Wileman Dafoe and Robert Pattinson are two lighthouse keepers on a small, isolated island off the coast of Maine - actually shot in Nova Scotia. As a storm rages about them, they go slowly mad.
Robert Eggar's film is based in part on two Welsh lighthouse keepers in 1801, the Smalls Lighthouse tragedy. It is a peculiarly designed movie - Eggars, besides directing two movies, has worked on several other films as a production designer. The set is claustrophobic, the screen frame is just about square at 1.19:1, and the film is black and white. Dafoe uses an accent that is almost cartoonish, based on 19th century fishermen.
It's a striking-looking film, that's for certain, but despite the acclaim it has received, I think these details are more likely to appeal to those with a technical understanding and appreciation of antediluvian film making. I was certainly fascinated, but I have my doubts that it will appeal to a general audience; despite its High Art merit, film remains a medium that must appeal to tens of millions to be deemed a success. While the revival of antique techniques and extinct accents may please the cognoscenti, it won't play in Peoria.
Robert Eggar's film is based in part on two Welsh lighthouse keepers in 1801, the Smalls Lighthouse tragedy. It is a peculiarly designed movie - Eggars, besides directing two movies, has worked on several other films as a production designer. The set is claustrophobic, the screen frame is just about square at 1.19:1, and the film is black and white. Dafoe uses an accent that is almost cartoonish, based on 19th century fishermen.
It's a striking-looking film, that's for certain, but despite the acclaim it has received, I think these details are more likely to appeal to those with a technical understanding and appreciation of antediluvian film making. I was certainly fascinated, but I have my doubts that it will appeal to a general audience; despite its High Art merit, film remains a medium that must appeal to tens of millions to be deemed a success. While the revival of antique techniques and extinct accents may please the cognoscenti, it won't play in Peoria.