THE TRIPLE ECHO is a sedate, slow paced psychological drama with a few characters interacting in a barren and isolated landscape. It's a one-of-a-kind type film that offers up some interesting characterisation and an unusual storyline. The film was directed by Hollywood director Michael Apted (GORILLAS IN THE MIST) as one of the first things he made outside of television.
The unknown-to-me actor Brian Deacon plays a frustrated young soldier who happens by a lonely farmhouse occupied by grieving widow Glenda Jackson. The two embark on an affair, although it transpires that Jackson is a little disturbed by her history. For his part, Deacon's had enough of the army, so he decides to go A.W.O.L., masquerading as Jackson's sister. Their happiness is short-lived when other local soldiers call by and one of them takes a shine to Deacon, mistaking him for a woman.
The cross-dressing aspect of the tale is what makes this unusual. It's hard to believe that the rugged Oliver Reed would genuinely mistake Deacon for a woman, but there you go. The climax has an air of inevitable tragedy to it, so a sense of foreboding seeps over the latter stages of the film. The central performances are subtle and effective, although Reed is something of a scene-stealer as the flamboyant and utterly horrid army sergeant.
The unknown-to-me actor Brian Deacon plays a frustrated young soldier who happens by a lonely farmhouse occupied by grieving widow Glenda Jackson. The two embark on an affair, although it transpires that Jackson is a little disturbed by her history. For his part, Deacon's had enough of the army, so he decides to go A.W.O.L., masquerading as Jackson's sister. Their happiness is short-lived when other local soldiers call by and one of them takes a shine to Deacon, mistaking him for a woman.
The cross-dressing aspect of the tale is what makes this unusual. It's hard to believe that the rugged Oliver Reed would genuinely mistake Deacon for a woman, but there you go. The climax has an air of inevitable tragedy to it, so a sense of foreboding seeps over the latter stages of the film. The central performances are subtle and effective, although Reed is something of a scene-stealer as the flamboyant and utterly horrid army sergeant.