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567:, who proved to the film establishment that a young film director can get it all together and deliver. If this is a commercial and artistic success it can only help my generation of filmmakers. My motto is compromise under pressure. One hopes one doesn't have to compromise too much. But let's face it, the whole of life's a compromise.
337:
The film ends with the yacht bearing
Carruthers, Davies and Clara bound for the Netherlands, with a Carruthers' voiced narration detailing how their return to Britain with the information would lead to a shift in the United Kingdom's sea defence strategy towards Germany, that would avert the threat
453:
The failing of the book is that
Dollman falls apart as a character in the last chapter. In one breath he is a total opportunist who would do anything for his grand plan. The next moment he is a defeated man. I believe he was an opportunist to the bitter end. Oh, the purists will have a go at me,
441:
The script was basically faithful to the novel although some details and the ending were changed. Maylam thought the novel "had a rather more anti-climactic ending, and we felt a more up-beat ending was essential for a feature film. But we feel it is still very much in the
Childers style."
449:(although his presence at the trial towing of the lighter is hinted at in the book) and the fate of the character of Dollman (in the original novel he drowned himself; in the film he is mortally wounded after being shot, then killed when the Germans ram his yacht.) Maylam:
283:
for shelter, inexplicably prevented him from entering by executing a deliberately hazardous sea-manoeuvre, to the degree that both their lives had been endangered by it. Davies then reveals to
Carruthers that his real interest in the area is that he suspects that the
494:
where the unit could shoot sailing sequences all day unhampered by tidal delays. Many of the crew lived on board a cruiser during the shoot because it was cheaper than staying in local accommodation, of which there was a shortage. The train scenes are filmed between
535:, cinematographer Christopher Challis and camera operator John Palmer would hold the camera in place with slings of rope and elastic, soaking up the ship's motion and allowing the operator free rein. This technique was developed by Challis and Palmer when they made
309:
is using a naval base hidden in the islands to carry out rehearsals for a seaborne passage across the North Sea of a German army with the aim of militarily invading
Britain, and that Herr "Dollmann" is in fact Lieutenant Thomas, an embittered former
296:
is strategically misdirected to meet, and he is engaged in trying to discover what it is. This the pretext of the "holiday" that he has invited
Carruthers upon, given Carruthers' ability to speak German along with his professional contacts within
317:
After sabotaging one of the rehearsals, whilst escaping to the
Netherlands by sea in two roped yachts with the information about it, along with a badly wounded Dollmann and his family as prisoners, Davies abandons Dollmann with his wife in the
304:
Carruthers and Davies go on, amidst cryptic warnings-off from circling German naval officers, sailing expeditions among the
Frisian isles and inlets, and fights, to carry out covert surveillance at the estuary in question, to discover that the
278:
with his wife and daughter, Clara, with whom Davies has initiated a romantic attachment. He narrates further that whilst sailing together along the coast in a gale
Dollmann had, when Davies had tried to put into a particular
454:
definitely, but in all other respects we have strived to remain faithful to the book. Without bastardising the story, we are making the characters more defined and the ending is now much more believable and exciting.
626:
also praised the cinematography but complained "the set pieces are none too convincing and the whole regrettably lacks the eye for detail that could have made it into an entirely convincing period piece."
618:
called the film "an affectionate, commendably straight adaptation... the excitement somewhat abates in the perfunctorily handled scenes ashore... the cinematographer
Christopher Challis uses the
415:
Several producers and directors had tried to make a film based on the novel but the Childers family had not wanted to sell the rights. This ceased to be a problem when the novel passed into the
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266:, is invited on a yachting and duck-shooting holiday by an old University acquaintance called Arthur Davies. On Carruthers' arrival on Germany's northern coast to join the yacht
322:
to allow him to return to Germany to seek medical attention for his wounds at the insistence of Clara, who agrees to accompany Davies and Carruthers back to Britain in the
522:
with the aid of nine large fog machines; this was done because the tidal flows and sands of the Frisian Islands would have made actually filming there very difficult.
274:
ostensibly correcting antiquated British sea charts of the coastline's shifting topography, by chance he had met a retired German sailor called Dollmann on the yacht
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said it "wasn't meant to be a children's film but that's how it looked - and it cost several hundreds of thousands of pounds, too much for that kind of film."
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438:. It was the feature film debut for both Challis and Maylam. Rank announced the project in January 1978 as part of a slate of films worth ÂŁ8 million.
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with his papers revealing the German plans in detail. Dollmann and his wife are murdered by the pursuing German authorities — led by Kaiser
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is engaged in covert military activity of some nature in the Frisian Islands, with the intention of threatening the security of the
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officer who is treasonously assisting their preparations with his detailed knowledge of the British coast and key naval defences.
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The film was not the hoped for success at the box office and was one of the last films financed by the Rank Organisation.
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in the Netherlands; although that town had no relevance to the novel, its harbour provided easy access to the
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During filming, Michael York took an option for the film rights on a biography on Erskine Childers,
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So much rests on this picture. It's very important to prove myself. I owe a big debt to people like
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would be ÂŁ2-3 million, contributing to an overall loss to Rank that year of ÂŁ1.5 million.
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503:(Bensersiel and Emden in the film respectively) on the track and in the carriages of the
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John Huxley (7 June 1980). "Losses of ÂŁ1.6m sound the knell for cinema production".
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JANET MASLIN (6 January 1984). "Screen: Yachtsmen Vs. Kaiser in 'Riddle'".
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about it" which "plays like a slightly more lethal boys' adventure story."
246:, it concerns the efforts of two British yachtsmen to avert a plot by the
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The film was Tony Maylam's feature film debut. He said during filming:
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coast of Germany and the Netherlands, the same locale as in the book.
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J. M. (6 January 1984). "Screen: Yachtsmen vs. Kaiser in 'riddle'".
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In February 1980 the Rank Organisation reported the losses on
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to launch a seaborne military invasion of the United Kingdom.
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called the film a "slow but affable period piece" while the
819:. London. p. 17 – via The Times Digital Archive.
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In the United States, the film was released in April 1984.
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is a 1979 British spy thriller cinema film based upon the
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French, P. (29 April 1979). "Living in a kind of Eden".
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Several scenes were also shot in the German village of
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Tony Maylam and Drummond Challis, son of photographer
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648:said it "has the quaint, old fashioned sound of a
434:(1974). Additional finance was provided by the
886:"Dreams of the west, nightmares of the city".
575:by Burke Wilkinson. This film was never made.
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951:Benson, S. (23 March 1984). "MOVIE REVIEW".
445:Among the changes were the inclusion of the
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292:from the British perspective, which the
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258:In the Autumn of 1901, Carruthers, an
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622:screen to fine dramatic effect." The
463:Filming was done in the Netherlands,
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1076:Films set in the Kingdom of Prussia
909:Walker, Alexander (10 June 1980).
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1086:Cultural depictions of Wilhelm II
436:National Film Finance Corporation
767:Kay, William (24 January 1978).
666:(1985 West German TV miniseries)
505:Hoorn–Medemblik heritage railway
837:. 15 February 1980. p. 19.
1091:Films set in the German Empire
398:Jurgen Andersen as Von BrĂĽning
338:of war by tactical deterrent.
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1061:Films directed by Tony Maylam
1096:1970s English-language films
1066:Films scored by Howard Blake
796:. 9 February 1979. p. 7
432:Murder on the Orient Express
330:, in person — when the
234:. Set in 1901, and starring
1051:Films based on Irish novels
769:"Lure of the silver screen"
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1046:British spy thriller films
911:"For whom the gong tolled"
750:"Strife on the ocean wave"
411:Development and scripting
401:Ronald Markham as Withers
334:is rammed and destroyed.
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1056:1970s spy thriller films
793:(Subscription required.)
630:Alexander Walker of the
548:, was converted from an
1023:The Riddle of the Sands
1012:The Riddle of the Sands
1004:The Riddle of the Sands
989:The Riddle of the Sands
978:The Riddle of the Sands
699:The Riddle of the Sands
663:Das Rätsel der Sandbank
573:The Zeal of the Convert
262:junior official in the
223:The Riddle of the Sands
24:The Riddle of the Sands
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264:British Foreign Office
228:novel of the same name
156:Rank Film Distributors
697:"Cult Movie Reviews:
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525:While filming on the
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350:as Charles Carruthers
146:Worldmark Productions
721:. 22 February 1979.
686:, Harrap, 1985 p 208
614:The critic from the
286:Imperial German Navy
1101:1970s British films
835:The Daily Telegraph
773:The Daily Telegraph
601:Riddle of the Sands
424:Christopher Challis
354:Simon MacCorkindale
240:Simon MacCorkindale
114:Christopher Challis
100:Simon MacCorkindale
1027:at Howardblake.com
1017:TCM Movie Database
703:. 6 December 2010.
682:Alexander Walker,
650:Hardy Boys mystery
639:The New York Times
544:Davies' boat, the
1071:Films set in 1901
953:Los Angeles Times
645:Los Angeles Times
597:The Lady Vanishes
428:Rank Organisation
388:Kaiser Wilhelm II
362:as Clara Dollmann
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890:. 3 May 1979.
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187:Running time
163:Release date
132:Howard Blake
96:Michael York
87:Michael York
83:
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561:Alan Parker
384:Wolf Kahler
368:as Dollmann
230:written by
78:Produced by
62:Tony Maylam
60:John Bailey
51:Tony Maylam
47:Directed by
36:Film poster
1041:1979 films
1035:Categories
1025:soundtrack
671:References
620:Panavision
584:Box office
552:lifeboat.
546:Dulcibella
492:Zuider Zee
406:Production
378:Hans Meyer
366:Alan Badel
332:Dulcibella
328:Wilhelm II
320:Dulcibella
312:Royal Navy
294:Royal Navy
268:Dulcibella
215:ÂŁ1 million
191:99 minutes
139:Production
84:associate:
57:Written by
961:153807020
938:122383024
896:186169126
873:476493011
817:The Times
727:528566974
579:Reception
512:Greetsiel
501:Medemblik
488:Enkhuizen
481:North Sea
393:Olga Lowe
374:as Böehme
299:Whitehall
290:North Sea
178: (UK)
120:Edited by
70:novel by
1002:review:
957:ProQuest
934:ProQuest
892:ProQuest
869:ProQuest
723:ProQuest
656:See also
624:Guardian
616:Observer
610:Critical
541:(1977).
538:The Deep
380:as Grimm
204:Language
128:Music by
92:Starring
67:Based on
1015:at the
800:11 June
701:(1979)"
479:on the
467:and at
459:Filming
281:estuary
207:English
196:Country
172: (
141:company
1006:(1979)
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533:Medusa
520:Surrey
447:Kaiser
324:Medusa
276:Medusa
212:Budget
497:Twisk
983:IMDb
802:2014
599:and
563:and
499:and
342:Cast
254:Plot
242:and
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981:at
518:in
386:as
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