The Shout

1979

The Shout

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

82%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 11

68%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 787
User image

The Shout Photos

View All Photos (4)

Movie Info

An asylum director begins telling a visitor to a cricket game the story of one of his "better" patients, Crossley (Alan Bates) who is able to compete. Some time previously, Crossley accosted Anthony (John Hurt), a composer, just after church and was for some reason invited to dinner. Once at the composer's home, he tells the story of his unusual upbringing among Australian Aborigines, and of the awful and strange gifts this has left him with. Among them is the ability to bring about another's death by using a certain kind of shout. The next morning, he begins to weave an erotic spell on the composer's wife Rachel (Susannah York), and then proves his killing ability on a sheep in a field. His influence increasingly disrupts their peaceful lives, until in a confrontation, the composer finds a way to best Crossley - but which results in his being placed in a mental institution. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Cast

Alan Bates
as Crossley
Susannah York
as Rachel Fielding
John Hurt
as Anthony Fielding
Tim Curry
as Robert
Julian Hough
as Vicar
Carol Drinkwater
as Wife
Nick Stringer
as Cobbler
John Rees
as Inspector
Susan Wooldridge
as Harriet
Robert Stephens
as Medical Man
Peter Benson
Jim Broadbent
Colin Higgins
View All

Critic Reviews for The Shout

All Critics (11) | Top Critics (5)

View All Critic Reviews (11)

Audience Reviews for The Shout

  • Feb 12, 2010
    Based on a true story that happened to British historian & novellist, Robert Graves (of The 12 Caesars & I, Claudius fame). Endlessly layered, fiercely intelligent, shocking, disturbing. &, at times, baffling & inscrutable. This is a film that will stay with you for a LONG time. A must-see.
    mirabella 1 Super Reviewer
  • Jan 25, 2010
    Capturing a flavor of the decade prior (the 60's) this film is almost real to the point of surrealism, with a quirky story line brilliantly told through the eyes of a certifiable lunatic. Shout takes the unusual stance at starting from the ending, though we certainly don't know it at the time. From there we wander the grounds of a mental institution and witness a game of cricket between the "guests" and the staff. Scoring the game is newcomer Tim Curry (looking so very young!) and Alan Bates (who gives a truly haunting and commanding performace). Bates begins to tell a tale of a man (a young John Hurt) who is a guest at the asylum who has "lost his wife". From here the story unfolds, involving a married couple (Hurt and Susannah York) who take in a charismatic vagabond (Bates) who claims that he spent 18 years in the Australian outback with the aboriginies; learning, amongst other things, a shout that is deadly to all who hear it. He also apparantly learned some other magic from the Shaman, such as the ability to bind someone's heart by casting a spell over an item belonging to that person. What then ensues is like a drug infused dream where all appears normal, but then slightly out of step - just as the cricket game appears normal, but is fraying at the edges since it involves lunatics. The performances here are very good throughout, but the direction could have used a bit of tightening. There are some transcendant moments but others that seem trivial and unbelievable (odd considering that the entire premiss is pretty darned unbelievable). In the end you get an interesting period type piece (and by that I mean looking at the film in the time it was produced, not a Jayne Austin drawing room piece), that shows a director taking big chances and swinging for the fences, but too often missing the mark. I will say that Bates was riveting and the commanding presence that his charactor was supposed to portray. I can see a remake with Ian McShane.
    paul s Super Reviewer
  • Jan 19, 2010
    Either this film about a mystery man who moves in and, Rasputin-style, takes over the lives of a couple is too deep for me or just incredibly inane and pointless. Either way, I want my 90 minutes back. Alan Bates as the man is telling his story in flashback to Tim Curry (who had absolutely no reason to be here except as a sounding board for Bates) during a cricket match in a mental hospital. Looking back now, this makes me wonder whether any of this actually happened, or if it's in the mind of Bates, seeing as he's a patient in the hosptial. Anyway, the title refers to the "Terror Shout" -- a scream that Bates learned during 18 years living in the Australian Outback. This "Shout" can -- and does -- kill any creature that hears it. Why an entire film was based on something that only appears once in the film is beyond me. The only good thing about the film was a VERY young, very thin Jim Broadbent. He plays one of the mental patients who gets caught in the rain during the match and proceeds to strip off all his clothes down to his undies and yell and rub mud all over himself. He must have anticipated the response of the audience to this film. Not "fun" bad. Just bad.
    Cindy I Super Reviewer
  • Jan 16, 2010
    What a load of crap & boring to
    Brody M Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

The Shout Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

News & Features