Absolution (1978)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Anthony Page

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (writer)

Release Date:

December 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Boyhood innocence. Deadly secrets. Burning truths.

Plot:

At a Catholic public school, Benjamin Stanfield is tired of being the teacher's pet and decides to play...

Plot Keywords:

Confession | Forest | Practical Joke | Friend | Student

Cast

Richard Burton	...	Father Goddard
Dominic Guard	...	Benjamin 'Benjie' Stanfield
David Bradley	...	Arthur Dyson (as Dai Bradley)
Billy Connolly	...	Blakey
Andrew Keir	...	Headmaster
Willoughby Gray	...	Brigadier Walsh
Preston Lockwood	...	Father Hibbert
James Ottaway	...	Father Matthews
Brook Williams	...	Father Clarence
Jon Plowman	...	Father Piers
Robin Soans	...	Father Henryson
Trevor Martin	...	Mr. Gladstone
Sharon Duce	...	Louella
Brian Glover	...	First Policeman
Dan Meaden	...	Second Policeman

Also Known As:

Murder by Confession

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 | Australia:PG | UK:15 (video rating) (1990) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | UK:18 (DVD rating) (2005) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Ellesmere College, Shropshire, England, UK

Company:

Bulldog

Trivia:

The last film of Hilda Fenemore.

Nothing anticipates what's coming on next...Surprising...

Richard Burton is an excellent actor, and I agree with somebody who has already given a comment on this movie that this is the kind of role that fits him best ( let's remember The Heretic, a.k.a. The Exorcist II, in which he was one of the few asserts).

What makes this movie so special is that it contains elements of murder mystery (obviously, and most of all because there's suspected murder) and gothic horror genres of the 19th century ( long dark hallways of an old catholic school in the middle of the dense woods, along with noises at night seemingly coming out of nowhere, and the constant feeling of the characters that they're being followed). It somehow reminds me of the giallo being made in Italy during the 70's( well, actually, a lot, specially because there's no hint to what's going to happen next, and there's just a lot coming up each moment, which was characteristic in GOOD giallos, because there were lots of them, which leads us to think that it was worldwide popular). The tension never stops to build stronger and stronger, until the end, when it's almost ubearable. It bears the atmosphere of a folk ghost tale at 75% of it's length (check out the banjo music at the beginning), and at the end, It concludes as an Edgar Allan Poe esque tale, where root of evil is revealed, but it's too late for victims to do something about it, as they already became involved up their necks. You suspect of everything: ghosts, a murderer, the main character's own madness, a set up.....Until the very end.

There's another movie called "Dominique" that was made around that time, which bears the same dramatic elements, but is not as good, but will still make a great double feature for a rainy night alone at home...

As they say: " Save it for a rainy day"...

Desperately waiting for It's release on DVD. Maybe it never got the attention it deserved because there's no gore, and as far as violence, it's only implied....Absolutely does the trick without being too noisy, or gory, or hollywoodly expensive about it...Great!!!!