Classic_Boat_2016-09

CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2016 23

TELL TALES

Swallows and Amazons’ modern twist

It’s 1935 and, in the popular idiom, dark clouds of war
are gathering over Europe. John, Susan, Tatty (yes,
Tatty!) and Roger Walker are on their way by train from
Portsmouth to the Lake District for the annual summer
holiday at the Holly Howe farmhouse. But across the
lake, an island beckons the children, and at the bottom
of the lawn, a varnished clinker lug-sailed dinghy floats
mothballed in a boathouse. Here begins the childhood
adventure of a lifetime, in this new telling of Arthur
Ransome’s classic 1930 novel.
Ransome fans will already have noted the date
discrepancy, the film being set six years later than the
book. The reason for this is to weave in a secondary
plot involving the Blacketts’ uncle Jim Turner (Captain
Flint) and two Russian spies keen to intercept him. In an
echo of the children’s war game played out with new
friends Nancy and Peggy Blackett, for control of Wild
Cat Island, Jim Turner is a spy investigating the secret
re-armament of Russia, in order to protect his own
island – Britain. The plot has benefited from an
allegorical boost after the EU referendum, which again
asks questions about sovereignty and domicile.
In one sense, the film is a radical departure from not
only the plot, but the ethos of the book, whose charm
lies in its subtlety. The parallel spy plot feels forced at
points, and there will invariably be older viewers who
view it as a corruption of Ransome’s intention. Pre-
screenings suggest younger viewers, raised on a diet of
action-packed films like the Harry Potter series, enjoy
the parallel plot, particularly when it bears fruit in an
action-packed finale.
Those who bemoan the deviation from the original
story will find great pleasure in the rest of the film,
which is mostly true to the book. The film is arguably

better cast and definitely better shot than the very

creditable 1974 version: Roger, in particular, is utterly

convincing and the star turn of the film; John, though a

little old for the part, perfectly treads the fine line

between fraternal forebearance and youthful

excitement; Tatty is suitably dreamy and fantastical;

Peggy and Sue play their less than thrilling parts

faithfully and with poise; and Nancy is a force to be

reckoned with. Kelly MacDonald is perfect as the

relaxed, graceful and maternal Mrs Walker; other treats

include Harry Enfield as Mr Jackson and a cameo from

Sophie Neville (Titty in the 1974 film). The sets,

particularly Wild Cat Island itself, with its steep gullies

and rock formations, are brilliantly realised.

One thing the film manages to convey better than

previous versions (including the comically wooden

1960s BBC televised series) is the stirring of the soul

caused by a lovely sailing boat. The moving scene where

Swallow is revealed in the boatshed and the aerial shots

of the two dinghies racing across the lake are enough

to raise the hairs on your arms. The encounter with the

charcoal burners in the woods, which has shades of

Deliverance about it, portrays perfectly the intimidation

felt by sheltered children when confronted with adults

possessed of coarse fortitude. The end product is a

flawed thoroughbred of a film that replaces some

faithfulness to the original with excitement for a

modern audience. Ultimately, Swallows and Amazons is

about the magical taste of childhood independence,

although these days, it is a reminder of how much

freedom children have lost. The film's evocation of that

era, and of an English summer, complete with rain and

clouds and old stone buildings, is its greatest strength.

Your kids will love it. And so will you – if you let yourself.

Clockwise from

top: Swallow;

Amazon, both

RNSA 14

dinghies; the

start of the

holidays

FILM REVIEW

Swallows and

Amazons, PG Cert,

2016, 100 minutes.

General UK release

19 August. See

page 48 for our

interview with

creative producer

Nicholas Barton

BY STEFFAN

MEYRIC HUGHES