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With: Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, Diane Cilento
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Written by: Anthony Shaffer
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Directed by: Robin Hardy
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MPAA Rating: R
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Running Time: 88
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Date: 12/01/1973
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Island Girls
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Robin Hardy's and Anthony Shaffer's horror film recently made the BBC's list of the 100 greatest British films ever made. Edward Woodward plays a puritan cop who arrives on a remote island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, but the townspeople seem to know nothing about it. Christopher Lee appears as the mastermind behind it all. Hardy made his directorial debut with a sure, curious touch, and Shaffer -- the twin brother of Peter (Amadeus) Shaffer -- crafts a brilliant screenplay, unfolding in perfectly sculpted waves and including fascinating subtexts.
Neil LaBute directed a much-loathed 2006 remake that I haven't seen.
Though Anchor Bay's DVD looks great and comes with an interesting making-of featurette, it still doesn't provide the elusive full-length version running 102 minutes. This is the edited 88-minute version originally released in U.S. theaters. Anchor Bay has also released a 99-minute "Limited Edition" that still isn't quite complete, but closer. In 2013, Lionsgate issued a Blu-ray with a "Final Cut," reportedly approved by director Hardy, that runs 88 minutes. I'm not yet sure if this is the same as the theatrical cut. More detective work is still required.
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