The original film ‘Swallows & Amazons’ was first screened at a preview in London on 31st March 1974.
Brian Doyle, the film publicist, noted it in his diary. This was sent to me by his daughter, Pandora Doyle, who was taken along with her mother Jo and friend Alison.
The cast of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ either joined them there or at an afternoon press screening on 2nd April. We certainly went to one preview. It utterly amazed us. We had not remembered the Lake District being so sunny.
The premiere was also held at the ABC cinema in Shaftesbury Avenue, London, at a Royal Gala Premier on 4th April 1974.
The film has since been dubbed into at least eight different languages and screened all over the world. A number of different titles have been used from ‘Svaler og Amasoner’ to ‘El Capitan Pirata’.
They do not provide a release date for the Czech Republic, but it has been dubbed into Czech twice and is popular there. You can easily buy copies of the French version
It is now screening on Netflix Europe and Amazon Prime.
There was a big splash when ‘Swallows & Amazons’ was first screened in Gloucester. Sten Grendon, who appeared as the Boy Roger, and I were taught to swim at the leisure centre there. Chris Maloney, who was awarded an MBE for his part in founding the Special Olympics, began to coach me when I was ten. I’ve been told that he also taught Sophia Loren to swim for ‘The “Goodness Gracious Me” Heiress’.
As we lived locally, Sten and I were asked to attend the first screening at the newly converted triple screen ABC in Gloucester, which was daunting. They were also screening ‘The Sting’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’ that both starred Robert Redford.
Chris Maloney later got Suzanna Hamilton and I jumping off the high board at Gloucester Leisure Centre. She was far braver than I.
You can read more in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ available in paperback from £15 or ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows & Amazons’ an ebook for only £2.99
Sophie Neville 
thank you for the blog Sophie, Oh, if we could only get a Time Machine and be back in that era?
incidentally, I got a signed copy of your book The making of swallows and amazons, at the Oxfam website, imagine how thrilled I was with that?
Kindest regards, nick
So glad to hear you have a signed copy – and from Oxfam. I love charity shops.
You might like my book ‘Funnily Enough’. It has a little about Swallows and Amazons. See if you can find a copy on Amazon, although the new edition is much improved and on audible.
It looks like a brilliant event, Sophie. I am so pleased it was such a great success and I am looking forward very much to the weekend in June in Bowness.
The Swallows and Amazons weekend at Windermere Jetty promises to be great fun.