Sandcastles

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.

As stated, this film was one of the reasons I am such a movie buff now, I think. I was about 12 or 13 when I first saw it, and I got to see it twice because it was rerun a couple of months after its initial showing, and then that was it. It has resonated for all these years, leaving me with that funny feeling inside that only happens when a movie has really made a powerful impression. I have been looking to see it and have my wife (I won't , however, tell her that this movie also made me develop a crush on Bonnie Bedelia that survives to this day!) see it and have been unable to find a copy, 'til recently, via eBay, where I am hoping to be the winning bidder so I can validate what I have just written. Just writing about it now makes me long to see it again.

I agree with everyone else that I thought I had imagined this movie years ago because I could never find anything about it. I remember watching as a teen and "falling in love" with Jan Michael Vincent! My husband liked him in the action films he has done but couldn't remember this movie (I guess so he was a guy). I am so glad I found it, now if I can find it somewhere to purchase! And I hope it lives up to my sketchy memory. All I could remember was the name sandcastles and Jan Michael Vincent.

If you have never seen this movie before and you like romantic movies then check it out!

I remember watching this movie on TV when I was in High School, probably in 1972, and I remembered it all these 33 years. I was amazed when I found it for sale on E-Bay. I remember it being fascinating in 1972 because it was obviously filmed on video-tape and had a very different look. I was disappointed it was transferred to film, but I guess it had to be, to be transferred to DVD, possibly? This movie made me cry when I was a teenager, and did again at 47. Jan Michael-Vincent was so beautiful then. And, as a 15 year old, I didn't appreciate Hershel Bernardi's performance as much as I did today. It is a very moving film, and if you are a romantic you will want to view it. I believe it is a very underrated film.

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.