I wanted to see this film because it's a spooky ghost story set in a lighthouse, and I love lighthouse settings for movies. Sadly, this turns out to be a dull propaganda effort rather than a real movie, and despite a few atmospheric touches it's very murky and rather badly handled in my opinion.
The problem I have with THUNDER ROCK is that the morales and beliefs conveyed therein are thrust down the viewer's throat from the earliest opportunity. Given that this is a WW2 era film, there's an anti-fascist message throughout, and the viewer is all but ordered to strive and carry on the fight.
Niceties of plotting and characterisation are all but nil and most of the film is told via flashback, which just felt too obvious a construction for me. It's a shame, because the Boulting brothers are good film-makers, and the likes of Michael Redgrave and James Mason are strong actors. But a more subtle message and more straightforward storytelling would have resulted in a better movie.
The problem I have with THUNDER ROCK is that the morales and beliefs conveyed therein are thrust down the viewer's throat from the earliest opportunity. Given that this is a WW2 era film, there's an anti-fascist message throughout, and the viewer is all but ordered to strive and carry on the fight.
Niceties of plotting and characterisation are all but nil and most of the film is told via flashback, which just felt too obvious a construction for me. It's a shame, because the Boulting brothers are good film-makers, and the likes of Michael Redgrave and James Mason are strong actors. But a more subtle message and more straightforward storytelling would have resulted in a better movie.