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| In Search Of The Castaways - 1962 |
Coming up next we have 1962's "In Search Of The Castaways", a tale by Jules Verne that sees a lost sea captain's two children defy the odds and travel around the globe to locate their father and bring him home.
The film's cast includes Maurice Chevalier, Hayley Mills, George Sanders, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Michael Anderson Jr., Antonio Cifariello, Keith Hamshere, Wilfrid Brambell, Jack Gwillim, and Joss Ackland.
Siblings Mary and Robert Grant are searching for their father, Captain Grant, who disappeared sea voyage. Their friend Jacques Paganel has a message in a bottle that they believe was sent by their father.
They appeal to the owner of the vessel their father was sailing, Lord Glenarvan, and his son, John, to help them.
With a little persuading, Lord Glenarvan puts his steam-powered yacht at their disposal, and they set sail from England. Their destination is South America, where they believe the message in the bottle came from.
Once in South America, the group rides through the Andes Mountains. Monsieur Paganel sings to keep everyone's spirits up.
Monsieur Paganel points out the way they must take. Lord Glenarvan peers at the treacherous route through his telescope.
Things get a bit scary when a giant condor appears out of nowhere and snatches up Robert!
He is saved by Thalcave, a Patagonian who shoots down the humongous bird.
Thalcave later acts as their guide. He leaves the group under the shade of a large tree while he seeks out some information. The group has no idea that this tree will come to save their lives.
A flashflood surprises the group one night and submerges all of the land in water. The only refuge is up the enormous tree that they camped next to.
It is up this tree that Mary Grant and John Glenarvan begin to develop some romantic feelings for each other.
However, danger lurks even here. A jaguar, floating by on a log, jumps onto the tree for more stable shelter. Wanting to avoid the humans, the large cat climbs to the highest part of the tree. The humans breathe a little easier watching it disappear from sight.
Lightning strikes the tree, and it bursts into flames. Everyone finds themselves in danger again, both from fire and a jaguar who is anxious to escape the towering inferno. (Don't worry. The jaguar makes it out alright.)
Everyone tries to get into the water to escape the flames, but danger lurks there, too. Ravenous reptiles are anxious for a meal. "Apparently, we have our choice. Eaten raw down there or roasted alive up here!" exclaims Lord Glenarvan. (Just to clarify, these are American alligators, which would not be living in South America.)
The group makes it out of South America alive, and head to Australia, where they have a new lead. Lord Glenarvan advertises in the newspaper. He seeks anyone who can offer him information on Captain Grant.
They make the acquaintance of Thomas Ayerton, who knows a surprising amount of information about Captain Grant's ship, Britannia. It's rumored that Captain Grant is in New Zealand and held prisoner by cannibals. Thomas says he will gather some men and supplies to barter with the Maoris for the life of Captain Grant.
Lord Glenarvan isn't at all sure about the men that Thomas has hired. "Motley looking lot of fellows you've got together," he observes. Thomas smiles and says, "Well, when you look for men to go into Maori
country, you don’t choose from among the social
elite."
It turns out that Thomas is a gun-runner and is using Lord Glenarvan's yacht to smuggle goods. He also Captain Grant's third mate aboard the Britannia and he started a mutiny that led to the ship's doom. Thomas gets everybody into a lifeboat and kicks them off the ship.
They end up right where they need to be. Mary and Robert Grant come across their father's trusted shipmate, Bill Gaye, who knows exactly how to get to Captain Grant. Bill is a quite interesting character. "You come as a stranger, and I take ye in. I have prepared a place for thee in the presence of
thine enemy," he says as he welcomes the visitors.
Bill and the group are the cannibals' prisoners. Once the prisoners break free, the cannibals follow in hot pursuit.
Bill takes them to the one place the cannibals won't follow, an active volcano!
Once they defeat Thomas Ayerton, Mary and Robert are reunited with their father at long last.
And as they all head back to England, Mary Grant and John Glenarvan resume their romance with a little stargazing.
Cast rundown:
Maurice Chevalier.................................Jacques Paganel
Hayley Mills.........................................Mary Grant
George Sanders....................................Thomas Ayerton
Wilfrid Hyde-White................................Lord Glenarvan
Michael Anderson Jr...............................John Glenarvan
Antonio Cifariello...................................Thalcave
Keith Hamshere....................................Robert Grant
Wilfrid Brambell.....................................Bill Gaye
Jack Gwillim.........................................Captain Grant
Joss Ackland.........................................Yacht Seaman
And that's it for In Search Of The Castaways. This was the third of six films that Hayley Mills made for Disney. It was hoped that her younger brother, Jonathan, would be able to play her brother in the film. However, his school teachers rejected the idea. The film was a huge success at both the American and British box offices.
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