The Shout (1978)

A traveller by the name of Crossley, forces himself upon a musician and his wife in a lonely part of Devon, and uses the aboriginal magic he has learned to displace his host.

Director:

Jerzy Skolimowski

Writers:

Robert Graves (story), Michael Austin (screenplay),

Stars:

Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan Bates	...	Crossley
Susannah York	...	Rachel Fielding
John Hurt	...	Anthony Fielding
Robert Stephens	...	Medical Man
Tim Curry	...	Robert Graves
Julian Hough	...	Vicar
Carol Drinkwater	...	Wife
John Rees	...	Inspector
Jim Broadbent	...	Fielder in cowpat
Susan Wooldridge	...	Harriet
Nick Stringer	...	Cobbler
Colin Higgins
Peter Benson	...	Harry the Shepherd

Storyline

A traveller by the name of Crossley, forces himself upon a musician and his wife in a lonely part of Devon, and uses the aboriginal magic he has learned to displace his host.

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural power | small town | rain | wanderer | nudity | 

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Taglines:

A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind.

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Genres:

Horror | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1978 (UK)

Also Known As:

El grito

Filming Locations:

Devon, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Rank Organisation, The, Jeremy Thomas Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Jeremy Thomas once said of this film: "Because I had a great director, and a quality piece of literature I managed to get a wonderful cast such as John Hurt and Alan Bates. Skolimowski had a sense of shooting style then, this was the second director who I had worked closely with, and it was fascinating watching Skolimowski work. He came from a Polish tradition, the Wajda Film School, he had a different background to other directors I had been working with in the cutting rooms or elsewhere. And it made the film much more creative to me. I saw it more as an artistic endeavour by him. The film went to Cannes and won the Grand Prix de Jury. We were incredibly lucky and the film was appreciated by the jury. It was a very small festival then, nothing like the Cannes Film Festival of today, it was a small event in a cinema of 800 people or so."

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Connections

Featured in The Guard (2011)

User Reviews

All I have to do is …

During a cricket game in the grounds of an asylum, patient Charles Crossley is telling a story to his opposite scorekeeper Robert. He tells of how he came across musician Anthony Fielding outside church one day, and he invited back home for dinner. Over dinner he tells Anthony and his wife Rachael that of his last two decades of living in the Australian outback, where he learned many spells from the aboriginal witch doctors and one being the shout. It can cause instant death when heard. Soon Charles settles into the homestead, where he has Anthony and Rachael under his thumb, as he fears him and she's infatuated by him.

Weird, baffling and truly novel passes through my mind whenever I watch this sedately complex, courageous and alienating late 70's British experimental thriller. The way it has layer upon layer, goes on to ambitiously build a minor and gripping structure, which its inspired psychological strangle hold and mystical air takes shape as to how genuine the pieces are and if they do come together. Does it make sense? Well, it's hard to say what the bigger picture means, but it is indeed curiously haunting, daunting and truly unpredictable. The non-linear story and compact script chips away with plenty of cryptic messages inter-cutting the soft, dream-like touch brought on by director Jerzy Skolimowski. He gives the film such an hypnotic appeal amongst its arty brushes, where its swirling electronic score peaks in the right places and Mick Molloy's sublime framing emits elegant photography work. Those scenes involving the 'shout' are lethal, and only increase to the lurking eeriness created by top-notch sound FX. Visually the film has a powerful, isolated and lush setting that works with the story's spiritual and supernatural journey. The three lead performances are sensational, but it's Alan Bates who dominates the show with his startling and obscure turn as the tramp/patient. John Hurt as the downtrodden turned bewitched composer gives in a stellar performance and Susanna York, as his wife is also great. The talented Tim Curry shows up in a small, but effective role.

Quite an unusual puzzle, which is strangely compelling, unique and very well made.