Jules Verne wrote about 80 novels as well as plays and short stories in his career. He began writing in 1854 with a short story called "Master Zacharias, or the Clockmaker's Soul". It was the first time he talked of the negative side of progress - the evil that results from some discoveries or inventions when they fall into the wrong hands. This becomes a running theme in his novels: Captain Nemo in TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, or Robur (from ROBUR THE CONQUEROR and it's sequel, THE MASTER OF THE WORLD) are two of his best examples of this them. Kongre, in THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, is another.
Verne was so prolific that when he died in 1905 he left a dozen unpublished novels and stories that were not fully published until 1910. They include some of his best writing, such as THE BARSAC MISSION (partly written by Verne's son Michael), THE SURVIVORS OF THE "JONATHAN", THE PURSUIT OF THE METEOR, THE DANUBE PILOT. All of these dealt with science, but also dealt with political systems, and economics, for Verne was interested in all the problems facing modern man. THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD was the last novel that was published in Verne's lifetime. It does not deal with the political questions or economic ones that perplexed him, but seems to go back to his potboiler period, when he was turning out stories for money while considering better stories for later publication. But nothing Verne wrote is without interest. Rereading THE LIGHTHOUSE one sees what the subtle point is in it. It is the study of how the ego of a villain can prevent him from escaping retribution.
Kongre (renamed Jonathan Kongre) is one of the last pirates in the world of 1900. He and his gang find a damaged boat and repair it. They sail it across the Pacific, and reach Staten Island, a small island in the Straits of Magellan controlled by Chile. There they find a lighthouse with a crew of three men. They manage to kill two of them, but the third one (named Vasquez - he's from Chile, remember), hides on the island. Kongre and his men decide that they should prepare to leave the island shortly, before the Chilean Naval relief boat returns in three months to pick up the lighthouse crew. But first they will wreck any boat that comes to the passage, and increase their ill-gotten gains. But the key to the novel (and it is not in the movie) is that Kongre's right hand men (Carcante and Vargas) keep urging him to pack up his supplies and wealth and head to Asia where the money can be divvied up and everyone separate in safety. And each time Kongre won't do it.
Initially it is pure greed. He wrecks a boat, and massacres the crew (a scene that is done in the film). The sole survivor is an American, John Davis (the name became Denton in the film, except that it was given to the character of Vasquez). Now with an ally (and not a drunken one, as in the film), Vasquez starts sabotaging Kongre's activities on the island. Carcante keeps suggesting leaving, but Kongre (unused to someone annoying him successfully) keeps delaying in order to catch Vasquez and Davis. The end result is that when he thinks he has them cornered, the Chilean boat appears to sink his craft, kill most of his crew, and confront him. Kongre commits suicide to avoid capture.
Much of the mayhem of the movie (with Denton picking off crew members one at a time) is not in the book. Nor is there any female character in the novel (a rarity in most of Verne's stories - he could be quite a feminist when he wished). The egotism of "Jonathan" Kongre is well shown by Yul Brynner's performance, but the subtlety of that trait is lost. The writers presumably did not think the audience could appreciate it. Kirk Douglas does well enough as Denton, but his singlehanded success (Vasquez and Davis work together well to the end of the story, unlike Denton's ally who is killed by the pirates) seems unlikely. The bestiality of the pirates is well shown in the movie, particularly a singularly tall actor who in one scene wears women's clothing to particularly unsettling effect. The film is not a bad minor adventure film, but it could have been better if they had stuck to Verne's theme.
Verne was so prolific that when he died in 1905 he left a dozen unpublished novels and stories that were not fully published until 1910. They include some of his best writing, such as THE BARSAC MISSION (partly written by Verne's son Michael), THE SURVIVORS OF THE "JONATHAN", THE PURSUIT OF THE METEOR, THE DANUBE PILOT. All of these dealt with science, but also dealt with political systems, and economics, for Verne was interested in all the problems facing modern man. THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD was the last novel that was published in Verne's lifetime. It does not deal with the political questions or economic ones that perplexed him, but seems to go back to his potboiler period, when he was turning out stories for money while considering better stories for later publication. But nothing Verne wrote is without interest. Rereading THE LIGHTHOUSE one sees what the subtle point is in it. It is the study of how the ego of a villain can prevent him from escaping retribution.
Kongre (renamed Jonathan Kongre) is one of the last pirates in the world of 1900. He and his gang find a damaged boat and repair it. They sail it across the Pacific, and reach Staten Island, a small island in the Straits of Magellan controlled by Chile. There they find a lighthouse with a crew of three men. They manage to kill two of them, but the third one (named Vasquez - he's from Chile, remember), hides on the island. Kongre and his men decide that they should prepare to leave the island shortly, before the Chilean Naval relief boat returns in three months to pick up the lighthouse crew. But first they will wreck any boat that comes to the passage, and increase their ill-gotten gains. But the key to the novel (and it is not in the movie) is that Kongre's right hand men (Carcante and Vargas) keep urging him to pack up his supplies and wealth and head to Asia where the money can be divvied up and everyone separate in safety. And each time Kongre won't do it.
Initially it is pure greed. He wrecks a boat, and massacres the crew (a scene that is done in the film). The sole survivor is an American, John Davis (the name became Denton in the film, except that it was given to the character of Vasquez). Now with an ally (and not a drunken one, as in the film), Vasquez starts sabotaging Kongre's activities on the island. Carcante keeps suggesting leaving, but Kongre (unused to someone annoying him successfully) keeps delaying in order to catch Vasquez and Davis. The end result is that when he thinks he has them cornered, the Chilean boat appears to sink his craft, kill most of his crew, and confront him. Kongre commits suicide to avoid capture.
Much of the mayhem of the movie (with Denton picking off crew members one at a time) is not in the book. Nor is there any female character in the novel (a rarity in most of Verne's stories - he could be quite a feminist when he wished). The egotism of "Jonathan" Kongre is well shown by Yul Brynner's performance, but the subtlety of that trait is lost. The writers presumably did not think the audience could appreciate it. Kirk Douglas does well enough as Denton, but his singlehanded success (Vasquez and Davis work together well to the end of the story, unlike Denton's ally who is killed by the pirates) seems unlikely. The bestiality of the pirates is well shown in the movie, particularly a singularly tall actor who in one scene wears women's clothing to particularly unsettling effect. The film is not a bad minor adventure film, but it could have been better if they had stuck to Verne's theme.