The Moon-Spinners

"Hayley's romantic, carefree holiday suddenly becomes an electrifying surprise in suspense!"

1964 1h 58m EN

😐

5.9

MID

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 61★6.5IMDB · 3,147

MysteryFamilyThrillerRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Young English girl Nikky and her aunt arrive at the Moon-Spinners, a hotel on Crete, to a less than enthusiastic welcome. The coolness of the owner is only out-done by the surliness of her brother Stratos, recently back from London. But then there is nice English lad Mark to make friends with, at least until Stratos and his pal take a shot at him one night. When Nikky helps him hide she finds the Greeks are after her too.

“Hayley's romantic, carefree holiday suddenly becomes an electrifying surprise in suspense!”

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Cast

Hayley Mills
Nikky Ferris
Eli Wallach
Stratos
Peter McEnery
Mark Camford
Joan Greenwood
Aunt Frances Ferris
Irene Papas
Sophia
Pola Negri
Madame Habib
John Le Mesurier
Anthony Gamble
Sheila Hancock
Cynthia Gamble

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Neilson
Writers: Michael Dyne
Languages: Greek, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Greek, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James Neilson, shot by Paul Beeson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ron Grainer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gordon Stone shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hayley Mills and Eli Wallach and Peter McEnery carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Hayley's romantic, carefree holiday suddenly becomes an electrifying surprise in suspense!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Neilson directs. Paul Beeson behind the camera. Ron Grainer scores. Gordon Stone cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Greek, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 70% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
262 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Greek, English.
4Directed by James Neilson, shot by Paul Beeson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ron Grainer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Gordon Stone shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Hayley Mills and Eli Wallach and Peter McEnery carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Hayley's romantic, carefree holiday suddenly becomes an electrifying surprise in suspense!".
9IMDB entry: tt0058371 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Paul Beeson
Original score: Ron Grainer
Editing: Gordon Stone
Costume design: Anthony Mendleson
Makeup / hair: Harry Frampton
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $3,500,000
Return: 70% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Moon-Spinners (1964)
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 3,147 votes
MPAA: PG

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James Neilson

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-07-22
★ 7/10
Split feelings towards <em>'The Moon-Spinners'</em>, but overall I think it's fun enough. I like the premise but didn't enjoy how it's done by the film, some of the key characters kinda pop out from nowhere to all of a sudden be big parts of the story. I do rate the feel of it all, it's shot well across some nice locations in Greece. The pacing is off though, the execution of the plot would've been better with a trim, quick run time. Hayley Mills, in her penultimate Disney production, is a top actress no doubt, but her as Nikky doesn't really work - mostly due to how she's written, especially at the beginning where her and Frances (Joan Greenwood) come across pretty unlikeable - and I don't think it's intentional. Eli Wallach (Stratos) and Peter McEnery (Mark) give the best performances, which is probably why I felt just about entertained by this as those two are integral together throughout. Satisfactory cast, just not greatly told by those behind the scenes. This has cool moments and disappointing moments, to the point where it probably levels out to be classed as good.
Wuchak2021-03-25
★ 7/10
Hayley Mills sleuthing on the island of Crete An aunt and niece (Joan Greenwood & Hayley Mills) are traveling through remote areas of Crete whereupon they encounter the suspicious brother of the proprietress of an inhospitable coastal hotel (Eli Wallach). Intrigue ensues. Peter McEnery plays a young Brit the girl finds attractive while Pola Negri shows up in the last act. "The Moon-Spinners" (1964) inserts Hayley Mills into an island adventure that works well because it’s relatively realistic, has superb locations/sets and a well-chosen cast (e.g. Wallach is perfect as the villain). It’s basically Hayley Mills meets “North by Northwest” (1959) and “The Day the Fish Came Out” (1967). Hayley was 17 during shooting and blossoming into a winsome young woman. The film runs 1 hour, 58 minutes, and was shot on Crete and Pinewood Studios, London. GRADE: B+