Shout at the Devil (1976)

Director:

Peter R. Hunt

Writers:

Stanley Price (screenplay) &
Alastair Reid (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 May 1976 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

A spectacular adventure you will always remember and a beautiful love story you will never forget.

Plot:

During World War One an English poacher, an American adventurer and the latter's attractive young daughter, set out to destroy a German battle-cruiser which is awaiting repairs in an inlet just off Zanzibar. |

Plot Keywords:

German | Sailor | Fishnet | Grave | Loss Of Child

Cast

Lee Marvin	...	Colonel Flynn O'Flynn
Roger Moore	...	Sebastian Oldsmith
Barbara Parkins	...	Rosa O'Flynn / Oldsmith
Ian Holm	...	Mohammed, O'Flynn's Mute Servant
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Herman Fleischer, German Commissioner / Military Commander of Southern Province (as Rene Kolldehoff)
Gernot Endemann	...	Braun
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Von Kleine
Horst Janson	...	Kyller
Gerard Paquis	...	Capt. da Silva - Portuguese Pilot
Maurice Denham	...	Mr. Smythe
Jean Kent	...	Mrs. Smythe
Heather Wright	...	Cynthia Smythe
George Coulouris	...	El Keb
Renu Setna	...	Mr. Raji
Murray Melvin	...	Lt. Phipps

Runtime:

150 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1976) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Tonav Productions

Trivia:

There was enormous controversy about the film being made in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Roger Moore was also heavily criticized for making Gold (1974) and The Wild Geese (1978) in South Africa during the apartheid era.

Goofs:

Continuity: The bomb on the ship is set for 6am. In the action leading up to its detonation it is pitch black, yet when it explodes a minute later it is broad daylight.

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever Part 4 (2009) (V)

A real ripping yarn

As a World War One naval buff, I enjoy this film on one level. As a film enthusiast, I enjoy it on another, all the more so for it being based on fact.

The actual story of the Koenigsberg is actually far less glamorous than the fate of the Blucher in this film but no less enthralling. After the ship was destroyed, her crew joined the German land forces under Count Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and, together with their few thousand fiercely loyal African troops, fought 1 million British soldiers to a standstill for 4 years until, after the Armistice, they surrendered to the Portuguese, undefeated and proud. A tale well worth reading, far better than the fiction.

Back to the film. The central character is one Flynn O'Flynn, a thoroughly disreputable character, played by Lee Marvin. Always good value for money, he merely reprises Ben Rumson in Africa - no effort required! Roger Moore, aged 49, plays the 'young' interest! Mind you, he don't look bad for it! He is married to the delectable Barbara Parkins, Flynn's daughter Rosa, really the only female character in the film, a grim role she carries off to perfection. Fleischer, the evil German, the exact opposite of von Lettow-Vorbeck, is brilliantly overplayed by Rene Kolldehoff - he really is unlikeable! Also look out for Ian Holm as the mute Arab servant Mohammed.

The film has great pace, really rolling along, well shot in wonderful scenery. It has been well researched too. The Blucher, an actual German cruiser, has been pretty accurately recreated. The whole film has a very genuine feel.

I can see why it's not popular with female viewers. It's quite bloody, very cruel and Barbara Parkins character has a dreadful time of it. The scene in which the farm is burned is quite harrowing.

There are plenty of laughs too. Flynn O'Flynn has all of Ben Rumson's comic characteristics. The big fight between Marvin and Moore is very funny. And then there's Roger Moore blacked up as an African porter - he's about as convincing as I would be - and I'm blond!

If you're a fan of Ripping Yarns, then this one is for you. If not, then I wouldn't bother.