02/08/00
Due to the success of The Exorcist and The Omen there was an upsurge in supernatural based films in the seventies. Most relied on the Christian belief system with tales of priests battling The Devil. I know of two exceptions. Firstly The Manitou, a messy film based on Red Indian belief. Secondly this film, The Shout, which relies on Aboriginal belief. From this preamble you may ascertain that The Shout is a horror film. Only in a loose sense, it is more of a dark and mysterious drama.
The film opens (and ends) at a mental institution. The scene could be construed as a microcosm of `stereotypical' English life, with the rural backdrop, cricket on the Green, and brief thundershower. A visitor is told a strange story by one of the patients based on his past. This story is the focus of the film (cf. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)
The patient imposes himself on a young couple living near a rural village. He claims to have lived in the Australian Outback for eighteen years and has become an Aboriginal magician. He has the power to enact a `terror shout', which kills anyone within earshot. He is met with initial scepticism and humour by the couple, especially the husband; Anthony played by John Hurt (typecast as the everyman victim/underdog).
The appearance of a stranger or newcomer (in this film the patient/storyteller) is a familiar premise in film. The newcomer acts as a catalyst for change, gradually exposing the hidden `underbelly'/underlying tensions and secrets of the family or community visited. Cf. Knife in the Water, Cul De Sac, The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, Vampyr, The Witches (1966), and that's only mentioning films I have seen this year.
*spoilers*
The stranger's choice of `victim' could be because Anthony is having an affair. Note introductory dialogue `that man had a wife who loved him'. The stranger leaves for a period, but as the affair resumes, promptly returns. Perhaps the story is in Anthony's imagination, brought on by guilt.
Another theme is religious belief. The initial conversations between the stranger and Anthony are on Christian theology. The topic is not continued as the onus shifts to belief in the magician's power. Anthony can only seek retribution by believing absolutely, he too becomes a magician, but this costs him his `mind'. Note how both `magicians' end up in the asylum. Anyone with unorthodox or unwanted beliefs is hidden away.
Are the magician's powers real or fantasy? He is telling the story remember and openly admits to changing it on whim. The ending chaos could be part of the story or delusion. The film leaves behind a lot of loose strings and unanswered questions. It is up to the listener/viewer to decide.
Due to the success of The Exorcist and The Omen there was an upsurge in supernatural based films in the seventies. Most relied on the Christian belief system with tales of priests battling The Devil. I know of two exceptions. Firstly The Manitou, a messy film based on Red Indian belief. Secondly this film, The Shout, which relies on Aboriginal belief. From this preamble you may ascertain that The Shout is a horror film. Only in a loose sense, it is more of a dark and mysterious drama.
The film opens (and ends) at a mental institution. The scene could be construed as a microcosm of `stereotypical' English life, with the rural backdrop, cricket on the Green, and brief thundershower. A visitor is told a strange story by one of the patients based on his past. This story is the focus of the film (cf. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)
The patient imposes himself on a young couple living near a rural village. He claims to have lived in the Australian Outback for eighteen years and has become an Aboriginal magician. He has the power to enact a `terror shout', which kills anyone within earshot. He is met with initial scepticism and humour by the couple, especially the husband; Anthony played by John Hurt (typecast as the everyman victim/underdog).
The appearance of a stranger or newcomer (in this film the patient/storyteller) is a familiar premise in film. The newcomer acts as a catalyst for change, gradually exposing the hidden `underbelly'/underlying tensions and secrets of the family or community visited. Cf. Knife in the Water, Cul De Sac, The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, Vampyr, The Witches (1966), and that's only mentioning films I have seen this year.
*spoilers*
The stranger's choice of `victim' could be because Anthony is having an affair. Note introductory dialogue `that man had a wife who loved him'. The stranger leaves for a period, but as the affair resumes, promptly returns. Perhaps the story is in Anthony's imagination, brought on by guilt.
Another theme is religious belief. The initial conversations between the stranger and Anthony are on Christian theology. The topic is not continued as the onus shifts to belief in the magician's power. Anthony can only seek retribution by believing absolutely, he too becomes a magician, but this costs him his `mind'. Note how both `magicians' end up in the asylum. Anyone with unorthodox or unwanted beliefs is hidden away.
Are the magician's powers real or fantasy? He is telling the story remember and openly admits to changing it on whim. The ending chaos could be part of the story or delusion. The film leaves behind a lot of loose strings and unanswered questions. It is up to the listener/viewer to decide.