In Search Of The Castaways (1962)

 

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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Libel (1959)

Libel - 1959

Our next film is 1959's "Libel", the story of an aristocratic British war veteran whose lack of memory about some of the war years results in a fight for his family home, his wife, and his good name.

The film's cast includes Dirk Bogarde, Olivia de Havilland, Paul Massie, Robert Morley, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Anthony Dawson, Richard Wattis, and Sebastian Saville.

In England, a television program that takes viewers on historical tours of some famous houses is airing.  The current segment takes place at Ingworth House, the home of Sir Mark Loddon.

A Canadian pilot named Jeffrey Buckenham who served with Sir Mark in World War II is drawn to the television when he hears Mark's name and sees him being interviewed.  During the course of the program, Jeffrey becomes convinced that Sir Mark is actually Frank Wellney, who served with both Mark and Jeffrey and bore an almost twin-like appearance to Mark.

Sir Mark and his wife Margaret show viewers through the house.  When the host asks some specific questions about an earlier period in Mark's life, he is unable to answer them, further strengthening Jeffrey's belief that he is not Mark.

And Mark, it turns out, is suffering from a sort of PTSD.  He paces the house late at night, shouting at shadows in mirrors, and upsetting his wife.

Jeffrey comes to see Mark.  Mark initially is glad to see him, but Jeffrey uses the occasion to add proof to the fact that Mark is not Mark, but Frank.  "Mark" has a part of a missing index finger just like Frank.

Jeffrey even gets one of Mark's distant cousins (who would be the baronet if Mark had not come back from the war) to back up his claim and support him in a court case.

Mark's wife Margaret is astonished when she reads the report in the newspaper.  She's not sure what to believe.  She confronts Mark, but he tells her that he is exactly who he's said he was all along.

A court case is commenced.  Both sides offering compelling arguments as to Mark's identity.

Mark's inability to answer fully or fill in details causes Margaret to doubt her husband.

During the course of the trial, the relationship between Mark and Frank is examined.  We learn that Frank is a particularly nasty character.  He opens Mark's letters and reads them before handing them over to Mark.

When Margaret is put on the stand to testify on behalf of her husband, the amount of evidence against him makes her say that he is not Sir Mark Loddon, to the general astonishment of the crowd and Mark himself.

When Mark goes to Margaret later that night, she is cold towards him and sends him off into the night to do some deep thinking.

As he walks the streets of London, Mark unlocks parts of his memory that were deeply buried.  The next day, he is able to provide evidence which proves conclusively that he is who he says he is.

Margaret rushes to him.  Mark takes her in his arms and they embrace before walking out of the courtroom hand in hand.

Cast rundown:

   Dirk Bogarde.....................................Sir Mark Loddon/Frank Wellney

   Olivia de Havilland..............................Lady Margaret Loddon

   Paul Massie........................................Jeffrey Buckenham

   Robert Morley.....................................Sir Wilfred

   Wilfrid Hyde-White..............................Hubert Foxley

   Anthony Dawson.................................Gerald Loddon

   Richard Wattis....................................The Judge

   Sebastian Saville.................................Michael Loddon

And that's it for Libel.  Ingworth House, the home of Sir Mark Loddon, is actually Longleat. It is the home of Ceawlin Thynn, Marquess of Bath.  The house is famous for its many sculpted mazes and its very own drive-through safari park.

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