| When the Whales Came | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Clive Rees |
| Produced by | Simon Channing-Williams |
| Written by | Michael Morpurgo (novel and screenplay) |
| Starring | Paul Scofield David Threlfall Helen Mirren Helen Pearce Max Rennie |
| Music by | Christopher Gunning |
| Cinematography | Robert Paynter |
| Editing by | Andrew Boulton |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | August 22, 1989 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
When the Whales Came is a 1989 British film, based on the 1985 children's book Why the Whales Came written by Michael Morpurgo. The film is set on the fictional British island of Scylla, while the location of the book is explicitly identified as Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly.
Two children named Gracie Jenkins and Daniel Pender meet a strange old man nicknamed the Birdman. He tells them about the haunted Island of Samson. When Gracie and Daniel end up stranded on Samson their life begins to turn into a horrible nightmare as the curse of Samson sets on them. Meanwhile on Bryher, where Gracie and Daniel live, World War One begins and the men slowly leave to fight and the women are left by themselves.