La Grande traversée

I think many people have missed the point of this movie. It's easy to look back 50 years later and say it doesn't live up to expectations, and that it should be a "gritty, powerful, boy-against-the-ocean survival story". That's not it's intention, thought there are parts where the main character (well played by Joseph Bottoms) has his struggles obviously. I only just watched it recently and really enjoyed it. I like the feel and positive vibes of it. The acting was really good, and the scenery was stunning. The love story between the two main characters was believable, and it was all underpinned by a nice soundtrack. Yes, it's very much early-seventies, but that's what adds to the charm of the movie.

I seem to have seen a very different film to the couple of "10" reviews this has received. The early 70's was the rise of the independent movie, many of these where pretty poor in quality compared to the movies of the studio period, but made up for this by covering topics the studios had refused to, some earned cult followings over the years, the Dove is certainly not one of these, with an obviously low budget, but not really trying be ground breaking. While it's said to be filmed around the world with the exception of a few insert shoots like Galapagos much of this was filmed in Australia, with a number of the cast being well known Australian actors of the time. Like many films of the period this one is not helped by some dire acting, editing and soundtrack, the theme song is awful. A quite young Dabney Colman survived this and had a pretty active career through the 80's and 90's. Mr Bottoms career was very up and down with long gaps in his movie acting and dropping out into daytime soaps by the mid 80's, he is the main problem with the film, he just can't act, which is a problem given the number of shots in the film where it's just him on the screen trying to look moody. Much is made of the fact Gregory Peck produced this, but while he produced a number of films in the 60's and early 70's it's telling that after this film he didn't produce anything for almost a decade.

I was 21 and had been married for two years when I gave birth to our first son. I had really wanted a boy so was over the moon. However two weeks after his birth we could still not agree on a name. But leaving our beautiful contented little baby with his so doting grandparents we thought a night out at the cinema to watch this would be well deserved. And so as the film began I thought this guy looks so like my husband and his free spirit so matched mine that I whispered to Kim, my husband " I love this boys name and his spirit. What about naming our son Robin?" So by the end of the film our son had his name. So as my son is having his 40th birthday this October I would so love to buy a DVD of this film to give him as I know he will be as moved as I was. Is this possible?

True story about 16 year old American Robin Lee Graham who becomes the youngest ever person to sail around the world. Joseph Bottoms does very well portraying the young man and is well supported by Deborah Raffin. What makes the film, however, is the direction. I give 6/10

Interesting film, more for what it isn't perhaps, rather than what it should have been.

Those expecting a 70's drama-packed teenage version of All Is Lost will be mightily disappointed. For a start the soundtrack is, sadly, just, all at sea. It's something I would have expected to better accompanying a wild life documentary. Neither do the two original songs add much to the emotional contexts of the occasions. They just seem to intrude uninvitingly.

In fact the dramatic aspects of this largely true story, are the movie's weakest aspect. This may partly be due to this 1974 film being produced on what even back then, was not a huge budget by any means. Mid-ocean tempests therefore are not excitingly enhanced by special effects. However the film undoubtedly still succeeds, in giving the audience a reasonable idea of the various challenges young Robin Lee Graham faced, in circumnavigating the globe in his tiny craft, among them for instance, losing a mast mid-voyage.

Alternatively, the love story between Robin and Patti emerges, in my opinion, as the strongest aspect of the narrative. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two leads and the picture works best, when both are onscreen together. Good to see that they both actually look the part.

As others have noted there is an unusual lack of back story to Robin's voyage and only the slightest mention in passing is made of the planning and organisation undertaken before he cast off. In fact we don't even see the beginning of the trip in Hawaii, as the film's action abruptly opens near Fiji.

This results in Robin's father in his relatively brief couple of appearances, perhaps unfairly, being cast as the "villain of the piece", when in reality, common sense tells us, as an experienced sailor, he must have had a huge role to play, in seeing his 16 year-old son set off on his historic voyage.

A rather charming little factor at play in The Dove, is the virtual complete absence of any sense of rush to complete the voyage, except possibly towards the end of the film. Robin doesn't really seem to care about when he finishes, which contrasts starkly with the intent of most contemporary sailors to set quicker and quicker, race and time records.

For those who might be interested, there are a number of brief appearances by well-known Australian actors in supporting roles and I did get a laugh out of seeing a young Dabney Coleman, join in the fun, playing an Aussie I think, with an amusingly hybrid accent.