The Sailor from Gibraltar (1967) User Reviews

A Courageous Woman's Endless Search for the Man of Her Dreams

[AccidntlTourist · 7/10 · 14 January 2013]

I watched this on ThisTV and hope someday to watch it unbroken, but here are some thoughts:

The male lead is a boorish, self-absorbed jerk; cynically rejecting the status quo. But, I suppose he might be considered the "protagonist" - though more of an observer - our eyes and ears in this quest for "the sailor".

Vanessa Redgrave was mostly wonderful and at times beautiful to look at as well.

I thought her character seemed so heroic (and the real protagonist). Maybe I've misjudged her, but I thought her quest for that perfect lover - the love she lost (imaginary or real?) - was a heroic quest.

And, what a brave (even pioneering) movie - a wealthy widow sailing the Mediterranean into exotic ports with her burly handsome crew. She, a sensualist, sleeping with any man she fancied and then setting sail (a twist on the old merchant sailor's practice of "leaving a man in every port" - nearly). Her crew joked about her sexual exploits behind her back and speculated as to whether her "Sailor from Gibraltar" really even existed (or just an excuse to go "cruising" for men).

At its foundation, the film's outlook seems Existential Nihilism - life has no purpose and, is there even such a "thing" as love?

Is that all there is - just to exist and then die? Shall we give in to our hedonist desires - and just go on from one day to the next - on an endless cruise? Maybe love is all there is - and "mystery".

Was there a Sailor? Did she really once know the greatest love? Will she search for him forever, sailing from port to port? Will there finally be someone to join her in her search and shelter her from the heckling world - as it closes in around her - to love her as she is?

This film, though flawed and uneven in spots - is IMO a gem. There are so many precious (I think) moments, like when she goes on safari into the African bush (searching for her sailor - in the company of cannibals) and stands eye-to-eye with a beautiful statuesque African woman - peering into her eyes - trying to discern if she has been with her man (and would she give him up?).

I'm looking forward to watching this film again.

And: I don't say this very often, and with all due respect to this work of art - I would really, really like to see this movie remade! Please!

the life of dreams...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 6/10 · 18 June 2009]

A melancholy look at the search for love...in this case forever unattained. Tony Richardson's film is a showcase for Jeanne Moreau, who plays a wealthy woman sailing the world over in search of a sailor she was once in love with. Bored Brit Ian Bannen hooks up with Moreau after ditching clingy girlfriend Vanessa Redgrave. Fireworks ensue. Moreau, looking stunning, has great chemistry with Bannen and while the film is short in length (just under 90 minutes), it's chock full of insight around how love, for some, just isn't there...or maybe it's RIGHT THERE! It's an odd film, with stunning B&W photography by the great Raoul Coutard. Moreau gets to sing one song and there are a couple of bizarre cameos -- Orson Welles pops up in a fez and Hugh Griffith appears as a helpful great white hunter.

He may never have killed, but his looks certainly can!

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 16 July 2020]

A rather unpleasant character played by Ian Bannen is the moody anti-hero here, on vacation in Italy with girlfriend Vanessa Redgrave whom he looks at with contempt pretty much the moment they get there. When she catches him ogling the pretty French Jeanne Moreau, she throws a drink in his face, and the scene cuts to the beach where he simply asks her what is wrong. What's wrong, you wonder, when he has pretty much announced that he thinks they should stop seeing each other. That's pretty much the end of Vanessa in this film, having had a busy season in basically her second year on the big screen, taking on a queen's crown in the movie version of "Camelot".

Redgrave's husband, Tony Richardson, gave her this small but vital part, and while she's intelligent, graceful and certainly not worthy of Bannen's dismissive behavior, she's also frightfully insecure. But the way that Bannen seemingly treats her would make any one insecure, and she's better off without him. For Bannen and Moreau who begin to spend the remainder of their vacation together, it's Bannen's turn to get the feeling of rejection as Moreau makes it clear that she is still in love with the titled character who had to run off when he was wanted for murder. Bannen, who confesses to only having once killed a pigeon, gets to see his heart murdered, having already practically destroyed Redgrave's soul.

The cheap look of this film is beneficial, having the look and sound of the new wave of foreign films that were gaining much attention among the artsy film critics. That makes the film's mood all the more grim which adds to the audience's frustration with Bannen even though he's an intriguing character to watch with the hope he's taken down. Add in Orson Welles in a brief role along with Hugh Griffith ("Ben Hur"), and there's enough of an artsy atmosphere to challenge the eye and ear. This is the type of film to be completely alert for as to not miss anything. The challenge is worth it if you are ready.

Existentialist globe-trotter

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 13 September 2023]

Peculiar, poetic, existentialist film, directly influenced by the European art cinema of its era (mostly Antonioni, probably). The biggest irony, no doubt intentional, is that the title figure (Gibraltar is the name of a boat, by the way) not only never appears, but may not exist at all; in any case, it symbolizes the unattainble. The script is sprawling (the film takes us from Florence to an Italian village to Greece to deep Africa to Egypt) but it does have its bright moments. The beautiful, vivacious Vanessa Redgrave disappers in the second half; Orson Welles hams it up in a short cameo. **1/2 out of 4.

Mediterranean cruise

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 7 February 2012]

While on a train to Florence, Alan meets a man who suggests to stay away from the big cities. He comes from a place, Rocca, which he makes sound like a small paradise, near the shore, with a cool flowing river, so what else could anyone want for a nice holiday. There is one problem, Alan is traveling with Sheila, an attractive woman, dead set into taking all the cultural sites a city like Florence offers the visitor.

It is clearly Alan is bored stiff. He decides he wants to explore the little town his friend suggested. Sheila is not too pleased, but goes along. There is a ship anchored near the beach, the Gibraltar, owned by a an attractive rich woman, Anna, who everyone knows as the "American". It does not take too long for Alan to connect with the mysterious lady. He realizes the thing he had with Sheila is over, so he decides to break with her.

Anna has an interesting offer for Alan: how about coming along as she cruises the Mediterranean looking for the man that once broke her heart. The voyage takes them all over that part of the world, but the search proves to be fruitless. In the process, Alan falls in love with Anna, as she realizes her dream will never come true, so she better hold on to the reality at hand rather than a probability that is elusive, at best.

Tony Richardson directed and contributed to the adaptation of Marguerite Duras novel of the same title. Christopher Isherwood and Don Magner were on board to help with the screenplay. The novels of Ms. Duras are not easily transferred to the screen. One guesses Mr. Richardson potential in the material he contributed to create as a vehicle for an actress who he was infatuated at the moment, the great Jeanne Moreau. But who can blame him. The actress was a favorite personality that dominated the screen during those years and whose presence produced great results for those who engaged her services. Ms. Moreau's performance is basically the sole reason for watching this picture. In it, her beauty shows at the height of her beauty. It is clear to see how the camera adored the actress and the way she seemed to go throughout the picture effortlessly and with complete confidence.

The action is basically at sea while the ship that is taking her stops at different ports looking for the man that never turns up. A young Ian Bannen plays Alan. Vanessa Redgrave, who was Mrs. Richardson, must have been living her last days with the director, for they got divorced in 1967, the same year this film was released. Orson Welles, Hugh Griffith, Umberto Orsini, and even a young John Hurt are seen briefly in the film.

An extraordinary tale of searching for love

[42zaphod · 8/10 · 1 January 2009]

I just finished watching this movie and was subsequently surprised by the lack of comments here. It might be a forgotten title next to Tony Richardson's more famous efforts such as Tom Jones but still certainly is worth some attention.

Alan (Ian Bannen) travels to a holiday trip with his girlfriend Sheila (Vanessa Redgrave in one of her first roles) to Florence. While she enjoys the city and its monuments, he searches for something else, not only for the holidays, but for his life. Based on an advice he gets early in the film, he decides to leave the town and travels to the countryside. There, after splitting with Sheila, he befriends Anna (Jeanne Moreau), a rich heiress and yacht owner who is spending her time with an endless search for her long-gone sailor. Her search continues even with Alan on the board, following the clue messages coming from various parts of the world (watch for African Orson Welles' short cameo), but is what she seeks really in one of them ?

The beautiful black and white cinematography visually enhances the story and Antoine Duhamel's score, although featuring only few musicians, has a lush mediterranean, albeit nostalgic, feel. Is the characters' goal contemplative or desperate ? Watch this extraordinary film to find out.