The Shout

Robert Graves's weird story becomes a weird movie, directed by Polish émigré Jerzy Skolimowski and starring Alan Bates as the mysterious interloper who claims to have murdered his family in Australia and is the custodian of various aboriginal curses. Chief of these is the ability to shout so loudly that it can kill. John Hurt and Susannah York are among those reaching for their earplugs. Obscurity is at the heart of the matter, but there is some tension in waiting for the moment when Bates lets his larynx rip. An interesting note: this was one of the first movies to use Dolby Stereo.