The Dove (1974 film)
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| The Dove | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster |
|
| Directed by | Charles Jarrott |
| Produced by | Gregory Peck |
| Written by | Story: Derek L.T. Gill Robin Lee Graham Screenplay: Adam Kennedy Peter S. Beagle |
| Starring | Joseph Bottoms Deborah Raffin |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Sven Nykvist |
| Editing by | John Jympson |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | Sept. 19, 1974 (USA) |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Dove is an American film released in 1974 and directed by Charles Jarrott.[1]
The picture was produced by Gregory Peck, the third and last feature film he would produce.[2]
The film is based on the real life experiences of Robin Lee Graham, a young man who spent five years sailing around the world as a single-handed sailor, starting when he was 16-years old. The story is adapted from Dove (1972), the book Graham co-wrote about his seafaring experiences with Derek L.T. Gill.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film tells of real-life Robin Lee Graham (Joseph Bottoms), a 16-year-old boy who sets out in a 23-foot sloop and is determined to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the world. He's planned the long trip with his sailor father Lyle Graham (John McLiam) for years.
He sets sail on his journey and on one of his stops he meets and falls in love with the gregarious and attractive young woman, Patti Ratteree (Deborah Raffin). After much banter Patti decides to follow Graham throughout his long journey. She meets him in Fiji, Australia, South Africa, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands.
As he travels around the globe, Graham experiences many adventures on the sea and land as he grows from a teenager to a young adult. Yet Graham finds the trip a very lonely experience, especially when the wind dies on him on the high seas. At one point he badly wants to quit the voyage but Patti (now his new wife) and his father talk him out of it.
At the end of the film we see Graham sailing into Los Angeles with crowds welcoming him home.
[edit] Background
[edit] Basis of film
Robin Lee Graham (born 1949) is a man who set out to sail around the world alone as a teenager in the summer of 1965. National Geographic Magazine carried the story, and he co-wrote a book detailing his journey called Dove. Graham was just sixteen when he set out from Southern California and headed west in his 24-foot boat. He got married along the way, and after almost five years, sailed back into his home port. After he and his wife Patti attended Stanford University, they moved to Montana and settled down.
[edit] Filming locations
The film is a travelogue of sorts and the producers filmed on location throughout the world. Filming locations include: Cape Town, South Africa; Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia; Ecuador; Fiji; Los Angeles, California; Lourenco Marques, Mozambique; Panama Canal, Panama; South Africa; and Suva, Fiji.[3]
[edit] Exhibition
Tagline: They searched the world...until they found each other.
The film opened in the United States in September 1974.
Paramount released a video of the film on April 16, 1996.
A DVD of the movie has not been released.
[edit] Critical reception
The film reviews for the film were mixed.
Critic Nora Sayre, writing for The New York Times, thought the film was too wholesome, so much so that Sayre wanted harm to come to the characters. Yet she appreciated Sven Nykvist's cinematography. She wrote, "The Dove ... is probably far too wholesome for most of the families I know, although there may be a radiant audience lurking just outside the realms of my acquaintance...Joseph Bottoms, as the young sailor, smiles too much in the first half of the movie; after that, he cries too much. His initial overwhelming sunniness turns the viewer into a sadist: You're glad when his cat gets killed or grateful when a shark appears in the ocean. Deborah Raffin, as his winsome girlfriend, is rarely allowed to stop laughing and wagging her head; the two grin and glow at each other until you yearn for a catastrophe."[4]
Others liked the film. Film critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat who reviewed the film much later after the film's release on their website Spirituality and Practice, appreciated the film and its message. They write, "Producer Gregory Peck was perceptive when he decided to make a film based on the true life on the youngest person to circumnavigate the world alone...Graham's exploits and his accompanying struggle to sort out his feelings about himself and his loyalties to family and girlfriend are fascinating and provocative."[5]
[edit] Cast and ratings
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Finland: | K-8 |
| Sweden: | Btl |
| United States: | PG |
- Joseph Bottoms as Robin Lee Graham
- Deborah Raffin as Patti Ratteree
- John McLiam as Lyle Graham
- Dabney Coleman as Charles Huntley
- John Anderson as Mike Turk
- Colby Chester as Tom Barkley
- Ivor Barry as Kenniston
- Setoki Ceinaturoga as Young Fijian
- Reverend Nikula as Minister
- Apenisa Naigulevu as Cruise Ship Captain
- John Meillon as Tim
- Gordon Glenwright as Darwin Harbour Master
- Garth Meade as South African Customs Official
- Peter Gwynne as Fred C. Pearson
- Cecily Polson as Mrs. Castaldi
[edit] Soundtrack
An original motion picture soundtrack of the film was released in 1974 by ABC Records and contained thirteen tracks (00:31:43). On May 1, 2001 a CD was released on the Artemis record label. The song "Sail the Summer Winds," sung by Lyn Paul, was nominated for a Golden Globe and was a top selling hit in England. It hovered just outside the British Top 50 for four months.[6] The score was written by composer John Barry.
[edit] Side 1
- "The Dove (Main Title)" (03:05)
- "Sail The Summer Winds" (Vocal by Lyn Paul) (03:09)
- "Hitch-hike To Darwin" (02:14)
- "Patty and Robin" (02:20)
- "Here There Be Dragons" (02:44)
- "Mozambique" (02:15)
[edit] Side 2
- "The Motorbike and the Dove" (01:24)
- "Xing'mombila" (02:09)
- "Alone On The Wide, Wide Sea" (03:52)
- "Porpoise Escort" (02:30)
- "After The Fire" (01:46)
- "Sail The Summer Winds" (Vocal by Lyn Paul) (02:21)
- "The Dove (End Title)" (01:54)
[edit] Awards
Wins
- Golden Globe Award: Golden Globe; Most Promising Male Newcomer, Joseph Bottoms; 1975.
Nominations
- Golden Globes: Golden Globe; Best Original Song, John Barry (composer) and Don Black (lyricist); for the song "Sail the Summer Winds"; 1975.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The Dove at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Gregory Peck at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Dove, IMDb, filming locations, ibid.
- ^ Sayre, Nora. The New York Times, film review, "The Dove: Sailing Film Is Awash With Wholesomeness," February 20, 1975.
- ^ Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. Spirituality and Practice, film review.
- ^ Lyn Paul official web site.
[edit] External links
- The Dove at Rotten Tomatoes.
- The Schoolboy Circumnavigator at the BlueMoment web site.
