Light At The Edge of the World

Directed by Kevin Billington. Written by Tom Rowe and Rachel Billington. (Based on the novel by Jules Verne.
Starring Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar.
1971, 120 minutes, Color, Originally rated GP.

Douglas is a Lighthouse attendant on a remote island, and Brynner is the very cultured leader of a ruthless pack of pirates who take over the island. The pirates have seized the island so that they can redirect passing ships onto the rocks. They then kill all the survivors and take their belongings, you see. Eggar is a damsel that Douglas has to rescue at some point. There is a battle of wits, and ultimately of brawn.

This was surprisingly interesting. While there are some problems--poorly done day for night photography, poor model work and poor dummy-falling-off-a-cliff--it is nevertheless quite engaging in a somewhat goofy way.  The movie kind of works because Douglas and Brynner were still young enough to pull this sort of thing off. It was filmed almost entirely on an actual island and there are many scenes of Douglas doing apparently dangerous things.

The DVD used a foreign release print and contains additional scenes of violence that were not part of the original US release.   It's fair to say that these scenes were cut to avoid an 'R' rating.

Douglas appears to be really hanging off the side of a cliff here.

LONG WEEKEND

Directed by Colin Eggleston, Everett De Roche.  Stars John Hargreaves, Briony Behets.
1978, 92 mins. Color. 2.35:1.

Spoiler!
LONG WEEKEND is an Australian horror film from 1978.  It was filmed in Panavision and is about an arguing couple who have QUITE a back story going for them--she's just had an abortion and the father was another man.  In fact, the father was the husband of the woman that her husband was sleeping with.  Yes, in fact, they were SWINGERS! The couple go on a long weekend to camp by the beach.   The gist of the film is that man in general is a conspicuous consumer, and the husband in particular is simply bad for the environment.  During the course of the movie he: kills a kangaroo, starts a fire with a carelessly discarded cigarette, shoots a sea otter, litters, starts chopping down a tree "because it's there", and more.  The environment fights back during the weekend.
End Spoiler! 

Truly, aside from the hugely melodramatic back story shared by the couple this is one well-made little thriller.  The two leads are quite good, and the tension is nicely modulated throughout.  Well worth seeing.  Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.