Nor the Moon by Night
| Nor the Moon by Night | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Directed by | Ken Annakin |
| Produced by |
John Stafford executive Earl St John |
| Written by | Guy Elmes |
| Based on | novel by Joy Packer |
| Starring |
Michael Craig Belinda Lee Patrick McGoohan |
| Music by | James Bernard |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Alfred Roome |
|
Production
company |
IFP Limited
|
| Distributed by | Rank Organisation |
|
Release date
|
1958 (UK) 19 June 1959 (US) |
|
Running time
|
84 minutes |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
Nor the Moon by Night is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Michael Craig. It was based on the novel by Joy Packer and filmed in the Kruger National Park South Africa. The title comes from a passage in the Bible; "The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." Psalm 121:6
The film was released in the United States as Elephant Gun.
Two brothers, Rusty and Andrew Miller, are game wardens in Africa. Andrew's fiancee comes out from England and falls in love with Rusty.
In the late 1950s, the Rank Organisation made a series of adventure movies in colour shot on location which were aimed at the international audience. These included Robbery Under Arms, Ferry to Hong Kong, Campbell's Kingdom and Nor the Moon by Night.
Joy Packer's novel was published in 1957. Film rights were bought by Sir John Davis of the Rank Film Organisation, in part because Davis' wife Dinah Sheridan was a fan of the novel.
The film was directed by Ken Annakin. He says he did not really want to do the job, the film he really wanted to make being The Singer Not the Song, but agreed because it gave him the chance to see South Africa.
Filming began in late 1957 on location in South Africa. The unit was based at Cato Ridge.
Production was plagued by a number of difficulties. Belinda Lee left the production during shooting to see her married lover in Italy who had been threatening to commit suicide; they both tried to commit suicide. Patrick McGoohan was concussed after crashing his car. Anna Gaylor fell ill with dysentery.
Director Ken Annakin had a number of issues with the crew; he later wrote that the electricians sabotaged director of photography Peter Hennessey's rushes with incorrect light filters and forcing him to be replaced by Harry Waxman. The cast and crew consistently fell sick, with snake and spider bites, heat exhaustion, dysentery, rheumatism and chest complaints the chief cause.
Lee returned from Italy on 2 February 1958 to recommence filming. She did not go through customs and immigration, causing questions to be asked in South African Parliament. One of the cheetahs used in filming savaged its trainer. A bush fire got out of control. Michael Craig had an affair with Belinda Lee's stand in and almost drowned crossing a river.
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Wikipedia