Dramatic adaptation of William Golding's trilogy 'Rites Of Passage', 'Close Quarters' and 'Fire Down Below'. A young aristocrat boards a war ship heading for Australia, where he will take up a government post. It is not long, however, before the aristocrat's social status begins to cause tension aboard the vessel... Read more
| Starring | Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Neill, Jared Harris, Victoria Hamilton |
|---|---|
| Director | David Attwood |
| Genres | Drama |
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Dramatic adaptation of William Golding's trilogy 'Rites Of Passage', 'Close Quarters' and 'Fire Down Below'. A young aristocrat boards a war ship heading for Australia, where he will take up a government post. It is not long, however, before the aristocrat's social status begins to cause tension aboard the vessel...
| Starring | Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Neill, Jared Harris, Victoria Hamilton, Joanna Page, Charles Dance |
|---|---|
| Director | David Attwood |
| Studio | WARNER MUSIC VISION |
| Run time | DVD: 4 hrs 30 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 09 Oct 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
Or you can rent each disc individually:
The title refers to the many continents crossed by government agent Dick Powell in his quest for a gang of opium smugglers with fanatical ambitions for world domination. The plot, though complicated, is comprehensible and it's well handled by director Sidney Buchman and well cast, ensuring maximum tension and entertainment value. Swedish import Signe Hasso contributes the girl glamour; as almost always, crooner-turned-tough-guy Powell convinces as the sober-minded action hero. Fantastical in parts in a pre-James Bond kind of way, this also has elements that are uncomfortably close to the bone in a post-11 September world.
A magnificent adaptation...It took six years to bring this production to the screen and they are six years well spent
I saw episode one of this BBC television drama recently but missed two and three. Each episode tells a self-contained story. The main character is an arrogant and ambitious young man who is travelling to Australia to take up an appointment. In the early 19th century, travel by sea is uncomfortable and relationships between passengers and crew are difficult. Life is brutal and disturbing. A magnificent drama.
There is no 3rd episode on this disc - 'fire down below is missing'. Only rent if you don't care how it ends.