Perhaps the least likely film ever to deserve an Oscar. Douglas Slocombe's unbelievable colour photography which, in the event, just lost out on Academy Award night, lends a somewhat unwarranted distinction to an unlikely tale of how five sadistic boys and their secret society torpedo the erotic love affair between a widow and a handsome naval officer. Slocombe's photography is like a set of 19th century paintings by different artists; amazing.

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