View Full Version : The Shout
With a little help from The R2 Project I noticed there was little section talking about a film called The Shout which has just been released for a budget price of £5 or even cheaper if you get it from play.
Having read the R2 Project section I found the story of the film rather intriging, I've checked IMDb and nearly all reviews gave it a huge thumbs up. Its a british shocker from the 70's which I love so I'm really looking foward to get this.
I've put my order in.
Has anyone of the forum seen it?
Stuart.
The Beyond
31-07-2003, 20:21
bizarre but watchable little film with John Hurt who meets a stranger who tells him the tale that he can kill people with a shout (a skill he picked up from Aborigines whilst in Australia.)
Been on TV a few times over the years and I'm sure SKY screened it a few years ago.
Very languidly paced (as was pretty typical of 70's films) and probably more of an art house feel to it than you might be expecting.
worth watching but not a film I would personally buy.
Be warned, it's apparently full frame. There's a French version (Le cri du sorcier) but that has burnt in subs...
I found it excellent when I saw it in the cinema - in a double bill with the excellent "Bad Timing" - and I enjoyed it on TV too. A very odd but very well paced little fable with a fine performance from Alan Bates. If you like slightly sinister, offbeat movies then this should appeal.
Michael Brooke
31-07-2003, 21:48
I've never seen it, but I've always meant to - Jerzy Skolimowski is a criminally underrated director, and I've yet to see anything of his I didn't like.
(I watched <I>Moonlighting</I> the other month for the first time since it came out, and it stood up incredibly well considering that it was literally torn from the headlines when it was first made!)
andrewcalderuk
31-07-2003, 23:09
I really enjoyed this when I saw it on TV. Always thought it was influenced by Don't Look Now :dork: .
Good cast too. Check the IMDB.
Very good underated and unnerving film.
Alan Bates and John Hurt are superb.
Can't think of any other film to compare it too.
Well worth a fiver
kerbcrawler
01-08-2003, 20:09
Definitely worth a fiver!! I love this film. One of the first things I ever videotaped when I was a teen then lost the tape and didn't get to see it again until about 4 or 5 years ago when itwas shown on the beeb.
You may well find that it is supposed to be full frame though I am not sure. I recall a lot of wide open compositons (but again I may well be wrong).
Mr Brooke - was that the Moonlighting with Jeremy Irons? I'd forgotten all about that film.
kc
with everyones comments I'm really looking forward to watching this :)
Stuart.
Michael Brooke
01-08-2003, 22:30
Originally posted by kerbcrawler
Mr Brooke - was that the Moonlighting with Jeremy Irons? I'd forgotten all about that film.
It was indeed, and it was fascinating watching it again - particularly in the light of the current debate about asylum seekers and indeed the excellent <I>Last Resort</I> (another British film directed by an emigré Pole).
For those who don't know it, it was one of the fastest professional 35mm features ever made - Poland declared martial law in December 1981, the script was written in January 82, and the finished film was premiered at Cannes in May - but you'd never, ever guess from the finished product: it's as calm and controlled as the most rarefied art movie. And Jeremy Irons is remarkably convincing as a Polish workman, especially considering that he's acting opposite genuine Poles.
andrewcalderuk
02-08-2003, 00:52
I always thought of jeremy Irons as a bit of a pole...
andrewcalderuk
02-08-2003, 00:53
Sorry.
:(
camino_real
14-08-2003, 22:04
Bought this from Play for £4.49 and although it says 4:3 on the sleeve it turns out to be an anamorphic transfer (1:85 I reckon). I only worked it out when I played the thing and discovered if I watched it in full frame mode John Hurt looked very thin indeed.
It's a fascinating movie, not completely successful but something you just don't see any more. Lots of good Brit actors in it too, Jim Broadbent, Robert Stephen and Tim Curry are all to be spotted. It also has "incidental music" by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford of Genesis which seems to consist of variations of "From the Undertow" taken from Banks' "A Curious Feeling" album.
vanmunchen
15-08-2003, 07:34
What sound format is the DVD in? THE SHOUT was one of the earliest Dolby films and when it was first shown in cinemas the surround track was only used when Alan Bates made the shout, which was very effective. Is the DVD also in surround?
camino_real
15-08-2003, 08:23
Now I can't help you there. I run the sound through my Hi-Fi speakers but since I'm deaf in one ear things like surround sound tend to pass me by! However the actual Shout seemed to be very effective (i.e. I had to turn the volume down for fear of upsetting the neigbour...)
Got this from Play for £4.49 delivered.
Watched it last night - very interesting film. The moment when Bates delivers "the Shout" is truly awesome.
Worth having in the collection.
The UK DVD is good (and anamorphic) but nowhere near as good as the French PVB disc which has an amazing transfer in comparison.
Great soundscape too.
Paul Moran
01-09-2003, 14:39
Originally posted by camino_real
Bought this from Play for £4.49 and although it says 4:3 on the sleeve it turns out to be an anamorphic transfer (1:85 I reckon). I only worked it out when I played the thing and discovered if I watched it in full frame mode John Hurt looked very thin indeed.
Many thanks to camino-real. I'd spotted this on Play's "Coming Soon" pages, but decided not to buy it because it was advertised as 4:3. Now I'll get my order in!
BTW the French disc does not have 'burnt in' subs -it has locked subs. Easily removed on several machines. There's a post on it in one of the sticky threads above.
Paul Moran
06-09-2003, 08:36
What a great little film! It must be twenty years since I last saw this (on TV), and although I remembered it as a good film, the only plot point I could recall was the man who could kill with a shout.
I certainly didn't remember the all the nude scenes - perhaps they were cut from the TV version. (No spoiler tags - Susannah York nude scenes are selling points, not plot points!)
DVD aspect ratio is 1.78:1 anamorphic. IMDB say original ratio was 2.35:1 Panavision (anamorphic), but they've been wrong before on "old" films that mention Panavision somewhere in the credits. I didn't notice any cropped scenes, and it's difficult to see how some of the internal scenes, in corridors, could have a wider aspect than the DVD version.
Sound is DD2.0; film credits DD, but doesn't say Stereo or Surround. I played it as two-channel stereo, but didn't really notice any stereo effects.
There seems to be a new edition of this film out, with some special features, released by Network DVD. I'm keen to check it out.
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