The Beacon

The Beacon

1954 · 95 min · ★ 6.0 · Drama

On a barren and stormy island, fishing families eke out a meager existence on what they can catch during summer, and what washes ashore during winter. But little has been washing ashore of late, and their situation worsens. Elders recall how twenty years ago, when the lighthouse keeper’s beacon went dark, a cargo ship broke apart on the cliffs. It proved a bountiful accident for the fishermen. Today people on the island view the conscientious lighthouse keepers with evil hungry eyes...

Directed by Wolfgang Staudte · Written by Werner Jörg Lüddecke

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 7m together

The Beacon

Destination Death

Both from Wolfgang Staudte.

More from Wolfgang StaudteSee all →

Yesterday's TomorrowYesterday's Tomorrow · 1978
Yesterday's Tomorrow
9.01978
MovieDrama
On a winter day in 1961, 31-year-old Anna Eichmayr crosses the Grosshesseloher bridge in Munich, she suddenly stops in the middle of the bridge, opens a manhole and plunges into the depths. The film traces the young woman's life in flashbacks. It goes back to 1945.
Bravo Acrobat!Bravo Acrobat! · 1943
Bravo Acrobat!
8.51943
MovieDramaComedy
Charlie, a very gifted, young acrobat, cannot find employment. A dancer and colleague, whom he trained, has gotten him a job as a stagehand at a vaudeville theatre. After a number of chaotic events and some highs and lows - none of which ever discourage him - his hour arrives: an act can't go on and "Akrobat schööön" can finally make his grand entrance.
Der eiserne GustavDer eiserne Gustav · 1979
Der eiserne Gustav
8.51979
SeriesDrama
The stern and reserved Gustav Hartmann, known as "Iron Gustav", is the last Berlin cab driver. At the end of the 1920s, his time is over as horse-drawn cabs are replaced by automobile cabs. He is threatened with impoverishment. His family wants to have him incapacitated. So he sets off on one last great journey that takes him from Berlin to Paris and back. A reporter with a nose for a big story accompanies him, Gustav becomes famous, returns to Berlin in triumph and, having become a gentle and approachable person, reconciles with his family.
Heimkehr ins GlückHeimkehr ins Glück · 1933
Heimkehr ins Glück
8.31933
MovieComedy
After a burn-out Karl spends time in his home region, the Black Forest. His car gets lost and is picked up by penniless magician Amadori who enjoys posing as wealthy entrepreneur Karl while Karl reunites with the love of his youth, Liesl.
Das Gewehr überDas Gewehr über · 1939
Das Gewehr über
8.01939
MovieWar
Destination DeathDestination Death · 1964
Destination Death
8.01964
MovieDrama
A group of West German men on a stag party find themselves stranded in a Montenegrin village inhabited only by vengeful women since all their men were shot during the war.
The CommissionerThe Commissioner · 1969
The Commissioner
8.01969
SeriesDramaCrime
Der Kommissar is a German television series about a group of detectives of the Munich homicide squad. All 97 episodes, which were shot in black-and-white and first broadcast between 1969 and 1976, were written by Herbert Reinecker and starred Erik Ode as Kommissar Herbert Keller. Keller's assistants were Walter Grabert, Robert Heines, and Harry Klein who, in 1974, was replaced by his younger brother Erwin Klein.
MS FranziskaMS Franziska · 1978
MS Franziska
8.01978
SeriesFamily
MS Franziska is a German television series.
Die PawlaksDie Pawlaks · 1982
Die Pawlaks
8.01982
SeriesDrama
All Quiet on the Western FrontAll Quiet on the Western Front · 1930
All Quiet on the Western Front
7.81930
MovieDramaWar
When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.
The Sea WolfThe Sea Wolf · 1971
The Sea Wolf
7.71971
SeriesAction & Adventure
Writer Humphrey van Weyden is thrown overboard in a shipwreck in the Bay of San Francisco, and is rescued by the seal-hunting schooner 'Ghost' under the command of the brutal Captain Wolf Larsen.
The HussyThe Hussy · 1978
The Hussy
7.51978
MovieWesternAdventure
An unemployed engineer working as a driver at an oil company hears about a lost Inca treasure and goes in search of it.
Lockruf des GoldesLockruf des Goldes · 1975
Lockruf des Goldes
7.51975
SeriesAction & Adventure
America at the end of the 19th century: news spreads like wildfire that gold has been found in the Klondike. Half of America is in an uproar. Among the adventurers is the young lawyer Elam Harnish from San Francisco. Over the next few months, he experiences unique adventures with the hard search for gold, the merciless nature and the shrewd stock market sharks of the big city...
The Blue AngelThe Blue Angel · 1930
The Blue Angel
7.31930
MovieDrama
Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.
Roses for the ProsecutorRoses for the Prosecutor · 1959
Roses for the Prosecutor
7.21959
MovieDramaComedy
April 1945. Because he stole two bars of chocolate, the soldier Rudi is sentenced to death by the court-martial judge Dr. Schramm. Rudi manages to escape from the firing squad at the last minute, and since the end of the war has been making a meager living as a street peddler. Years later, Dr. Schramm is now a respected public prosecutor. By chance, he runs into Rudi one day on the street. Afraid that Rudi will blow the whistle on him, Dr. Schramm wants to scare him out of town. He has Rudi arrested and bullied by the police.
RotationRotation · 1950
Rotation
7.11950
MovieDrama
The mechanic Behnke wants to join the Nazi party to secure a good living. However, after his Jewish neighbors have been taken away, he changes his views. Trying to remain "a non-political man," he withdraws from reality and becomes a Nazis laborer.

More Like This

La Dolce VitaLa Dolce Vita · 1960
La Dolce Vita
8.01960
MovieComedyDrama
Episodic journey of journalist Marcello who struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer.
Pauline at the BeachPauline at the Beach · 1983
Pauline at the Beach
7.01983
MovieDramaRomance
Marion is about to divorce from her husband and takes her 15-year-old niece, Pauline, on a vacation to Granville. There, she meets an old love...
TitanicTitanic · 1943
Titanic
6.11943
MovieDramaHistory
In 1912, the Titanic embarks on its inevitable collision course with history. In the wake of the over-spending required to build the largest luxury ship in the world, White Star Line executive Sir Bruce Ismay schemes to reverse the direction of his company's plummeting stock value. Onboard the Titanic, brave German 1st Officer Petersen struggles to convince his self-important British superiors not to overexert the ship's engines.
The Coast GuardThe Coast Guard · 2002
The Coast Guard
6.22002
MovieDramaWar
A member of Coast Guard Platoon 23, Private Kang monitors a high-infiltration stretch of beach lined with barbed-wire fencing. Driven by the belief that killing a spy is the highest honor, he waits for a chance to prove his worth.
The Poseidon AdventureThe Poseidon Adventure · 1972
The Poseidon Adventure
7.21972
MovieAdventureDrama
When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.
Swept from the SeaSwept from the Sea · 1998
Swept from the Sea
6.41998
MovieDramaRomance
The film tells the story of Russian emigree and the only survivor from ship crash Yanko Goorall and servant Amy Foster in the end of 19th century. When Yanko enters a farm sick and hungry after the shipwreck, everyone is afraid of him, except for Amy, who is very kind and helps him. Soon he becomes like a son for Dr. James Kennedy and romance between Yanko and Amy follows.
The Secret of Roan InishThe Secret of Roan Inish · 1994
The Secret of Roan Inish
6.71994
MovieAdventureFantasy
Ten-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie – a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother was washed out to sea and never seen again, so when Fiona spies a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish, she is compelled to investigate.
The BuccaneerThe Buccaneer · 1958
The Buccaneer
6.51958
MovieAdventureDrama
During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend New Orleans when he learns that a British fleet will arrive with 60 ships and 16,000 men to take the city. In this situation an island near the city becomes strategically important to both parties, but it's inhabited by the last big buccaneer: Jean Lafitte. Although Lafitte never attacks American ships, the governor hates him for selling merchandise without taxes - and is loved by the citizens for the same reason. When the big fight gets nearer, Lafitte is drawn between the fronts. His heart belongs to America, but his people urge him to join the party that's more likely to win.
December BoysDecember Boys · 2007
December Boys
6.02007
MovieDramaRomance
For many years, four teenage orphans at an Australian outback convent have watched their younger comrades find new parents, and realize that they may never be adopted. The Reverend Mother sends the four boys away on a seaside vacation, where they meet Teresa and Fearless, a couple who would make perfect parents. The youths compete with one another to be the one Teresa and Fearless decide to adopt.
FireworksFireworks · 1997
Fireworks
7.71997
MovieCrimeDrama
Beleaguered police detective Nishi takes desperate measures to try and set things right in a world gone wrong. With his wife suffering from leukemia and his business partner paralyzed from a brutal gangster attack, Nishi borrows from a yakuza loan shark and then robs a bank to clear his debt.
The Naked IslandThe Naked Island · 1960
The Naked Island
8.01960
MovieDrama
A family of four are the sole inhabitants of a small island, where they struggle each day to irrigate their crops.
Time to LeaveTime to Leave · 2005
Time to Leave
6.52005
MovieDrama
Romain, 31, a fashion photographer with terminal cancer, elects to die alone, preparing others to live past him rather than prolong the inevitable with chemotherapy or be smothered in sympathy by those who know him.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter