Have reviewed it a few times so only random thoughts.
- Ron Randell is good. Never this good in Hollywood movies. He lacked something to act maybe? Moodiness suits him? Anger? Better than Peter Finch, I think, would have been.
- Hollywood very much influenced this. The meet cutes. Scenes in a train carriage. Maids at home. Plush sets.
- They invent Joy to be a woman. Fine. Why give her a big secret "does he know"... then it's revealed she's married off screen. Why not kill her in a plane crash then? Or with a disease?
- A bit of racism. Alec Kellaway talking about Japanese as apes. Smithy meets a black porter (player by ???) and makes a joke about Australians being cannibals.
- Assumes a lot of audience knowledge. A lot of key incidents are referred to without being seen - Smithy crashing in desert, death of Ulm, etc. Also jokes need knowledge eg Bluey Truscott, that explorer.
- Surprisingly down beat. Smithy feels like he's waiting to die. But it's effective. Moving.
- Muriel Steinbeck isn't in it til half way.
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