Captain Jack
UK 1998
Reviewed by John Mount
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
The present. Captain Jack sails day trips in The Yorkshire Lass from Whitby harbour. One day he overhears a teacher praise Captain Cook to her pupils. Jack tells them about his hero, Captain Scorseby, who sailed from Whitby to the Arctic in 1791. Jack decides to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of Scorseby's first voyage to the Arctic by retracing the 1,300 mile journey to Jan Mayen Island.
The trip is threatened when The Yorkshire Lass is declared unseaworthy and Jack hastily assembles a naïve, inexperienced crew. Jack's friend Barbara, who runs the local caravan park, keeps in radio contact. Local fishermen disguise Jack's departure but soon the Coast Guard and the Royal Navy are in pursuit. Jack terrifies his crew with a dramatic safety-drill exercise. At the island of Foula they are spotted by an RAF helicopter - but a cleaning lady vacuums up the vital information that the RAF relays. The crew disguise the boat, set off again and elude pursuing journalists.
Jack is washed overboard in a violent storm but is saved by the crew. He suggests they return home, but the crew rebel and sail for Jan Mayen Island. Jack installs a commemorative plaque but is disturbed by a couple of polar bears. In an act of heroism, timid Emmett throws a harpoon and causes a rock slide which scares the bears away. Jack marries two of his crew - Tessa and Andy - on deck. They arrive back at Whitby to a heroes' welcome.
Review
More of a family film than a children's film per se, Captain Jack spins an amiable enough tale from the true story of Whitby boat-owner Jack Lanniman's voyage to Jan Mayen Island. The tale spinner is veteran comedy scriptwriter Jack Rosenthal. He brings his customary warmth to an indulgent celebration of both the quirky characters who accompany Jack and the man himself, a gruff, quixotic hero.
Director Robert Young most likely had the Ealing Comedy tradition in mind, but the film doesn't quite come off, mainly because there is a little too much of the televisual about the production but also because an uncertain tone stems from his timid attempts to be ever so slightly modern. The sheer amount of plot also pushes some of the secondary characters to the margins, which given the wealth of acting talent on show is a pity. Unfortunately, the romantic subplot involving a less than vivacious performance from Sadie Frost misfires.
However, in the leading role Bob Hoskins gets ample opportunity to portray his romantic misfit. In the hands of other actors this could grate, but Hoskins, his course set firmly "one inch over the horizon", brings a sense of integrity and a genuinely infectious ebullience to his role. In truth, though, despite its bonhomie, bracing deck dramas and wry observation ("that's human nature for you - we're all 180 degrees adrift"), the film is a disappointment and its message banal for all but the youngest spectator.
Credits
- Producer
- John Goldschmidt
- Screenplay
- Jack Rosenthal
- Suggested by an original article by Nick Davies
- Director of Photography
- John McGlashan
- Editor
- Edward Mansell
- Production Designer
- Simon Holland
- Music
- Richard Harvey
- ©Captain Jack Films Limited
- Production Companies
- Granada and Baltic Media present in association with the Arts Council of England a Granada Film/John Goldschmidt production
- Supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England
- Produced by Viva Films Limited for Granada Film and Baltic Media
- Executive Producers
- Pippa Cross
- Chris Craib
- William Sargent
- Line Producer
- Ronaldo Vasconcellos
- Production Co-ordinator
- Emma Pike
- Production Manager
- Dena Vincent
- Location Managers
- Skye:
- Karen Smythe
- Whitby:
- Peter Carter
- Peter Cotton
- Post-production Co-ordinator
- Chris Kwouk
- Assistant Directors
- Howard Arundel
- Justine Moakes
- Karen Thrussell
- Script Supervisor
- Marissa Cowell
- Casting
- Director:
- Polly Hootkins
- ADR Voice:
- Louis Elman
- Camera Operators
- Roger Pearce
- 2nd Unit:
- David Swan
- Digital Special Effects
- Men in White Coats
- Digital Effects Co-ordinators:
- Steve Shaw
- Adrian Martin
- Digital Effects Supervisor:
- Phil Attfield
- Digital Imaging Supervisor:
- Adam Christopher
- Digital Compositing:
- Jamie Russell
- James Jordan
- Digital Effects Shoot Supervisors:
- Drew Jones
- Robert Duncan
- The FrameStore
- Special Effects
- Effects Associates, Ltd
- Supervisor:
- Martin Gutteridge
- Technicians:
- David Ford
- Lee Winter
- Garth Inns
- Paul Corbould
- Graphics Artist
- Will Hughes-Jones
- On Screen Graphics
- In Shot Computers
- Art Director
- Clinton Cavers
- Costume Designer
- Alyson Ritchie
- Wardrobe
- Supervisor:
- Simon Murray
- Mistress:
- Tara Gelpey
- Hair/Make-up
- Chief Artist:
- Jan Sewell
- Artist:
- Carmel Jackson
- Titles Design
- Men in White Coats
- End Titles
- General Screen Enterprises
- Music Recording Engineer
- Austin Ince
- Soundtrack
- "Going Home" by Robert Young, Richard Harvey, performed by Carmen Daye; "This Moment" lyrics by Carmen Daye, Robert Young, Stephen Baker, Carmen Daye, performed by Carmen Daye; "Take Me with You" by Carmen Daye, Robert Young, Stephen Baker, performed by Sam Blue
- Sound Recordist
- Brian Simmons
- Re-recording Mixer
- John Whitworth
- Dialogue Editor
- Phil Bothamley
- Effects Editor
- John Senior
- ADR
- Editor:
- Phil Bothamley
- Foley
- Artists:
- Jean Sheffield
- Lionel Selwyn
- Editor:
- Rocky Phelan
- Stunt Co-ordinator
- Roderick Woodruff
- Marine Co-ordinator
- Tony Tucker
- Cast
- Bob Hoskins
- Captain Jack Armistead
- Sadie Frost
- Tessa
- Gemma Jones
- Eunice Pickles
- Anna Massey
- Phoebe Pickles
- Peter McDonald
- Andrew 'Andy' Watts
- David Troughton
- Emmett
- Maureen Lipman
- Miss Barbara Bostock
- Patrick Malahide
- Mr Lancing
- Michele Dotrice
- Deidre
- Trevor Bannister
- Paul Butterworth
- holiday makers
- Sara Stephens
- Claire
- Kathryn Pogson
- teacher
- Sam Townend
- clever cloggs
- Ruth Mitchell
- Grace Mitchell
- Quaker women
- John Dair
- Keith Smith
- Quaker men
- Nick Stringer
- Toby, chip shop owner
- Keith Clifford
- harbour master
- Andy De La Tour
- Chandler
- Jeremy Beckman
- harbour assistant
- Andrew Livingston
- Steve, Whitby police sergeant
- Ian Liston
- coastguard
- David Jarvis
- Royal Navy operator
- Molly Weir
- Foula operator
- Robert Addie
- helicopter pilot
- Ruth McGhie
- Mildred
- Tim Chipping
- Euan MacNaughton
- operators
- Jimmy Logan
- Foula constable
- Christopher Driscoll
- journalist
- Certificate
- PG
- Distributor
- Feature Film Company
- 9,036 feet
- 100 minutes 24 seconds
- Dolby
- In Colour