Ni el mar ni la arena

Anna Robinson (Susan Hampshire) is on a hubby-less holiday at the beautiful Isle of Jersey, hoping for an escape from the routine of her dull lifestyle and perhaps a little more. She finds this in George (Frank Finlay), a brooding local who becomes her personal tour guide. The two instantly click and before long they find themselves in a passionate affair. She drops her old life and begins anew with George. Tragedy unexpectedly strikes, leaving George dead and Anna mourning. Her commitment to her new lover is truly put to the test when George inexplicably returns to her.

Fred Burnley's "Neither the Sea Nor the Sand" is a somewhat successful romance/horror hybrid. It's a bit too heavy on the romance for my tastes, though the relationship between the two lead characters is always believable and never descends into complete schmaltz. I would rather watch something like this than, say, "Ghost," which may have been influenced by this or the novel on which it is based. Another film I thought of while watching this was Bob Clark's gem "Deathdream" (1974). George's restrained zombie/ghost is akin to Andy, with a blank stare in eyes and a deep pain in his voice. Fans of modern low-budget horror may also notice some similarities between this and "Zombie Honeymoon" (2004.)

The main strength of the film lies in the characterization of the likable lead and Hampshire's performance. She plays her complex role with grace and dignity. I never got the impression that she is being punished for her infidelity or newfound liberation, which some viewers might think as the story unfolds. The second thing I appreciated most is the lush cinematography, which brings life to the sea as if it is another character in the film. The biggest downside to the movie is the score. It's effectively chilling during scenes of horror and suspense, but for much of the film it wavers between gratingly lovey-dovey and happy-go-lucky (complete with "la la las" singing over it.)

The film is never frightening, though much of it is unsettling. It does have the tendency to drag in more than a few places, but overall it's an effectively tragic love story with a genre twist. I think most fans of 70s horror would find something they like in this. The recently released Image DVD features a decent transfer and good audio.