Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
| Mr. Forbush and the Penguins | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roy Boulting (uncredited) Al Viola Antarctica sequences Arne Sucksdorff |
| Written by | Anthony Shaffer |
| Based on | novel by Graham Billing |
| Produced by | Henry Trettin |
| Starring | John Hurt Hayley Mills |
| Cinematography | Edward Scaife |
| Edited by | Bernard Gribble |
| Music by | John Addison |
Production companies | EMI Films PGL Productions |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films |
Release date | December 1971 (UK) |
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £638,842[1] |
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (also known as Cry of the Penguins) is a 1971 British comedy drama film, directed by Arne Sucksdorff, Alfred Viola and Roy Boulting. It stars John Hurt, Hayley Mills, Dudley Sutton and Tony Britton.[2]
Plot
A brilliant biology student, Richard Forbush (John Hurt), is sent to Antarctica for six months to study a penguin colony. At first he does it mostly to impress a girl he is chasing, Tara (Hayley Mills). He stays in Shackleton's Hut with his only links to the outside world being a two-way radio to contact the navy who occasionally visit to deliver supplies and take his letters and tape recordings to Tara.
He is challenged mentally by skuas preying on the penguins' eggs and chicks and he builds a catapult to try to fight them although he is meant to observe and not interfere with nature. He is reminded of this by his failure to get rid of the skuas.
By the end of his expedition, Forbush is a changed man with a totally new outlook on life.
Cast
- John Hurt as Richard Forbush
- Hayley Mills as Tara St. John Luke
- Dudley Sutton as Starshot
- Tony Britton as George Dewport
- Thorley Walters as Mr. Forbush Sr.
- Judy Campbell as Mrs. Forbush
- Joss Ackland as The Leader
- Nicholas Pennell as Julien
- Avril Angers as Fanny
- Cyril Luckham as Tringham
- Sally Geeson as Jackie
- Brian Oulton as Food-Store Clerk
- John Comer as Police Sergeant
- Hugh Moxey as Lord Cheddar
Production
Development
The film was based on a 1965 novel by Graham Billing, who had worked for the New Zealand Antarctic Division.[3]
The film was a co-production between EMI Films, PGL Productions and British Lion Films. It was part of the initial slate of movies greenlit by Bryan Forbes who had been appointed head of EMI.[4]
Director Al Viola had won awards for his commercials and this would be his feature film debut. The novel was adapted by playwright Anthony Schaffer, doing his first script. Swedish filmmaker Arne Sucksdorff was hired to shoot footage in Antarctica.[5]
Shooting
Filming started 4 November 1969 at Palmer Peninsula in Antarctica.[6]
Making the film was a turbulent experience. Penguin footage shot by Arne Sucksdorff on location in Antarctica did not cut smoothly into scenes involving humans. Roy Boulting of British Lion replaced director Al Viola, and he replaced Susan Fleetwood, the original female lead, with his then-wife, Hayley Mills. John Hurt was angry at this and Bryan Forbes of EMI had to spend an entire evening persuading him not to quit.[7]
Schaffer, the screenwriter, recalled it as "a fairly chaotic movie which had the young John Hurt capering about the Atlantic slinging rocks at Skuas with a Roman balista, in a vain attempt to protect penguins' eggs from their deprivations. I'm not sure that it all added up, though my younger daughter assures me... it's her favourite film of mine." He added that the female lead "was replaced after the first rough assembly and it was the only film I know of in which a stage direction was delivered as spoken dialogue. It didn't matter. No one noticed - which should generally tell you something about the respect accorded the screen writer's craft."[5]
Reception
The Guardian said the film "isn't as bad as we'd been led to believe."[8]
The film failed to recoup its considerable cost.[9]
References
- ^ Moody, Paul (2018). EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema. Palgrave MacMillan. p. 75.
- ^ MR. FORBUSH AND THE PENGUINS Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 39, Iss. 456, (Jan 1, 1972): 11.
- ^ Books of The Times: The Man Who Loved Penguins By ORVILLE PRESCOTT. New York Times 18 Mar 1966: 37.
- ^ In the Picture Sight and Sound; London Vol. 38, Iss. 4, (Fall 1969): 181.
- ^ a b THE WICKER MAN AND OTHERS Shaffer, Anthony. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 5, Iss. 8, (Aug 1, 1995): 28.
- ^ Nichols Meets Jules Feiffer: Mike Nichols By A. H. WEILER. New York Times 26 Oct 1969: D17.
- ^ Bryan Forbes, A Divided Life, Mandarin Paperbacks, 1993 p 221-222
- ^ BOND IS FOREVER Malcolm, Derek. The Guardian 30 Dec 1971: 8.
- ^ Walker, Alexander, Hollywood England, Harrap and Stein, 1974 p433-434
External links
- Mr. Forbush and the Penguins at the Internet Movie Database
- Mr Forbush and the Penguins at BFI
- Review of film at New York Times
- Review of film at Film Fanatic
- Review of novel at Kirkus
- Use dmy dates from June 2016
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- Use British English from June 2016
- Articles with short description
- Pages using infobox film with unknown parameters
- Pages using infobox film with nonstandard dates
- 1971 films
- 1970s adventure films
- British adventure films
- 1970s English-language films
- Films about penguins
- Environmental films
- Films directed by Roy Boulting
- Films directed by Arne Sucksdorff
- Films scored by John Addison
- Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios
- Films with screenplays by Anthony Shaffer
- Films shot in Antarctica
- EMI Films films
- 1970s British films
