The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976)

After his father dies, a disturbed young boy plots to take revenge on the new man in his mother's life.

Director:

Lewis John Carlino

Writers:

Yukio Mishima (novel), Lewis John Carlino (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Sarah Miles, Kris Kristofferson, Jonathan Kahn

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sarah Miles	...	Anne Osborne
Kris Kristofferson	...	Jim Cameron
Jonathan Kahn	...	Jonathan Osborne
Margo Cunningham	...	Elizabeth Palmer
Earl Rhodes	...	Chief
Paul Tropea	...	Number Two
Gary Lock	...	Number Four
Stephen Black	...	Number Five
Peter Clapham	...	Richard Pettit
Jennifer Tolman	...	Mary Ingram

Storyline

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

sea | secret society | revenge | voyeur | sex scene | 

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Taglines:

He gave his soul to the sea and his heart to a woman. Their love will arouse you. The story will disturb you. The ending will startle you.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Der Weg allen Fleisches

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studio Centre, Chertsey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Haworth Productions, Martin Poll-Lewis John Carlino Production, Sailor Company

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Academy Award (Oscar) winner Stirling Silliphant wrote a screenplay of the film's source novel in 1969 around seven years before the picture debuted in theaters.

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Connections

Referenced in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

User Reviews

Great at the Time; Doesn't hold up; maybe I've aged

I was in my twenties when this first came out and thought it was a very emotional and sensuous movie. Playboy did a pictorial layout of the film and since I worked in a drugstore that sold it, I was able to sneak peeks while the manager wasn't watching. Perhaps I was too young to appreciate some of the plots and emotions. I did not understand the jealousy that could be provoked in young children by the introduction of a potential step-parent. I did not understand the emotional and physical needs of the widow. The ending produced a tremendous feeling of sadness which stayed with me. I recently saw it again. Disappointingly it has one of the most erotic scenes edited. The trick of showing time passing by having a picture boat glide across a picture ocean really seems corny. For a better Sarah Miles movie which holds up for its eroticism and story quality, I'd recommend "Ryan's Daughter".