Although she would soon be leaving Disney Studios Hayley Mills at the age of 18 got a chance at a semi-adult role with a semi-adult romance with young Peter McEnery in The Moon-Spinners. The film is worth a look if for no other reason than the great location cinematography on the Island of Crete.Mills and her aunt Joan Greenwood are on holiday in Crete and they arrive at the small inn that they were supposed to be staying and the owner, Irene Papas is decidedly cool and has to be forced to provide Mills and Greenwood with accommodations. Eli Wallach who is Papas's brother is most unfriendly wishing they would leave post haste.Wallach has reason for wanting them out, he's planning to sell some stolen jewels to Pola Negri who's collected a lot of such loot with six husbands along the way. But Peter McEnery has different ideas. He's got his own plans for the jewels.McEnery and Mills make a fine attractive young couple and Eli Wallach as the villain is at his best. When is he ever not. And the chance to see three legends of varying degree as Irene Papas, Joan Greenwood, and silent star Pola Negri in a comeback role is not to be missed.The Moon-Spinners plays a like a Nancy Drew mystery and I wonder why Disney never cast Hayley Mills as the teen sleuth. She would have been perfect in the role. Kids and adults will enjoy this film from the Magic Kingdom.

First thing. The Moon Spinners, despite the tag line on IMDb, is not set on a SMALL Greek island, but a rather large one, Crete. I watched this movie for the first time today, April 17th, 2006..43 years after it was released.I did so mainly because I first went to Crete in 1976, when it was quite undeveloped. So I was interested to see what it was like in 1964 - even more adorable.Sadly I've been back on business and it is now hideously over-developed. But the original beauty and primitiveness of Crete comes over in this film. The movie itself seems to lose its way - someone should have had a close look at the script. From the moment the alleged British consul played by John Le Mesurier makes an appearance the movie heads off into bizarre territory. Polo Negri as the much-married Greek millionaire looks like a man in drag, and the last 45 minutes leaves one both bewildered and yawning.But what are astonishing are the stunts. The young kid leaping onto the moving windmill sail, and spinning full circle on it; then actor McEnery, on the face of it, doing partially the same. (I'm assuming they used a stunt double for Hayley Mills). Even McEnery leaping from rock to dangerous rock. The motor-boat scenes look a bit hairy too, and I think there would be a lot more Health and Safety regulation now.(McEnery was already showing signs of what would become a considerable dramatic pedigree).But it was an enjoyable romp in parts, and early Sixties Crete looked marvellous and unspoilt.History buffs may recall that a savage battle was fought there in 1941 when German airborne forces wrested control of the island from British and New Zealand forces. (War cemeteries are present on the island to this day).Later Cretan partisans fought the German occupiers from the mountains. In 1976 one such partisan by then in his Seventies, proudly showed me a knife with Luftwaffe markings he'd taken after allegedly killing its Nazi owner.But small Crete is not. It's the largest of the many Greek islands. About 130 miles long at its longest point, I recall, and about 80 miles deep.Final note: As teenagers we were all in love with Hayley Mills - she seemed to epitomise the times, fresh-faced, innocent, naive. Reason enough to watch this and recapture the Zeitgeist of 1964.Stuart White

This movie is one of my favorites from the 1960's and I watch it again every once in a while. It's also one of my favorite Hayley Mills movies. The locations are beautiful, interesting and different. The story is a solid mystery with sympathetic characters, and Mills plays a feisty, strong young woman. The production values are a bit wanting, however, especially during the windmill scenes. There's delightful humor, also, especially in some unexpected sights. And Pola Negri gives a fine performance. I love this movie and recommend it for anyone who likes a good mystery or Hayley Mills or Crete.

The Moon-Spinners, which takes Hayley Mills to the island of Crete, is an exciting adventure story that's appropriate for children of all ages. Mills is Nikki Ferris, a young woman on vacation with her aunt. "Moon-Spinners" moves quickly into action and is definitely better than Mills' previous film, Summer Magic, because of its expansion and explanation of different characters' backgrounds. If you like Hayley Mills' Disney films, you'll love The Moon-Spinners".