The Riddle of the Sands
 
   

Director: Tony Maylam
Year:  1979
Rating: 6.5


This is based on one of the first spy novels of the 20th century - written in 1903 by Erskine Childers and a big hit at the time. The film plot follows that of the book very closely. It perhaps even set the formula of amateurs accidentally getting involved in matters of espionage - that John Buchan did with his Richard Hannay character, Eric Ambler in a few of his books and Alfred Hitchcock in many of his early films. In this one an Englishman is boating in the Baltic where he comes to suspect that the Germans are up to something. He mails an Oxford friend who works for the Foreign Office to come join him. He does and the two come across a plan to invade England in the north where they have no defenses. It stars Simon MacCorkindale, Michael York and Jenny Agutter. York and Agutter had of course starred together in Logan's Run some three years previously. Enjoyable film that turns a bit tense in the final 20 minutes with a few bits of humor thrown in regarding York being basically an upper class twit initially who thought he was being invited to a yachting party only to find a boat with sails on it. There is a German version of the film from 1987 that would be interesting to see.