The Light at the Edge of the World (1971)

Pirates take over a lighthouse on a rocky island. They then execute a devious plan to cause ships to run aground, pillaging their wrecks. A lone member of the lighthouse crew survives, and ... See full summary »

Director:

Kevin Billington

Writers:

Jules Verne (novel), Tom Rowe,

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Samantha Eggar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirk Douglas	...	Will Denton
Yul Brynner	...	Jonathan Kongre
Samantha Eggar	...	Arabella
Jean-Claude Drouot	...	Virgilio
Fernando Rey	...	Captain Moriz
Renato Salvatori	...	Montefiore
Massimo Ranieri	...	Felipe
Aldo Sambrell	...	Tarcante
Tito García	...	Emilio
Víctor Israel	...	Das Mortes
Antonio Rebollo	...	Santos (as Tony Skios)
Luis Barboo	...	Calsa Larga
Tony Cyrus	...	Valgolyo
Oscar Davis	...	Amador
Alejandro de Enciso	...	Morabbito

Storyline

Pirates take over a lighthouse on a rocky island. They then execute a devious plan to cause ships to run aground, pillaging their wrecks. A lone member of the lighthouse crew survives, and he deperately fights their plot. A shipwrecked maiden that avoids the pirates slaughter soon complicates the situation.

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Plot Keywords:

lighthouse | pirate | island | bare chested male | violence | 

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA Liechtenstein Spain Switzerland

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 October 1971 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Das Licht am Ende der Welt

Filming Locations:

Cabo de Creus, Girona, Cataluña, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 82,631,349 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jet Films, The Bryna Company, Triumfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French censorship certificate: - 13.

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Goofs

When being sunk in the end, Kongre's ship is obviously a miniature. Besides, some damage is visible before the impacts (particularly noticeable when the ship is hit in the waterline).

User Reviews

A magnificent study of the darker side of human nature

Surprising that Jules Verne would write such a story. Even more surprising that Hollywood would produce it. Yul Brynner is unbelievably good as a man freed of all bounds of convention, free to indulge his taste for cruelty and domination. Douglass is an excellent counterpoint, a courageous individual who's chosen simple solitude as a way to deal with the complications and turmoil society had imposed on him. And Samantha Egger's character is the capper, a woman willing to sacrifice far too much for comfort and safety. Inotherwords, everyman. The movie does show its age and is limited by the conventions of time and place and technology of the time. If you're looking for special effects and action as substitutes for thought, look elsewhere.