The Light at the Edge of the World [DVD]

 

 

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This period adventure based on a book by "Jules Verne" is an atmospheric ,dark,haunting thriller with excellent cinematography and a taut plot .

It is set on the ragged coast of Cape Horn where a pirate ship with an utterly brutal and psychopathic crew takes over a crucial light-house to deceptively lure the passenger ships onto the rocky and deceptively treacherous coast ,in order to pillage the freight and the rich travellers .

The relentless brutality of the pirates is sharply contrasted by the rugged beauty of the naturally majestic natural environment,which the director and cinematographer exploit with an arduous poetic delight .

Yul Brynner is sheer charisma as the elusive and eclectic captain of the weird but eccentrically gratuitious pirates,he has a supporting lieutenant played with a delicious evil streak by the talented French actor 'Drouot' and 'Kirk Douglas' is the unfortunate yet resourceful and moral keeper of the light house ,who is being hunted by the pirate crew as he tries to survive against a group of murderous thugs trapped in this perilous milieu .

Samantha Eggar arrives as a mysterious beauty surviving a brilliantly staged shipwreck ,where a passenger liner is deceptively lured to crash on the rocky coast ,and the events get very surreal with an eerie light and some extremely powerful yet violent sequences where the army of ferocious pirates are vying for the sensual beauty of Eggar like a pack of wolves.

She is used as a sexual pawn and bait in the game between Yul brynner and Kirk Douglas to get the dutiful light house keeper to surrender, and here Brynner reveals a very quaint yet interesting villainous aspect of his character which is magificently acted,while Kirk is equally splendid in a very physically and psychologically demanding role .

The gratuitious violence though serves the purpose of exploring the relationship between this naturally hostile environment and human will to survive and i love the period details and antique decor of the interiors as well as the lush rugged exteriors with the vividly staged shipwreck and the sanguine massacre in detail, amidst a torrential storm and an unmissable and unpredictable finale with some great action set pieces where the light-house and the ship becomes the centre-stage of this unique drama .

Intelligently violent and exquisitely entertaining ,if you like sophisticated action adventures with a wild twist with raw acting ,this is heaven indeed for 'Jules Verne 'fans and the dvd is an excellent restoration of the origonal print too,and thanks to mister Kirk Douglas who produced this quaint adventure .

The dialogues are sparse and the camera is eloquently used to capture the psyche of the main trio in trivial details with brief flashbacks which define their characters and fuse the mysterious past to a turbulent present with a surreal affect .

A very pleasant surprise for fans of jules verne ,Samantha Eggar and Yul brynner too who steals the show in a definitive role like in the science fiction 'Westworld' .

Yes, you can tell this is an old movie but the themes and ideas are very contemporary. You have adventure, a female interest and some pretty explicit torture scenes. Today's kids would laugh at the special effects but the themes are strong, the acting convincing and the location very evocative of the story line. Filmed on the Costa Brava in Spain, the location is very rugged and beautiful. Plus, if you research the life of Salvador Dali you will read of the many wild parties and drinking sessions he had with the stars and crew. Jules Verne at his best.

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