Thinking man's horror movie

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 12

Thinking man's horror movie

I AT THE CINEMA

Hans Petrovic

This is one time Jia. i, agree with the publicity 1 [blurb, for I believe "Tbe| Shout" (Odeon) could best I be described as "a thinking, (man's horror movie." , Adapted from a short j 'story by Robert Graves., .written in 1924. it is b.isedl 'on the weak but interesting! .premise that a man can kill] [others with pure!) the: (power of his voice. i The film explores this strange power, which thought by many cultures to exist. In addition to Greek .and Irish history, the powerl [to shout someone to death is I common in Australian Abo- ( (riginal folklore — and much: [less bothersome than having! to point a bone. i Graves based his story on I ia tale told him by a man [who had lived for 18 years (with the Aboriginals. This (man learned of strange [magical powers, including i the power to kill with "The ! Shout.” The man even claimed to .have killed one of his own [children this way. i Graves, to this day. be-l

lieves that the story could! (be true. Set in England, the film :-: made by a Poiish director. Jerzy Skolimowsky, who has[ a distinctive and sometimes [ dazzling style. The film begins at a rural j cricket match between the) villagers and the inmates of ■ the local lunatic asylum. Between shouts of “Howzat ” and ‘‘Good shot ” One of the patients I (Alan Bates), who is there as a scorer, tells one of the offficiallv sane people (who. in the film: is portrayed as a younger Robert Graves) of his bizarre power. The director being Polish! -it seems somewhat apt that; he has set his crazy story at: |a cricket match — which he' | must find equally mystify-1 ing. ; Bates, as the lunatic teller I [of the tale, is excellent. al-[

though he does not nn\e o jdo much except appear as < charismatic. Rasputin-' k, (character, who invites h tn;,,elf to dinner with a prejy [dumb married couple ami [then slowly inveigles htnv-iit ,ditto their lives. :[ Obviously, he is alter Iwoman (Sqsannah Yoo, [while he considers th- h..> -band (John Hurt) as his ncs. 'victim. The shouter explains .< s power to 'he couple. 1 [husband reacts with both disbelief and fascination [while the wife is revolted IJ the whole story, particular.) [when Bates tells them how i[he killed his own children ;| that way. i He demonstrates h>s .(power to the husband one i dav while out on the beau ; tifiil. lushly green pasture.- : of North Devon, where must ■ of the film is set. The husband covers hie ■ ears, while a nearbx shep herd is bowled over and , killed. Funnily enough. tb< sheep in the paddock il»u (drop over dead. .Short!' I afterwards, someone pn (. up a dead gull by one v. ing on the coast. John Hurl, as the husband. deserves some recogm tion. He can also be heard at present in t hristchurch as one of the rabbi: voices in “Watership Down." V man of many faces, hi received an Academy Award nomination as best suppur. - ing actor for “Midnight Lxpress" and appeared as Cabjgula in television's ‘T, [Claudius." : I wonder how coincidental lit is that both ‘"Claudius'? [and “The Shout" are works [by Robert Graves. j The shouter. as a high!) intelligent idiot, has already [explained that the soul can ■ exist beyond the body — possibly even in a stone. i When the husband realises : that he is in mortal danger, he goes out to search fpr. 1 and finds the shouter’s per sonal stone. He shatters it into four pieces, thus destroying the shouter’s power. If you think this is crazy, (you have not seen anything 'yet. At about this point, the .film goes into somewhat (confusing juxtaposition of [scenes — from the cricket [ground to beautiful Devon to ■a search by the police and a | thunderstorm. Possibly this (is expected to portray the I schizophrenic state of mind lof the protagonist. Beyond this, it is imposIjsibie to describe the tilm. ■[However, if Skolimowsky (gives us another “Shout." 1 (will certainly drink to that