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The Light at the Edge of the World
The Light at the Edge of the World
	Brynner and others on the set of the film
Directed by	Kevin Billington
Written by	Tom Rowe; Rachel Billington (additional dialogue)
Based on	The Lighthouse at the End of the World; by Jules Verne
Produced by	Kirk Douglas; executive; Alexander Salkind; Ilya Salkind; Alfredo Matas
Starring	Yul Brynner; Kirk Douglas; Samantha Eggar; Fernando Rey; Massimo Ranieri; Renato Salvatori; Jean-Claude Drouot; Víctor Israel
Cinematography	Cecilio Paniagua; Henri Decaë
Edited by	Bert Bates
Music by	Piero Piccioni
Production; companies	The Bryna Company; Jet Films; Triumfilms
Distributed by	National General Pictures (US); MGM (France)
Release date	July 16, 1971;
Running time	120 minutes
Languages	English; Spanish
Budget	$11,000,000

The Light at the Edge of the World is a 1971 Spanish-American adventure film, directed by Kevin Billington and starring Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Samantha Eggar, and Fernando Rey. It was adapted from Jules Verne's classic 1905 adventure novel The Lighthouse at the End of the World (Le Phare du bout du monde). The plot involves piracy in the South Atlantic during the mid-19th century, with a theme of survival in extreme circumstances, and events centering on an isolated lighthouse.

Despite having a large Hollywood budget, collaboration with prestigious foreign film studios, exotic shooting locations in Europe and some of the biggest name movie stars, the movie was mainly a failure at the box office.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

The year is 1865. Will Denton is a jaded American miner escaping a troubled past. Seeking isolation for two reasons; to mend his broken heart after a failed romance during the California Gold Rush, and also to forget his actions after he kills his former lover's new husband in self-defense in a gunfight – Denton tends a lonely and isolated lighthouse with a minimal crew including two other men.

The lighthouse sits on a fictional rocky island near the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southern tip of South America. Before the building of the Panama Canal, the waters off Cape Horn were perhaps the busiest and richest shipping lanes in the world, connecting Europe and the western coast of The United States.

Denton is contented to retreat from the world and be away from the problems of civilization, and quickly adjusts to his new supervisor, old Argentine sea dog Captain Moriz and his youthful and innocent assistant Felipe.

A shipload of utterly malicious and sadistic pirates show up, murder Moriz and Felipe, and extinguish the light. They are wreckers, brigands who mislead ships into the rocks to loot the cargo and prey upon the victims. Their leader Captain Jonathan Kongre is a diabolical fiend with a seductive and charismatic facade.

Denton hides out in the caves and amongst the rocks, hiding from the pirates. He saves Italian wreck survivor Montefiore from the pirates' massacre, and together they wage a war of guerrilla tactics against Kongre and his cutthroats.

Kongre breaks his own rule by keeping one captive alive, a beautiful Englishwoman named Arabella.

Montefiore is captured while creating a diversion for an attempt by Denton to rescue Arabella, who however opts for remaining with Kongre. On the next day, Kongre has Montefiori flayed alive on his ship, trying to draw Denton out of hiding, but Denton shoots Montefiori from afar in a mercy killing to end his suffering. Angered, Kongre gives Arabella to his men and withdraws to the lighthouse. Denton uses the pirates' cannon to sink their ship, along with all the pirates except for Kongre and crewman Virgilio.

The finale of the film is a showdown between the only three survivors left on the island, Denton, Virgilio and Kongre. Kongre has Denton doused in lamp oil; a violent struggle ensues as Kongre sets the lighthouse on fire; Kongre himself is set on fire and falls from the lighthouse, while Denton escapes to safety unharmed.

Cast

Kirk Douglas as Will Denton
Yul Brynner as Jonathan Kongre
Samantha Eggar as Arabella
Jean-Claude Drouot as Virgilio
Fernando Rey as Captain Moriz
Renato Salvatori as Montefiore
Massimo Ranieri as Felipe
Aldo Sambrell as Tarcante
Tito García as Emilio
Víctor Israel as Das Mortes

Production

In 1962 it was announced Hardy Kruger and Jean Marais would star in an adaptation of the novel for Columbia Pictures.^[1]

The project was re-activated in the late 1960s by Bryna, Kirk Douglas' production company. Douglas hired Kevin Billington to direct in March 1970.^[2] Douglas made the film as a co production with Alexander Salkyind's Vulkano Productions.^[3] National General Pictures agreed to distribute.^[4]

Finance was mostly raised from a bank in Spain. It involved people from France, Spain and Italy. Billington said "there are about 23 co-production deals; there are problems about casting and about language."^[5] Douglas said he was paid "a lot of money" for the movie, estimated at being $1 million.^[6]

Filming took place in Spain.^[7] Some of the shooting locations included:^{[citation needed]}

Jávea, Alicante, Valencia, Spain
La Manga del Mar Menor, Murcia, Spain
Cadaqués, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Cap de Creus, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
La Pedriza, Manzanares el Real, Madrid, Spain

References

^ "Hardy Kruger Signs for New Verne Film". Los Angeles Times. 24 Nov 1962. p. B3.
^ Martin, Betty (Feb 7, 1970). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Jane Fonda Will Star in Warners 'Klute'". Los Angeles Times. p. a7.
^ Martin, Betty (Feb 12, 1970). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Bless' Next for Kramer". Los Angeles Times. p. e20.
^ "Rights to Distribute". Los Angeles Times. 20 Nov 1970. p. h23.
^ "The Crisis We Deserve". Sight and Sound (Vol. 39, Iss. 4 ed.).
^ Haber, Joyce. (Feb 14, 1971). "Kirk Douglas: Hollywood's Moverick-Agent-Star". Los Angeles Times. p. r11.
^ Norma Lee Browning. (Dec 3, 1970). "Hollywood Today: A Flamenco Fling". Chicago Tribune. p. b14.