SYNOPSICS
Shout at the Devil (1976) is a English,German movie. Peter R. Hunt has directed this movie. Lee Marvin,Roger Moore,Barbara Parkins,Ian Holm are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1976. Shout at the Devil (1976) is considered one of the best Action,Adventure,Comedy,Drama,Romance,War movie in India and around the world.
Just prior to World War I the hard drinking, sharpshooting, Irish American Colonel Flynn O'Flynn uses British aristocrat Sebastian Oldsmith to help poach ivory from German controlled territory in East Africa, putting them at odds with Herman Fleischer, the local German Provincial Commander. When Sebastian is infected with malaria, he is nursed back to health by Flynn's daughter Rosa, they fall in love and marry. Not long afterwards, Britain declares war on Germany and they are drawn into the conflict, ultimately making a daring attack on the German armored cruiser S.M.S. Blücher as it undergoes repairs in a local estuary.
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Shout at the Devil (1976) Reviews
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.
A very good old fashioned adventure movie.
I first saw this movie, when it was first released in 1976 and must say, it hasn't lost its momentum. Fine performances from all the actors and the only actress in the film Barbra Parkins. When i was a child, i read a story in the victor comic of the destruction of a battleship in the first world war like the Blucher and if i remember correctly, it was never discovered who actually blew the ship up. As stated in another comment, it is a pity that you cannot get an original full version of this film. The version i have is from the BBC. Also in a couple of comments, it has been stated that it was a pity a baby was murdered. I would like to make a point, that it was in the book by Wilbur Smith, Rosa and Smiths child being thrown into a fire and this is the beginning of the story of their fight with the character Fleischer, brilliantly portrayed by Reinhard Kolldehoff. It is a pity films like 'Shout At The Devil' are not being made today, as there are still books of adventure stories in the shops there for the taking. A must for people who still like a good old fashioned yarn with a beginning a middle and an end.
A good film set in a little known theatre of the First World War
If C S Forester had not written The African Queen the fact that Germany once had a colonial empire would be totally unknown. This little known theatre of WW1 has been the background to The African Queen and this film as well as an episode of Young Indiana Jones. Contrary to what some commentators have said Fleischer is not meant to be based on Lettow-Vorbeck. He holds a different position, namely that of commissioner for the southern district. Lettow-Vorbeck was commander of the Schutztruppe. It is a cracking good yarn but like many people who have seen it I don't like the part where the baby gets killed. The special effects are some of the best pre-CGI effects I have seen.The editing of the film leaves a bit to be desired.Lee Marvin basically reprises Ben Rumson and Roger Moore plays James Bond as an Edwardian adventurer. As I said the special effects are good for their time but when the battleship blows up the hull remains in the same position. It doesn't sink or even list. Also, if there was a bomb right in the ship's magazine the explosion would be a lot bigger and Rosa and Sebastian would not have much chance of survival being just across on the opposite bank. But still a very good film.
Shamefully treated classic
This is a splendid action/adventure of a type they just don't make any more, with excellent performances from Marvin and Moore that move from the comic to the dramatic. With rolling African scenery and a thunderous music score, not to mention Barbara Parkins as the love interest, and stunning direction by Peter (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) Hunt, this deserves to be much better known. Unfortunately it was lambasted by ignorant and ridiculous critics on both sides of the Atlantic upon its initial release, so it was re-edited and much of the more moving aspects of the film were cut out. As it stands, the video release and television versions in the UK show only about 2/3ds of the finished film. A few years ago a company called WideAppeal released a widescreen version on video, but this was some European print that contained much that had been cut from the US/UK version, but missed out instead much that the US/UK version had originally contained (much of it was also in German and undubbed or subtitled as I recall). WideAppeal must still be highly praised for releasing it on video. The British Film Institute had, when I inquired a few years ago, all of the original footage but had not got around to working on restoring the print to its original glory. I count myself lucky to have seen the original release print and feel annoyed and betrayed by the critics who savaged the film on its initial release (and the studio which reacted so swiftly to their meagre complaints) -- may you hang your heads in shame! I now only hope the BFI does its work swiftly so we can be presented with a version of the full film in all its glory.
Based on a true story
There really was a German cruiser in WW I (SMS Koenigsberg) that went up the Rufiji River for repairs and was sunk by the British by using mortars on "monitor" type boats. Also, there was a German officer (Colonel Von Lettow-Vorbeck: read "Guerilla" by Edwin P. Hoyt) that took the cannons off of the ship and had them manhandled around the African countryside to defeat the British. Please note that Von Lettow was a gentleman and excellent officer at guerilla warfare and NOT the stealing, avaricious fat baby killer depicted by Fleisher. That being said, this film concerns British colonists (good, farming types that use thier black conscript soldiers to defend) and German colonists (bad, tax collecting types that use their black conscript soldiers to attack). Lee Marvin is the crusty but loveable curmudgeon, Roger Moore is the con man with a heart of gold and Barbara Parkins is the farmer's daughter and, hands down, a dish in her day. ***SPOILERS*** All is well until the German officer finds out that Marvin & Moore are poaching his tax targets and he revenges by burning down Marvin's house and killing the infant of Moore and Parkins. Now all bets are off and lightheartedness ends. Now the German officer, his friends, his coworkers, his countrymen, his soldiers, the people who owe him money and everyone that looks like him must die. So ultimate revenge is had and in a fitting poetic justice, Mom of infant Parkins, extracts the final measure of justice from the German officer. Another reviewer wanted to know why the title was "Shout at the Devil". The reason is that when men do evil, thier destiny is Hell, where all they can do thereafter is "shout at the devil". 9 of 10 stars