Der Fluch der Wale (1989)
62KDer Fluch der Wale: Directed by Clive Rees. With Paul Scofield, David Threlfall, Helen Mirren, Helen Pearce. A pair of children befriend an eccentric old man, who lives isolated on the far shore of their island home. But it turns out that the old man knows a terrible secret about the island and the narwhales who sometimes come. Meanwhile, World War I is making life hard in the village.
“This is a superb film, designed for the entire family. A fascinating script, first-rate acting, glorious scenery (shot on location in remote islands off of England), and memorable music help make this film a classic. It is set in 1914, and World War One plays a role in the story. But the time is basically irrelevant; the place is not. The story is about a legendary curse, a man who survived it, and an opportunity to lift it, focusing on the destruction and preservation of an extremely rare form of whale.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAt its conclusion, I asked my wife, u0026quot;How could a film like this be made today?u0026quot; I still donu0026#39;t know. But let us give thanks that we still have enough imagination and basic decency to film a fairy tale with messages that are eternal. It remains an incredible artistic scandal that a movie of this quality has not appeared on DVD.”
