Castillos de arena

Like so many others here, I've been haunted and mesmerized by "Sandcastles" since I was 12. And I, too, couldn't find a soul who had ever heard of it. I only saw the movie once, but I loved Jan-Michael Vincent passionately for years after. I couldn't really remember anything about the movie except the powerful emotional impact it had on me and, of course, the pre-adolescent lust.

I'm truly afraid to track down a copy of it because of the likely disappointment I'll feel comparing it to my idealized memory.

I've been so saddened in recent years to read of Vincent's descent into what sounds like a hell of depression and alcoholism. I want to remember him as the gorgeous, breathtaking, sensitive young man he was back in 1972. I was never impressed with his later career and the overly-macho and un-nuanced characters he played.

I wish him peace in this world or another life. Something about him made a profound impression on me at 12.

I was 23 when I saw Sandcastles in '72, and absolutely loved it. Anytime I hear Sibelius's Finlandia I think of this movie, although for the longest time I couldn't remember the name or cast of the movie, although I could picture the main players. I just heard the music again, and had to search...and I found this site. Now I know that I'm not totally out of my mind. The cast was perfect, as was the music. I knew from the first strains of Finlandia, and watching Bonnie Bedelia's face as she played the violin, that this was going to be a wonderfully romantic movie, and that romance, along with the "mystery", made for an unlikely combination to equal a fantastic movie. Yes, it should be repeated, at least a few more times. Let the younger generations see what a true romance is.

I too saw this for the 1st time late one night and it captured me. It was simple and low-budget but the format was almost as if it was live. It took me back in time to a beautiful California that I remember as a young boy. It took me back to my 1st love as a teenager. There is something about it that I can't explain. We passed in the night from a long time ago. The story was simple and the plot wasn't deep but I couldn't break away for a minute. I felt like I was back in time and all I could feel was that I wanted to be there. There was such a goodness to the man who owned Pappa Bears. He gave a great performance and I have a slight memory of him as an Actor. It was definitely 70's and I felt like I was back there for a short time. A time for me that was so much simpler and pure.

I saw this movie with my sister years and years ago. Now I know that it was actually in 1972 because I have just accessed this info on IMDb. This movie has haunted me for many years, but I never could find any reference to it when I either looked online or asked at my local video store. I was beginning to think that I was crazy - or maybe that I had remembered everything wrong! Maybe it wasn't really called Sandcastles and maybe Jan-Michael Vincent did not star in it. I really would like to see this movie again. I remember that it made me weep, it made me hope, and it startled me that something so wonderful could be on television. I never was much of a television watcher, but this movie was not a typical TV movie. I loved it and I can't wait to tell my sister that there are other people who remember and enjoyed that movie as much as we did. Sandcastles defined Jan-Michael Vincent to me. I don't think he ever again looked so good or acted so passionately. Anything that I saw with Jan-Michael Vincent in afterward paled by comparison, but all was forgiven because I knew his potential.

At first, I didn't know what to make of this film. Was it a play? Was it a movie? I couldn't really tell. The way the movie is presented on film left me guessing. But whatever it is, it's worth watching. Certainly, it's a low-budget effort; but nevertheless, it's one of those movies I hoped wouldn't end.

In any case, I saw it for the first time late, on a sleepless night, and it held me spellbound for the duration. There seemed to be something magical or even mystical about it, as the young man's ghost--who appears to pop into the scene from nowhere--attends to some unfinished business; and in so doing, he manages to save his reputation, falls in love with a struggling violinist, and then--having given his all to complete his unfinished task--has to leave his love behind.

The castles in the sand are splendid, especially when lit with candles from within; but they are transient and easily destroyed by the ocean's tide. There has to be a message in the story somewhere ... whether it be simply that some good can come out of even life's seemingly darkest moments. And certainly, one has to note the undaunted faith and hope of the old man, even when it appears that all is about to be lost.

This is another one of those films that I simply had to capture with my VCR the next time it ran in my area, and I made a point of looking for it. I've since transferred it to DVD for myself. I can't help but wonder if "Sandcastles" provided the inspiration for the movie "Ghost" several years later.