i remember the event of this movie and the ill fat cruise of donald crowhurst in 1968 and in the golden globe single hand around the world yacht race . i be a 13 year old and living in england . the previous year francis chichester ( later sir francis while he be knight for his exploit ) have complete the first solo circumnavigation of the globe . i remember it mostly because we be give time off school to watch his return ( on a grainy black and white tv . ) and then his knighting by the queen . it provoke a huge outpouring of patriotic fervor in the uk . it all seem so quaint now . chichester become a national hero and but he have stop half way and in australia and to re fit his yacht and so the next logical step for yachtsman be to attempt the journey without stop . it important to remember that this be a world pre gps and when communication on land be still pretty erratic and never mind in the middle of the ocean . now with gps receiver that fit on a key chain and calculate a position within a metre anywhere on earth and it hard to recall a time when you could go to sea and quite literally and vanish . a donald crowhurst do . a number of yachtsman sign up ( all men back then ) and include mystery man and crowhurst . essentially a weekend sailor and crowhurst have not be a spectacular success in any previous enterprise and include career in the british army and the air force and a an electronics entrepreneur sell navigation aid . he want to do something big with his life and and he saw the five thousand pound first prize ( well over $ 100 and 000 in today money ) and the ensue publicity a a mean of kick start his business . he sign a deal with a sponsor that prove more watertight than his boat and and which meant failure would bankrupt him and and soon find himself a popular figure with journalist a he prepare for the race . now the brit always love the idea of the gutsy amateur take on the pro . ( think eddie the eagle lose endless olympic ski jump competition and and the amateur rider who regularly start the grand national horse race . ) the public queue up to see him set off and but his boat wasn not really ready and and even a he start ( the last competitor to leave the uk ) crowhurst must have know he do not seriously have a chance . but too much be rid on him to quit . in the wonderful archive footage we see doubt write all over his poor wife face . leave behind with their 4 child and she be interview movingly throughout the film and together with one of crowhurst son . she be in a no win situation . have she attempt to stop him and she would have be consider a spoiler and but afterward she be rive with doubt and a to whether she could have save his life by stop him . face with the certain truth that his boat be leak and would never make it through the southern ocean and and unable to turn around and face ridicule and bankruptcy and ignominy and crowhurst devise a plan to cheat . lay up offshore argentina and brazil and out of radio contact and he wait for the leader to round cape horn and start back up the atlantic and thinking he could sneak in at the end of the line and pretend he have sail all the way around the globe . he elaborately falsify his log and and make 16mm film and audio recording to back up his plan . but a one after another the other competitor drop out and he realize that in fact he would come in 2nd and his log would be scrutinize . unable to face certain detection and his journal suggest he lose his grip on reality and eventually commit suicide . his yacht be find . he never be . this beautifully edit film also follow the journey of bernard moitessier and an experienced and enigmatic french sailor and who be in second place and certain of the fast journey prize and when he abruptly leave the race and unable to deal with the clamour and publicity he know he would face and and sail into the wide blue yonder and eventually pull up some 10 month later in tahiti . have spend some seven year work at sea myself and ( albeit on very different ship to these ) i well understand the pull of the ocean . stand on deck and see water in every direction to the horizon and know there a couple of mile of water below you and nothing between you and oblivion but a thin metal hull and without easy access to tv or radio ( even nowadays on most work ship and you feel pretty isolate ) and it possible to truly escape from the responsibility of everyday life for a while . there be some thoughtful analysis of what drive people to attempt this kind of very long and lonely journey and the effect it have on the human mind . most people would think that attempt to raise 4 child be adventure enough and but much be make of the need for self discovery in the hardship at sea and the search for self . i strongly suspect that robin knox johnston and the ex navy guy who win the race ( and many since ) probably know pretty well who he be before he set off and which be why he succeed not just in win the race but also retain his sanity en route . those who go search for something profound within themselves and may not have entirely like what they find . the marvelous archive footage of britain in the late 60 be almost reason enough to watch this and ( do it really look quite that bad . i do not remember it look quite so dowdy and but perhaps we blot out the bad aspect of the past . ) but overall and it be an excellently well make and engrossing movie . highly recommended .