The Sailor who fell from grace with the sea

A disturbing adaption of the famous Japanese novel by Yukio Mishima. A troubled, impressionable boy’s idealistic attachment to his beautiful widowed mother is threatened when the perfection of that love is sullied by her love affair with an amiable sailor. He falls under the influence of a morbid young friend who is a member of a secret circle of sadistic schoolboys who follow a moral code that leads them to torture and dissect what they consider to be “imperfect.” Initially, they only inflict their bloody justice on animals but the “charges” against persons are mounting, and the shcoolboys code must be obeyed. Passionate love scenes and a bizzare ending highlight this unusual film, beautifully shot by Douglas Slocombe on English sea coast locations with music composed by John Mandel. Starring Sarah Miles, Kris Kristofferson, Jonathan Kahn, Margo Cunningham and Earl Rhodes.