From her stark novel of loneliness, "Rapture In My Rags" by PHILLIS HASTINGS.
Patricia Gozzi, giving a 'bravura' performance that is nothing short of amazing, plays 15 year old disturbed Agnes (Fr. pronunciation: 'Anya'), a child-like waif who lives with her widowed Father in a ancient château on the jagged coastline of Brittany, France in conditions that are outwardly normal but with more psychological twists than a Freudian barber pole!
Melvyn Douglas plays an ex-judge with what he seemingly believes is the key to the ageless paradox, "justice vs crime: egalitarian or barbarous?" His long suffering writings on his revelations are hamstrung by his quilt-ridden widower hood which continually stands between either world-fame or solitary madness.
Agnes' latest trifle is to create a homemade scarecrow that gives her more succor than any human ever could. Suddenly, as a bolt from the sky, an escaped fugitive appears, (Dean Stockwell) who is befriended by the family. Guilt and innocence become more confusing than a Fallujah road-map!
Recently previewing this Tour-De-Force again I am truly amazed why this Masterpiece isn't considered one of the greatest of it's time period. Although admittedly I haven't read the book, from which it is adapted, this film must certainly be considered a brilliant interpretation of a totally original story.
Patricia Gozzi, giving a 'bravura' performance that is nothing short of amazing, plays 15 year old disturbed Agnes (Fr. pronunciation: 'Anya'), a child-like waif who lives with her widowed Father in a ancient château on the jagged coastline of Brittany, France in conditions that are outwardly normal but with more psychological twists than a Freudian barber pole!
Melvyn Douglas plays an ex-judge with what he seemingly believes is the key to the ageless paradox, "justice vs crime: egalitarian or barbarous?" His long suffering writings on his revelations are hamstrung by his quilt-ridden widower hood which continually stands between either world-fame or solitary madness.
Agnes' latest trifle is to create a homemade scarecrow that gives her more succor than any human ever could. Suddenly, as a bolt from the sky, an escaped fugitive appears, (Dean Stockwell) who is befriended by the family. Guilt and innocence become more confusing than a Fallujah road-map!
Recently previewing this Tour-De-Force again I am truly amazed why this Masterpiece isn't considered one of the greatest of it's time period. Although admittedly I haven't read the book, from which it is adapted, this film must certainly be considered a brilliant interpretation of a totally original story.