children haven't been spoiled by the frenetic pacing of contemporary editing and dulled by the vapid characterizations and situations of recent PG pictures, it can be a real favorite for your family.Movie Review: If you've read the book you're better off staying away from this
Summary: 2 Stars
Well, at least the scenery is gorgeous, but that's pretty much it. This Disney film is based on Mary's Stewart's novel of the same name, about Nicola (Nicky) Ferris and her Aunt on a vacation to the island of Crete. She soon stumbles into a mystery involving Mark Camford (I think that was the last name although it's a different one than he had in the book), the over-the-top-over-acted baddie Stratos and some missing jewels. There are enough recaps here I'm not going to bother with rehashing it again, nor am I going to diss the DVD quality. My problem is once again Hollywood has taken a great book with an awesome story and screwed it up. If you think they trashed The Man In The Iron Mask, well you 'ain't' seen nothing yet.
In Stewart's book Nicola is a twenty something, independent, intelligent self-sufficient young woman, not the sniveling, irritating teenager portrayed by Hayley Mills. In the book she arrives a day earlier than her aunt and finds an injured Mark, his teenage brother and another friend in the mountains. There was no overcrowded bus, no wedding party, Sophia didn't own the hotel, she didn't have a son, there was no carnival, no yacht, no leopard, no man from the British embassy with a drunken wife, someone other than Mark's brother got tied up in the windmill, someone other than Nicola dodged the boat at the end in Dolphin Bay although worst of all we didn't get the spark and chemistry between Mark and Nicola that Stewart gave us. I was sooooo looking forward to that scene at the end of the book where she's realizing her attraction for Mark is going from Stage one to Stage five, but no, we don't even get that.
I could go on and on but you get the picture. It's probably a nice film for Hayley's fans or young kids in general but fans of the book should skip it. Wish I had.