ianlouisiana Review of The Moonraker

The Moonraker (1958)

Full of action and great fun,but you should have seen it in 1958.

[8/10 · 24 February 2009]

George Baker is so handsome and beautifully spoken that it hardly matters if his acting isn't up to much - unlike Laurence Harvey,his contemporary, who was also handsome and beautifully spoken but whose lack of thespic talent I found extremely grating.Possibly because Mr Harvey had pretensions and Mr Baker was cheerfully light hearted and frivolous.As "The Moonraker" he is having fun,pure and simple.He is not in the least convincing as a 17th century peer and it doesn't matter,it's only a movie.And you should have seen it in 1958 when the screen was dazzled by Miss Sylvia Sims' blue eyes and Mr Paul Whitsun-Jones' bluff and cheery heroics.The bright colours,the echoing hoofbeats,the swordplay,the clifftops.what a feast for a 17 year old in those innocent days. The story-about the rescue of the young King Charles from Cromwell's troops-is not the point of this movie.It was a genuine English attempt to do a "Prince Valiant",if you like,a home made Hollywood epic on a far more modest scale,and,as such,it was a great success.With more familiar British actors than you could shake a stick at,it makes great TV for the 21st century - but you should have seen it in 1958.