Cyclone (1978 film)
Cyclone (Spanish: El Ciclón; also known as Terror Storm) is a 1978 Mexican survival horror film directed by René Cardona Jr.[1] and starring Arthur Kennedy, Carroll Baker, and Lionel Stander. The plot follows a group of passengers from a crashed airplane who find refuge on a small tour boat in the ocean, and who eventually resort to cannibalism for survival.[2] The film is purportedly based in part on Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944).[3]
| Cyclone | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | René Cardona Jr. |
| Written by | René Cardona Jr. Carlos Valdemar |
| Starring | Arthur Kennedy Carroll Baker Lionel Stander |
| Music by | Riz Ortolani |
| Cinematography | León Sánchez |
| Edited by | Alfredo Rosas Priego |
| Distributed by | New Gold Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 114 minutes 97 minutes (cut version) |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | English |
Plot
An airplane goes down in the Caribbean Sea during a storm and a few survivors find refuge on a small tour boat. Swept out to sea, these people slowly starve to death in the hot sun with barely any food or clean water. With no place to turn, the boat survivors resort to cannibalism to stay alive...that is, until the rescue planes come to pick them up and the man-eating sharks decide it's time to eat as well.
Cast
- Arthur Kennedy as The Priest
- Carroll Baker as Sheila
- Lionel Stander as Taylor
- Andrés García as Andrés
- Hugo Stiglitz as Pilot
- Mario Almada as Pitorro
- Olga Karlatos as Monica
- Stefania D'Amario as Linda, the Stewardess
- Edith González as Tiersa
Release
The film was released in 1978, though the German and Italian releases were severely censored, toning down the cannibalism subplot.[4] The original cut of the film, released internationally, runs at 114 minutes, while the cut German and Italian releases ran 97 minutes.[4]
References
- Rausch, Andrew (2015). Trash Cinema: A Celebration of Overlooked Masterpieces. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-822-2.
- Kay, Glenn; Rose, Michael. Disaster Movies: A Loud, Long, Explosive, Star-Studded Guide to Avalanches, Earthquakes, Floods, Meteors, Sinking Ships, Twisters, Viruses, Killer ... Fallout, and Alien Attacks in the Cinema!!!!. Chicago Review Press. pp. 229–231. ISBN 978-1-55652-612-1.
- Green, Doyle (2005). Mexploitation Cinema: A Critical History Of Mexican Vampire, Wrestler, Ape-man And Similar Films, 1957-1977. McFarland. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-78642-201-2.
- "Cyclone Comparison: German / Italian Version, International Version". Movie-Censorship. September 7, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2016.