THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA is a very unusual British drama, based on a Japanese novel. It feels a lot like one of the notorious 'pinku' genre films, with explicit sexual sequences and nudity for the day, but it turns out to be far more interesting than that. This film's strength lies in its focus on a gang of boys led by a politically-minded leader who's possibly the most frightening child character I've ever seen in a movie. He commands the screen whenever he appears, and he commits some truly disturbing acts as the running time progresses (animal lovers, look away!). This slow-burner is well acted by both the adult and child actors and builds to a subtle climax that I found completely horrifying in its implications.
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
1976
Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
1976
Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
Widowed now for close to four years, Anne Osborne, who now operates the antiques shop formerly owned by her husband David, and their son, Jonathan Osborne, live in a small, English seaside town. Both Anne and Jonathan still miss David even after all these years. Going through puberty, Jonathan uses something he finds in his bedroom to explore the emerging thoughts of sexuality going through his mind. Although Anne knows Jonathan sneaks out of the house early in the morning against her orders, she is unaware that he is attending meetings of a secret society of five boys, who refer to each other only by a cardinal number, their rank within the group as assigned by "The Chief", number one. The Chief is an arrogant, sadistic pseudo-intellectual who needs to show his power and dominance over the other four in whatever means possible. He largely considers them immature as he spouts off his Nietzschean philosophies, centering on that adults create rules that ultimately disrupt the natural order of life. When the US based merchant ship the Belle docks in port, Anne and Jonathan meet Second Officer Jim Cameron. Jonathan, who is fascinated by the sea, becomes enamored with what Jim represents to him, the natural order the Chief speaks of, specifically of the sea. Anne becomes romantically involved with Jim while he is in town. Their encounters lead to Jim critically evaluating his life and future. As Jonathan believes Jim may be attempting to disrupt that natural order he so admires, Jonathan believes it is his duty to change Jim back to restore that natural order, and if that is not possible, to correct the impending disorder by whatever means necessary.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 965.75 MB
1280*544
English 2.0
NR
Movie Reviews
Reviewed by
Disturbing
Reviewed by
The movie which fell out of favor with those expecting a conclusion.
Terrific performances by Sarah Miles and Jonathan Kahn and some gorgeous seaside settings can't help turn this personal drama into something uplifting. In fact, I came out of it rather depressed, having had a sense of dread in a notorious scene where a family kitty ends up as a scientific experiment. This story deals with a gorgeous but lonely widow (Miles) who seems to have son Kahn under lock and key, and at first, you are not sure why. But by the middle of the film where the horrifying cat sequence takes place, you realize why. Kahn is borderline sociopathic, and his group of young teen friends aren't aiding him in being cured. In fact, they pretty much seem worse as they influence Kahn's vulnerable brain with all sorts of paranoia as Miles becomes seriously involved with a quiet, brooding American sailor (Kris Kristofferson) who seems willing to be giving up the sea so he can have an idyllic romance with Miles.
Written and directed by Lewis John Carlino ("The Great Santini", "Resurrection"),this drama has elements of beauty mixed with horror, and the bad seed children are a part of the later. The long love scene between Miles and Kristofferson (rather bland as an emotionless man) is nicely filmed with the two spending a good part of it simply staring at each other before the sexual part of the scene occurs. The beautiful Miles never got to have the type of career of other British stars of the time (the Redgrave sisters, Glenda, Maggie, the two Julie's),but her performance is stunning. The film really leaves you hanging, and perhaps that's the point, but something is really missing other than a conclusion, and it is a shame that the repercussions of the last scene are never revealed.
Reviewed by
Not so much an Oedipus Rex as it is a derivation on "The Lord Of The Flies"
Distasteful British film from a Japanese novel about a very troubled young man who comes under the influence of a Hitler-like classmate and plots to harm his widowed mother's lover. A couple of good scenes (Sarah Miles discovering her son has been peeping at her and confronts him in anger, the pasty-faced lad trying to ensnare Kris Kristofferson to his demise by being extra friendly),but what's the point beyond provoking shock? Ugly and uneasy, it doesn't showcase anyone involved to any advantage (especially Kristofferson, whose hollow stares and usual gravelly talk is out-of-place in a psychological mishmash like this one). Coldly without any sense of its own absurdity, director Lewis John Carlino seems to believe a circumstance like this could actually happen. If he's right, that's far more shocking than anything in "Sailor". * from ****