Les Soleils de l'Ile de Pâques (1972)
Directed by Pierre Kast

Film Synopsis

The purpose of the famous stone statues on Easter Island, the moai, has long been a source of speculation and controversy.  No one knows for certain what these remarkable monuments signify but they have been an object of fascination for hundreds of years.  Six individuals who have never met before feel impelled to undertake a special pilgrimage to the island, after experiencing the same disturbing series of dreams.  The only thing that connects these six diverse people is an interest in the occult.  They comprise: Alexandra, a Chilean heiress and spiritualist; Maurice, a French physician and student of geomancy; an entomologist named Helvio; Norma, a Brazilian astronomer; Françoise, a French ethnologist; and Irenio, an expert in Brazilian magic.

Alexandra manages to talk her boyfriend, Alain Valserra, into accompanying her on the journey.  A psychologist, Alain has some reservations about the bizarre expedition and feels that he will be out of place, the one non-believer in the group of seven.  Alexandra gets her way in the end, instinctively knowing that her boyfriend's presence will be crucial for the success of the enterprise, the purpose of which has yet to be revealed to her.  By the time they reach the island, the six pilgrims have got to know each other well and are looking forward to what lies in store for them.  On reaching their awe-inspiring destination, they soon discover a cave where their arrival has been long awaited.

It is here that the purpose of the expedition is at last revealed to them.  Every half a millennia, since the dawn of time, there is an astral alignment which allows a distant race of beings to make contact with mankind.  The statues which have adorned the island for over a thousand years are in fact carefully constructed beacons, intended to facilitate this communication process.  On this occasion, troubled by the violence they perceive, the extraterrestrials are unwilling to establish contact with the chosen representatives of humanity.  One of the seven must stay behind and await the next message, five hundred years hence...