The 1940s was certainly the decade where Hollywood was producing many films with psychological overtones (everything from SPELLBOUND to POSSESSED to THE SNAKE PIT), so it comes as no surprise that Britain was also delving into stories where such elements were found in some of the prominent British films of that decade--films like BLACK NARCISSUS where madness overtakes a woman's mind and leads to attempted murder. Here, it's the supernatural that takes center stage.
THUNDER ROCK has an intriguing premise and deals more with the supernatural and the effect that the ghostly inhabitants of a lighthouse have on the mind of a disillusioned war correspondent during the WWII era. MICHAEL REDGRAVE is the writer who retreats to a lighthouse in Lake Michigan when he wearies of a world drifting toward fascism and loss of freedom as the Nazi menace increases. His books and speeches meet with indifference by an uncaring public. The inhabitants of the lighthouse (from an 1849 shipwreck) inspire him to have courage and go on with his life and fight for his beliefs.
Unfortunately, the allegorical fable of a man visited by the spirits of dead passengers who lost their lives at sea doesn't ring true. The heavy handed treatment of a delicate theme doesn't help. In short, the story never reaches the kind of potential it had--and despite good acting by the entire cast, especially by a young MICHAEL REDGRAVE and JAMES MASON. LILLI PALMER has little to do in a minor role but look worried and decorative.
Should have been a memorable film, but the tale is not smoothly told. Instead, it's both overlong and uneven, falling far short of the mark. Perhaps it worked better as a play or novel, but the screen version is too diffuse, overlong and preachy to make a lasting impression.
Trivia note: In overall concept, the story is reminiscent of the play "Outward Bound" which was filmed in the '30s and remade in the '40s as BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, a more successful allegory/fantasy.
THUNDER ROCK has an intriguing premise and deals more with the supernatural and the effect that the ghostly inhabitants of a lighthouse have on the mind of a disillusioned war correspondent during the WWII era. MICHAEL REDGRAVE is the writer who retreats to a lighthouse in Lake Michigan when he wearies of a world drifting toward fascism and loss of freedom as the Nazi menace increases. His books and speeches meet with indifference by an uncaring public. The inhabitants of the lighthouse (from an 1849 shipwreck) inspire him to have courage and go on with his life and fight for his beliefs.
Unfortunately, the allegorical fable of a man visited by the spirits of dead passengers who lost their lives at sea doesn't ring true. The heavy handed treatment of a delicate theme doesn't help. In short, the story never reaches the kind of potential it had--and despite good acting by the entire cast, especially by a young MICHAEL REDGRAVE and JAMES MASON. LILLI PALMER has little to do in a minor role but look worried and decorative.
Should have been a memorable film, but the tale is not smoothly told. Instead, it's both overlong and uneven, falling far short of the mark. Perhaps it worked better as a play or novel, but the screen version is too diffuse, overlong and preachy to make a lasting impression.
Trivia note: In overall concept, the story is reminiscent of the play "Outward Bound" which was filmed in the '30s and remade in the '40s as BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, a more successful allegory/fantasy.