Nor the Moon by Night: Difference between revisions

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Director Ken Annakin had a number of issues with the crew; he later wrote that the electricians sabotaged director of photography Peter Hennessey's rushes with incorrect light filters and forcing him to be replaced by Harry Waxman.<ref name="bfi">[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/513584/ ''Nor the Moon by Night''] at [[BFI Screenonline]]</ref> The cast and crew consistently fell sick, with snake and spider bites, heat exhaustion, dysentery, rheumatism and chest complaints the chief cause.<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Rank Unit working in Africa Finds Voodoo Hoodoo Costly|url=https://archive.org/details/variety209-1958-02/page/n235/mode/1up?q=%22belinda+lee%22|page=12|date=26 February 1958}}</ref>
Director Ken Annakin had a number of issues with the crew; he later wrote that the electricians sabotaged director of photography Peter Hennessey's rushes with incorrect light filters and forcing him to be replaced by Harry Waxman.<ref name="bfi">[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/513584/ ''Nor the Moon by Night''] at [[BFI Screenonline]]</ref> The cast and crew consistently fell sick, with snake and spider bites, heat exhaustion, dysentery, rheumatism and chest complaints the chief cause.<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Rank Unit working in Africa Finds Voodoo Hoodoo Costly|url=https://archive.org/details/variety209-1958-02/page/n235/mode/1up?q=%22belinda+lee%22|page=12|date=26 February 1958}}</ref>


Lee returned from Italy on 2 February 1958 to recommence filming. She did not go through customs and immigration, causing questions to be asked in South African Parliament. One of the cheetahs used in filming savaged its trainer. A bush fire got out of control. Michael Craig had an affair with Belinda Lee's stand in and almost drowned crossing a river.<ref name="steve"/>
Lee returned from Italy on 2 February 1958 to recommence filming. She flew into Johannesburg Airport, then took a flight to Durban. Questions were asked in South African parliament whether Lee was given special treatment to get into the country as a customs and immigration officer went to meet her on the plane at Johannesburg airport so she could avoid the press. <ref>VIP Belinda runs into political rumpus
Author: Edward Goring Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1958
Publication: Daily Mail (London, England) Issue: 19220 </ref> "I regret any harm I have done to anyone in Italy," she said.<ref>I Know what they think, says Belinda
Date: Thursday, Feb. 6, 1958
Publication: Daily Mail (London, England)p 7 </ref>

One of the cheetahs used in filming savaged its trainer. A bush fire got out of control. Michael Craig had an affair with Belinda Lee's stand in and almost drowned crossing a river.<ref name="steve"/>


At one point, Michael Craig was the only one of the four leads available at work. He later quipped "I'm left alone for three weeks with a film crew and a lot of monkeys."<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/boyos-way-with-words/2005/08/24/1124562911814.html "Boy's way with words"] ''The Age'' 2005</ref> Annakin said "one day there was only me and a snake available to work."<ref name="Brian McFarlane p 27">Brian McFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', 1997 p 27</ref> However Annakin did meet his future wife Pauline during filming.<ref name="steve">Steve Chibnall, [http://networkonair.com/features/2015/08/06/feature-nor-the-moon-by-night/ "Nor the Moon by Night"], Network Publishing, 3 August 2015</ref>
At one point, Michael Craig was the only one of the four leads available at work. He later quipped "I'm left alone for three weeks with a film crew and a lot of monkeys."<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/boyos-way-with-words/2005/08/24/1124562911814.html "Boy's way with words"] ''The Age'' 2005</ref> Annakin said "one day there was only me and a snake available to work."<ref name="Brian McFarlane p 27">Brian McFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', 1997 p 27</ref> However Annakin did meet his future wife Pauline during filming.<ref name="steve">Steve Chibnall, [http://networkonair.com/features/2015/08/06/feature-nor-the-moon-by-night/ "Nor the Moon by Night"], Network Publishing, 3 August 2015</ref>

Revision as of 04:11, 17 August 2020

Nor the Moon by Night
Film poster
Directed byKen Annakin
Written byGuy Elmes
Based onnovel by Joy Packer
Produced byJohn Stafford
executive
Earl St John
StarringMichael Craig
Belinda Lee
Patrick McGoohan
CinematographyHarry Waxman
Edited byAlfred Roome
Music byJames Bernard
Production
company
IFP Limited
Distributed byRank Organisation
Release dates
1958 (UK)
19 June 1959 (US)[1]
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish

Nor the Moon by Night is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Michael Craig. It was based on the novel by Joy Packer and filmed in the Kruger National Park South Africa. The title is a quote from the Old Testament passage (Psalm 121:6); "The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night."

The film was released in the United States as Elephant Gun.

Plot summary

Two brothers, Rusty and Andrew Miller, are game wardens in Africa. Andrew's fiancée comes out from the UK and falls in love with Rusty.

Cast

US release poster

Production

Joy Packer's novel was published in 1957.[2] Film rights were bought by Sir John Davis of the Rank Film Organisation, in part because Davis' wife Dinah Sheridan was a fan of the novel.[3] Packer later wrote she sold the rights via a "contract which reduced me to nothing and made me feel like the man who sold his shadow to the devil."[4]

In the late 1950s, the Rank Organisation made a series of adventure films in colour shot on location which were aimed at the international audience. These included The Black Tent, Robbery Under Arms, Ferry to Hong Kong, Campbell's Kingdom and Nor the Moon by Night.

The film was directed by Ken Annakin. He says that he did not really want to do the job. The film he really wanted to make was The Singer Not the Song. He agreed because it gave him the chance to see South Africa.[5]

Packer says producer John Stafford flew out to South Africa to meet with her and secure her help in making the movie. He showed her the script which she found "amazingly fresh and new. The basic situation and a few names and places were vaguely familiar. I recognised none of the dialogue and only part of the action, but the story sounded exciting."[6]

Packer felt Belinda Lee was physically miscast to play the role but Annakin pointed out she was under contract and felt "she'll play Alice very convincingly. She's very intense - is Belinda".[7] Packer later wrote "none of the cast bore the faintest resemblance to my characters."[8]

Shooting

Filming began on 23 November 1957 on location in South Africa.[9][10] The unit was based at Cato Ridge.[11] The bulk of location shooting took place in the Valley of a Thousand Hills near Durban with second unit work involving animals hear Johannesburg. At one stage the film was known as The Voice of the Lion.[12]

Production was plagued by a number of difficulties. Belinda Lee left the unit during the shoot to see her married lover in Italy who had been threatening to commit suicide; they both tried to commit suicide.[13] Patrick McGoohan suffered concussion after crashing his car. Anna Gaylor fell ill with dysentery.[11]

Director Ken Annakin had a number of issues with the crew; he later wrote that the electricians sabotaged director of photography Peter Hennessey's rushes with incorrect light filters and forcing him to be replaced by Harry Waxman.[14] The cast and crew consistently fell sick, with snake and spider bites, heat exhaustion, dysentery, rheumatism and chest complaints the chief cause.[15]

Lee returned from Italy on 2 February 1958 to recommence filming. She flew into Johannesburg Airport, then took a flight to Durban. Questions were asked in South African parliament whether Lee was given special treatment to get into the country as a customs and immigration officer went to meet her on the plane at Johannesburg airport so she could avoid the press. [16] "I regret any harm I have done to anyone in Italy," she said.[17]

One of the cheetahs used in filming savaged its trainer. A bush fire got out of control. Michael Craig had an affair with Belinda Lee's stand in and almost drowned crossing a river.[11]

At one point, Michael Craig was the only one of the four leads available at work. He later quipped "I'm left alone for three weeks with a film crew and a lot of monkeys."[18] Annakin said "one day there was only me and a snake available to work."[19] However Annakin did meet his future wife Pauline during filming.[11]

The unit returned to London in March 1958 where some additional scenes were shot including a new ending.[11]

The movie was completed over budget and behind schedule. Rank terminated Lee's contract and she never worked for the studio again.[20] Annakin had The Singer Not the Song taken off him and given to Roy Ward Baker.

Rank said the combined cost of the film and three others - Innocent Sinners, The Wind Cannot Read and Night to Remember - was £1,100,000.[21]

Reception

Variety praised the photography but criticised the acting and script.[22]

The film managed to recoup its costs in Europe and made a profit after its release in the United States.[14][11]

Annakin later said "the picture was a mediocre hotch potch."[19]

References

  1. ^ "WIDMARK SIGNED FOR FILM IN ROME: Will Appear in Movie From Helen MacInnes Novel -Two Openings Today". New York Times. 10 June 1959. p. 42.
  2. ^ John Hughes. The (12 June 1958). "Writers and Writing: A Report From Cape Town". Christian Science Monitor. p. 11.
  3. ^ British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference by Sue Harper, Vincent Porter Oxford University Press, 2003 p 43
  4. ^ Packer p 114
  5. ^ Brian McFarlane, An Autobiography of British Cinema, 1997 p 26
  6. ^ Packer p 115
  7. ^ Packer p 116
  8. ^ Packer p 122
  9. ^ "Variety (March 1958)". Variety. p. 22.
  10. ^ "Love under an African moon". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 26, no. 21. 29 October 1958. p. 73. Retrieved 14 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Steve Chibnall, "Nor the Moon by Night", Network Publishing, 3 August 2015
  12. ^ BRITAIN'S MOVIE SCENE: J. Arthur Rank Approves Common Market - STEPHEN WATTS. The New York Times. 27 October 1957: X7.
  13. ^ Belinda Lee at Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
  14. ^ a b Nor the Moon by Night at BFI Screenonline
  15. ^ "Rank Unit working in Africa Finds Voodoo Hoodoo Costly". Variety. 26 February 1958. p. 12.
  16. ^ VIP Belinda runs into political rumpus Author: Edward Goring Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1958 Publication: Daily Mail (London, England) Issue: 19220
  17. ^ I Know what they think, says Belinda Date: Thursday, Feb. 6, 1958 Publication: Daily Mail (London, England)p 7
  18. ^ "Boy's way with words" The Age 2005
  19. ^ a b Brian McFarlane, An Autobiography of British Cinema, 1997 p 27
  20. ^ "Remembering Belinda Lee", DeMonford University
  21. ^ Rank's to Stop Four Films & Dismiss 300 Author: By our Film Correspondent Date: Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1958 Publication: The Daily Telegraph (London, England) Issue: 31947 p 1, 12
  22. ^ Review of film at Variety

Notes

  • Packer, Joy (1963). Home from Sea. Eyre & Spotswoode.
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