The Exorcism of Hugh (1972)
"Neither the Sea Nor the Sand" (original title)

This movie takes place on the Isle of Jersey where a troubled wife has come to sort out the tumult of her life. She encounters a lighthouse-keeper there and they quickly become lovers. ... See full summary »

Director:

Fred Burnley

Writers:

Rosemary Davies (additional dialogue), Gordon Honeycombe (novel),

Stars:

Susan Hampshire, Frank Finlay, Michael Petrovitch

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Susan Hampshire	...	Anna Robinson
Frank Finlay	...	George Dabernon
Michael Petrovitch	...	Hugh Dabernon
Michael Craze	...	Collie
Jack Lambert	...	Dr. Irving
Betty Duncan	...	Mrs. MacKay
David Garth	...	Mr. MacKay
Tony Booth	...	Delamare

Storyline

This movie takes place on the Isle of Jersey where a troubled wife has come to sort out the tumult of her life. She encounters a lighthouse-keeper there and they quickly become lovers. Together they flee to Scotland. One day they are making love on a beach when the lighthouse keeper dies. But that's only the beginning of the story.

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Plot Keywords:

lighthouse keeper | lover | love | supernatural | death | 

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Taglines:

A bizarre story of love, life and death.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Exorcism of Hugh

Filming Locations:

Jersey, Channel Islands

Company Credits

Production Co:

LMG Film Productions Limited, Portland Film Corporation, Tigon British Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Title comes from a quotation:- Neither the sea nor the sand will kill their love, nor the wind take it away from them.

User Reviews

Slow and poetic

It's a shame that this film does not get much attention, and it's all but disappeared now. Which is a pity because if you allow yourself to go with the very leisurely pace, it's actually an effective little story. Susan Hampshire plays a woman who suffers such profound grief at the death of her lover that she somehow manages to bring him back from the dead. She doesn't do it intentionally though, and is shocked and bewildered by his seemingly miraculous return. Unfortunately, although he can move about he's still dead in every other respect, so things can only go downhill for poor Susan.

Filmed outdoors in lots of cold and grey coastal locations, the film is really a bleak love story and probably bored a lot of people to death. Pretty much panned by all critics on it's release it's now hanging somewhere in limbo, and other than a few TV appearances it would probably be impossible to see it now. A modest DVD release might help it recover some fans, as it's really not the failure it has been described as. Competently made and with good performances, it's a lot better than some of the other trash that passes for "cult" fan viewing.