Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
 

The Sailor's Return (1978)

Director: Jack Gold

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Originally intended for cinema release, this independently-produced feature finally surfaced on TV. Every frame looks like a movie, with detail and composition in depth only possible in 35 mm. But that, Tom Bell's typically strong performance, and Mick Ford's exuberant support, are as much as there is to be enthusiastic about. As a tale from the mid-19th century, with an English master mariner bringing home a black princess as his wife, it's curiously devoid of any contemporary resonance. Scripted by James Saunders from David Garnett's 1924 novel, it seems confused and naive in its treatment of the racism the couple encounter in a sleepy Dorset village. Religion and an awareness of class are seen to form attitudes, but there's no real sense of a historical context. An awareness of the vital element of imperialism is entirely lacking, so the supposed plea for a multi-racial society seems, to be charitable, only muddle-headed.

Author: JW 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Jack Gold

Producer: Otto Plaschkes

Cast: Tom Bell, Shope Shodeinde, Mick Ford, Paola Dionisotti, George Costigan, Clive Swift, Ray Smith, Ivor Roberts, Bernard Hill full cast

Genre(s): Period/Swashbucklers

Duration: 112 mins


Features

Making a name for himself

Making a name for himself

Sin Nombre's Cary Joji Fukunaga learned his lessons well.

To the letter

Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.

Mind over matter

David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.

Fool's gold

Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.

We are the championed

Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."

A history of violence

Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.

True romantic

James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.

Playing in the dark

MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.

Junk bonds

Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.