The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

source: The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

Though I never read the Japanese book from which this movie is based - I thought the comments of other posters missed a salient point in their reviews. No one brought up the exploration of the focus on the "pure and perfect" order of things that is a backdrop for the exploration of the boys in the film. I'm assuming that that refers to the idea that there is such a thing and that when we deviate from it - meaning is somehow bastardized - and focus and purpose are lost. Unfortunately, when - during exploration - one destroys the object of one's investigation that too seems a bastardization of the "pure and perfect order." A disturbing film but I do like Kris Kristofferson and he did write the music for the soundtrack which is beautiful. I tried many times to find a CD of the soundtrack but the movie has been out of print for so long that it is probably not possible to find one.

The story of Yukio Mishima's life frankly disturbs me too much to read his work. I know that's no good but that's the way it is. This movie really makes me seriously consider just soldiering through some, though. If Americans do story, Europeans, character, and the Japanese atmosphere then this movie belongs solidly in the Japanese school (in spite of actual production credits). Hardly a minute passes in which you do not find yourself thinking "Hm, what the hell was that all about? I'm scared. Scared of this movie. Scared of English people, children, kitties, beards, death, and the universe." That's a hell of an accomplishment. The end is handled brilliantly.

An unforgettable and profoundly disturbing story centered on a widow, Anne, and her only son, Jonathan, in a remote English seaside town. Jonathan belongs to a gang led by a precociously intelligent sociopath known only as Chief, who through sheer force of will and intellect, indoctrinates them with a quasi-Neitzchean philosophy of ultimate superiority and the non-existence of morality. When Kris Kristofferson's Captain Jim arrives in town, and strikes up a passionate relationship with the lonely Anne, Jonathan sees him as a heroic masculine prototype, removed from society and living a 'true' life on the open sea. But when the Captain decides to settle down and marry Anne, Jonathan takes it as an ultimate and unforgivable betrayal, and exacts a terrible revenge. Based on the 1963 Mishima novel, "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea" hints at many themes, from Jonathan's Oedipal obsession with spying on his mother's bedroom to his physical admiration of the Captain that verges on latent homosexuality. The atmosphere, masterfully created by veteran cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, is one of darkly brooding clouds, gray seas, and an air that constantly threatens rain. The (in)famous sex scenes are really not that explicit, and the casual violence exhibited by the children is far more shocking than any glimpse of breast or buttock. The film, for all its brilliantly evocative atmosphere, excellent performances, and quietly brooding menace, is not without its flaws. The score is terrible, all mawkish piano and sickly clarinet. It is often overly intrusive and distracts from the overall sense of ripe stillness that director Carlino conjures throughout the film. But in general, the film is a remarkable experience, and one that any viewer is unlikely to forget quickly.

I really enjoyed this movie back when it came out in 1976. It never showed up at the major theaters though. I saw it in one of the Dollar theaters. How it got away with an R rating back then I will never know. I had seen x-rated movies that had showed less. And the love scenes were a spread in Playboy. My girlfriend said is was because it had a plot. I do remember she was in a state of shock when we left. She was an 18 year old Southern Bapist Sunday School teacher at the time. Kris Kristofferson was never highly rated as an Actor but I think he did an excellent job in this movie. The child actors were completely believable. It was written by a Japanese gentleman and I am amazed at how well some examples of Japanese literature and movies translate to the US. The Magificent Seven ( AKA the Seven Samarai) and " A fistful of Dollars". If you can find it on DVD I would highly recommend it.

What a totally bizarre movie. The pacing is a bit slow, but many British movies seem that way to American audiences. I just can't figure out why these boys follow the tyrant they refer to as "Chief". Perhaps this is something that makes more sense in the Japanese novel, but it seems very unlikely for mid-70's English schoolboys. The Oedipal theme is emphasized, and the ending is just basically shocking. Grade A-

Ever since her husband passed away, the introvert but endearing widow Anne Osborne (Sarah Miles) raises her son Jonathan by herself. Life isn't easy, as Anne feels lonely and clearly needs male affection while her son dangerously gets hooked on the mildly unsettling ideas of a fellow school boy who proclaims to eliminate all adults. When the handsome and charismatic sailor Jim (Kris Kristofferson) arrives in town in his enormously impressive cargo-boat "Belle", Anne finds in him a new lover and Jonathan a new fatherly role model. But when Jim stays to marry Anne, Jonathan feels that he "betrays" the sea and plots a morbid vengeance. I expected a whole lot from "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea", actually. The unusual title as well as the oddly designed DVD-cover always appealed to me and, moreover, the story is adapted from the works of controversial Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. This notorious author, who literally shocked the world with his sudden suicide, wrote perverse tales and had an awkward interpretation on human psychology, and thus I was anticipating a slow-brooding melodrama that is disturbing and beautifully enchanting at the same time. Unfortunately the transition to a remote English sea-town setting and its depressed inhabitants isn't totally successful and, despite remaining to be a stylish & well-made film, "The Sailor..." miserably fails in terms of offering genuine shocks and sheer creepiness. Writer/director Lewis John Carlino hints at several controversial themes (like voyeurism, the Oedipus complex and "Lord of the Flies"-esquire ideas) but never really has the courage to translate them on screen. The two main plots, about the romance between the adults and the boys' peculiar descent into mental insanity, never conjunct like they should, resulting in a rather incoherent film that comes across as absurd and highly implausible. Although the DVD-box guarantees chills, the film sadly never becomes disturbing or even remotely frightening. Nonetheless "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea" remains a curiously fascinating piece of 70's film-making, as the atmosphere is continuously compelling and the acting performances are convincingly emotional. Especially Sailor Jim's extended speeches about the mysteriously untameable sea are downright staggering. Because of his poetic monologues, the sea itself almost becomes an uncredited extra character and you willingly allow him to take you on imaginative journey around the world. Contrary to these mesmerizing sequences are the rather nasty and gratuitous images of the fascist children's cult relentlessly torturing animals in order to revolt against the grown-up world. The supposedly 'startling' climax filmed on a beautiful hillside location overlooking the sea is painfully disappointing. Not having read the novel, I don't know whether or not it's supposed to end like this, but I found it to be an extremely cowardly finale after building up to it so much.

An interesting, beautifully shot film that takes place on the English seacoast. The story concerns a widow who meets and falls in love with an American sailor, much to the dismay of her intelligent son. This marked the directing debut of playwright Lewis John Carlino, who went on to direct THE GREAT SANTINI and the vastly underrated CLASS. Here he shows great promise for a first-timer. His shots are detailed without being show-offy. He takes his time telling the story, but it's never boring. The characters are well-drawn, especially the club leader that the widow's son belongs to. In fact, the actors who play the boys are more interesting than Sarah Miles and Kris Kristofferson, who play the lovers. The love scenes are erotic without being overly explicit, and there is a strange ending. Try to see the letterboxed version.

Distasteful British film from a Japanese novel about a very troubled young man who comes under the influence of a Hitler-like classmate and plots to harm his widowed mother's lover. A couple of good scenes (Sarah Miles discovering her son has been peeping at her and confronts him in anger, the pasty-faced lad trying to ensnare Kris Kristofferson to his demise by being extra friendly), but what's the point beyond provoking shock? Ugly and uneasy, it doesn't showcase anyone involved to any advantage (especially Kristofferson, whose hollow stares and usual gravelly talk is out-of-place in a psychological mishmash like this one). Coldly without any sense of its own absurdity, director Lewis John Carlino seems to believe a circumstance like this could actually happen. If he's right, that's far more shocking than anything in "Sailor". * from ****

After seeing this film, its hard to know which is worse - Kris Kristofferson's singing or his acting. Thankfully he doesnt sing in this film. Very slow and very boring, and I couldn't understand what it was all supposed to be telling me anyway. Leave it alone unless you are really curious.