Rating: Summary: Fun Mystery and Prime Hayley Mills! Review: "The Moon-Spinners" is a great treat. It blends Hitchcockian mystery and suspense (Disney style) with light humor and romance in an exotic, beautiful locale (the island of Crete). It reminds me of some of the other better Disney mysteries like "Escapade in Florence" with Annette Funcinello that also mix appealing teen-aged protagonists with delicious mystery in a scenic location. All elements work well and I appreciate that they intertwine authentic local culture into the mix. Hayley Mills is also at her best. She was one of the most engaging young actresses of the 60's -- pretty, spirited, fun. I like the guest appearance by Pola Negri in an over-the-top role. That is also very common to the 60's -- older stars appeared in many of the Funicello "beach party" flicks and in Doris Day comedies like "The Glass-Bottom Boat." That was a nice aspect to these films -- that older stars were honored and given a place among the popular young stars. Like some of the other reviewers here, I saw this film first as a kid probably on "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" and I was not at all disappointed in revisiting it. As a Hayley and mystery fan, it fills the bill admirably with any cloying aspects (like the Greek boy who misuses American expressions) kept to a minimum. And I adore Hayley's wardrobe with the big headbands, "I Dream of Jeanie" hair twists and falls, and cool clothes. The DVD itself has no extras, but many times I find extras gratuituous and not of much value.
Rating: Summary: Hayley Mill's Finest Film Review: Based on the mystery novel by Mary Stewart, THE MOON-SPINNERS is Hayley Mill's finest film. She is a tremendously talented actress. The story is action-packed and filmed on location in Greece, making it very beautiful. The supporting cast does an excellent job, including Eli Wallach as the villain. My niece, age 5, even enjoys the clean-cut story. A great Disney film to share with the entire family.
Rating: Summary: I'm scarred for life! Review: Darling and sweet. Hayley Mills is one of Disney's best! An old fashion tale with the the innocence of youth in mind. A little Drama, a little Romance and of course a little Suspense. Located in the quaint location of Crete with an impressive cast(within the PG rating). Adventure takes its course. Eli Wallach is the quintessential bad guy (which he excels at!). Peter McEnery ... Mark Camford is the "love" interest and is proven innocent until found guilty. He allegedly claims that he was wronged in a jewelry robbery back in England. Hayley Mills... Nikky Ferris on vacation with her aunt dares to believe him and jets off in an adventure to prove his innocence with the retrieval of the missing jewelry. Cheesy... YES, but a great movie for the young at heart. This movie was originally filmed in the early 60's so bear in mind the intent of the year. Highly recommended for all of those who love a little adventure.
Rating: Summary: Innocences at it's BEST Review: Darling and sweet. Hayley Mills is one of Disney's best! An old fashion tale with the the innocence of youth in mind. A little Drama, a little Romance and of course a little Suspense. Located in the quaint location of Crete with an impressive cast(within the PG rating). Adventure takes its course. Eli Wallach is the quintessential bad guy (which he excels at!). Peter McEnery ... Mark Camford is the "love" interest and is proven innocent until found guilty. He allegedly claims that he was wronged in a jewelry robbery back in England. Hayley Mills... Nikky Ferris on vacation with her aunt dares to believe him and jets off in an adventure to prove his innocence with the retrieval of the missing jewelry. Cheesy... YES, but a great movie for the young at heart. This movie was originally filmed in the early 60's so bear in mind the intent of the year. Highly recommended for all of those who love a little adventure.
Rating: Summary: Not all boy-girl romance Review: Disney needed a new male teenager for adventure leads: James Macarthur was getting too old, and Tommy Kirk just wasn't masculine enough. So he tried out Peter McEnery, a 21-year old British actor then acclaimed for his role as a gay boy who commits suicide in "Victim" (1961). But after two starring roles for Disney, Peter was fired and moved on to play a gay Russian prince, a hustler who seduces both men and women, and a lot of edgy hetero characters, usually on British television.Why didn't things work out? "The Moon-Spinners" was written as a tame spy-thriller with Peter and the teenage Hayley Mills involved in a minor boy-girl romance, and the colorful island of Crete providing most of the interest. But, when he is not falling in love with Hayley Mills, Peter plays Mark Camford as obviously and overtly gay, with so many longing gazes at men and witty double-entendres that one wonders why the director didn't demand that he play the role straight. (The same thing happens in "The Fighting Prince of Donegal.)
Rating: Summary: too bad it is not in widescreen Review: First off this is a wonderful movie, and very unique in its Island setting of Crete. It is a mystery, and a fun one. I give this movie at least 4 stars, but it lost stars due to the dvd treatement that Disney gave it. Save your money and buy the VHS version, it is identical and cheaper. Come on Disney, how do you take such a great movie and dump it like a piece of Junk. The lack of widescreen or quality sound is really sad for a company that makes more money than any other at re-releasing it's old material. Also no extras? Not even some outakes, gallery stuff, theatrical trailers, cartoons. I refuse to buy any of the new disney DVD if they are not in widescreen, and tons of people I know from disney clubs and message boards feel the same way.
Rating: Summary: Oh no, not again! Review: For the life of me, I'll never understand Disney. Buying DVD's from them is worse than gambling. One time I get a beautiful widescreen version of "Pollyanna", "Swiss Family Robinson", and "The Parent Trap" and the next time I get this piece of garbage with a disgusting transfer in the hated full screen format. This is not the first time I've been fooled by Disney, but rest assured it will be the last. I should have known better after being burned in the past when I ordered "Castaway Cowboy" and "Blackbeard's Ghost". Both of those two also came dressed like this version of Moon-Spinners. Disney, I have ordered my LAST DVD from you until you get your act together.
Rating: Summary: A truly BRILLIANT movie with a WONDERFUL actress! Review: Hayley Mills is a truly brilliant actress, and her enthusiasm is contagious. She will have you laughing at her personality, and I guarantee that you will love her. Set on the island of Crete in Greece, Nikki (Hayley) and her aunt visit the inn called the Moon-Spinners and become involved in a mystery. It is quite an adventure, but I really can't say more for fear of giving away part of the climax. But this is truly a great movie! I highly recommend it. I was thrilled to see that amazom had it because many movie stores don't. I love it! P.S. This is a children's movie, but I am 15. Some might say I am odd, but I truly think that this movie can be enjoyed by all ages. My 13 year old brother just makes fun of me though, so perhaps you ought to rent it before purchasing. I wouldn't want to have the pressure of misleading you and having you buy a movie that wouldn't fit your standards.
Rating: Summary: Hayley in her element Review: Hayley Mills stars in the Disney thriller THE MOON-SPINNERS, a sinister and menacing story set against the dramatic backdrop of the island of Crete. Nicky Ferris (Hayley Mills) and her aunt (Joan Greenwood) are travelling through Europe. Her aunt is a music historian from the BBC and is recording folk songs from the remote villages. They travel into Crete, staying at the Moon-Spinners Inn, run by a kindly lady (Irene Papas) and her young son. However, some shady dealings are being done, with the owner's brother (Eli Wallach) heavily into astrology and smuggling. Nicky finds herself thrown into a world of espionage and theft, and finds the love of her life. Also featuring Pola Negri in a rare film appearance, THE MOON-SPINNERS is one of Hayley Mill's best Disney films.
Rating: Summary: I'm scarred for life! Review: Hayley Mills was such a cute precocious child-actress - what happened? She looks like she is on steroids or other substance that made her look quite pudgy around the face - not to mention having bad skin. A downside of DVD picture quality, I guess... The movie? To be honest, I fast forwarded it after the first couple minutes. Hayley's character was getting nauseous from smelling fish on a bus, and I was also feeling the same way. I'm pretty sure I missed nothing of importance. I saw some running around by various people, some nice rocky shoreline shot in obvious "day for night" technique, some closeups of various characters, some rather oddball outfits, and an escape from a windmill - not necessarily in that order. I've read elsewhere that there was a jewel robery and a murder. Golly! I'm glad some people liked it. Unfortunately, I could not tolerate it. I guess "The Parent Trap" is where I get off the bus.
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