Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for The Beacon

The Beacon

Seen it?

1954 | 95 min | Drama

Monday Morning Maybeearly rating

Why it’s a Monday Morning Maybe

With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Tailor-made for anyone who likes a story with emotional weight. Best on a quiet night when you're in the mood to feel something.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Lets scenes breathe, at 1 hr 35 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1954: an older pace and style.
  • Not the one if you want explosions or easy laughs.

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...

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 278 people sought it out in the past year

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Wolfgang Staudte

  • Leonhard RitterLeuchtturmwärter
  • Horst NaumannMastfischer
  • Waltraut KrammMastfischer's Frau
  • Jochen ThomasMasträuber
  • Ursula KempertMasträuber's Frau
  • Friedrich GnaßAlter Mann mit Prothese
  • Hans KleringKaufmann
  • Ulrich von der TrenckSchnapsfischer
  • Maria WendtFrau des Schnapsfischers
  • Kurt OligmüllerFischer