In 18th-century coastal England, young John Mohune (John Whiteley) makes his way, by night, to the little town of Moonfleet, where, directed by a letter from his recently-deceased mother, he will be able to find Jeremy Fox (Stewart Granger), who according to the letter, will be a friend to him. Recently returned from the colonies and now living in the home once belonging to the dead woman's family, Fox and the woman appear to have been in love in their youth. Though her family drove Fox away and married her off to a more suitable man, the dead woman is confident that Fox's former love for her will cause him to help her now-orphaned son.
Not the law-abiding man the writer of the letter once knew him to be, Fox is now the leader of a band of smugglers, with no interest in the everyday responsibility of a young boy. Wanting to be rid of the child, yet wanting to do the right thing by his mother, Fox intends to send him away to be educated; however, convinced that Fox is his friend, the lad is just as determined to remain in Moonfleet. The little boy's unconditional love and trust eventually work their magic on Fox's cold, selfish heart. At one point, Jeremy is forced to spar with one of his own gang in order to keep John alive.
Though in his autobiography, Sparks Fly Upward, Mr. Granger refers to Moonfleet as "another dreary costume epic, directed by the once brilliant Fritz Lang," I don't agree with his opinion at all. I quite enjoyed this film---it is interesting, exciting, and well-acted. Complete with a long-lost diamond, a coded treasure map, a supposedly-haunted graveyard, a cutthroat hideaway, and a short, but exciting, swashbuckling scene, this film is pretty much non-stop action. Add to that, Mr. Granger never looked more handsome, and little John Whiteley is a charmer. There were even a couple of touching moments which got me misty-eyed. For me, this is easily a 4-star movie...and very close to 5.
Having never read the book upon which the film is based, I can't compare the two. However, whether the two stories differ from one another matters little to me. In fact, it never bothers me if a film is significantly different from the book which inspired it; I see them as two separate entities, both of which can stand on their own. I'm not sure why people get so bent out of shape when a story is changed---after all, both can have merit.
Out on DVD, Moonfleet should be fairly easy to track down. Adventure-loving film fans ought to greatly enjoy it.
Happy viewing!!