{"id":135,"date":"2020-06-08T08:19:43","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T08:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefugitiveking.uk\/?page_id=135"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:13:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:13:24","slug":"the-moonraker","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thefugitiveking.uk\/index.php\/the-moonraker\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moonraker"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A film called The Moonraker<\/em> was made in 1958 based on the final days of the escape. Most of the action is fictional although some references will be recognised by those familiar with the historical record (e.g. the oak tree evasion of the chasing troops). Not a buckle goes unswashed in this rip-roaring, rampaging, rollicking, riotous, roisterous, rumbustious, rowdy, romantic, royalist romp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main hero is not the King but the fictional Earl of Dawlish, a nobleman who facilitates the King’s escape, perhaps vaguely based on Lord Wilmot. He is known as The Moonraker, because he smuggles Royalists to France – apparently, moonraker is an archaic word for smuggler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spectacular castle scene was filmed at Besal\u00fa, Spain. One  brief appearance that caught my eye was John le Mesurier playing Cromwell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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