Lewis John Carlino (1932–2020)

From the get-go, one of the strangest and ultimately horrifying movies you'll ever see. Hudson gives a very good performance as a man given a new life through surgery, while his old life is ended with a faked death, corpse included. And all for only about $30,000. Even in 1966, that seems a bargain. But is Rock grateful? Oh no. Not even a house by the beach and a blonde can make him happy in his new life! Creepy to say the least. And frankly, looking at all the support he is given by "the company" the economics don't add up. Jeff Corey is really good as the face of the company. Especially when eating a chicken dinner. Definitely one of the oddest films I have ever watched. Amusing, horrifying, and effective at the same time.… (more)

Based on a novel by Yukio Mishima albeit with the languid story transposed from Yokohama to a small English coastal town. The story sees widow Anne Osborne (Sarah Miles) living a lonely life in a the sullen backwater town and fantasising about her dead husband. When disaffected American sailor Jim Cameron (Kris Kristofferson) arrives in town Anne finds herself falling for his rugged charm and begins a torrid and romantic affair with him. Unfortunately for the pair, Anne’s teenage son Jonathan (Jonathan Kahn) doesn’t agree with the match and begins to conspire against Jim with his circle of five friends. The precocious group are led by The Chief (Earl Rhodes), a young man with a superiority complex and a grim line in fascistic rhetoric. The screenplay of the film by director Lewis John Carlino is thoughtful and philosophical and touches on loneliness and alienation, while drawing a chilling portrait of teenagers and their strange attitudes. The characters are simply sketched with their dialogue and Carlino’s slow, deliberate unspooling of the plot helping to put life into the characterisations. There are surreal touches, dream sequences and some cleverly shot sex and masturbation scenes. The sea, at all times, undulates in the background like a quasi-spiritual entity, acting as a clever counterpoint to The Chief’s dark Nietzschean philosophies. Douglas Slocombe provides some great cinematography with some superb shots of the coast and the landscapes around the small town. “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea” is slowly paced, languid in form and is full of strange darknesses that lead to a chilling and disturbing climax. The pacing won’t be for everyone but overall film offers a strange downbeat meditation on loneliness and fascistic youth.… (more)