The Whales of August

The Whales of August

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lindsay Anderson
Produced by Mike E. Kaplan
Carolyn Pfeiffer
Written by David Berry
Starring Bette Davis
Lillian Gish
Vincent Price
Ann Sothern
Music by Alan Price
Cinematography Mike Fash
Edited by Nicolas Gaster
Distributed by Alive Films
Release dates
 October 16, 1987
Running time
 90 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Whales of August is a 1987 film based on a play by David Berry and stars Bette Davis and Lillian Gish as elderly sisters. Also in the cast were Ann Sothern as one of their friends, and Vincent Price as a peripheral member of the former Russian aristocracy. The film was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island. The house still stands and is a popular subject of artists on the island. The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson, his final feature film, and the screenplay was adapted by David Berry from his own play.

Plot

The Whales of August tells the story of two elderly widowed sisters near the end of their lives, spending a summer in a seaside house in Maine. The surroundings cause them to recall their relationship as young women, and the summers they had enjoyed there in the past. They reflect on the passage of time, and the bitterness, jealousies and misunderstandings that slowly festered over the years and kept them from establishing a true closeness in their relationship.

Libby, played by Davis, is the more infirm of the two sisters, and her nature has become bitter and cold as a result. Sarah, played by Gish, is a softer and more tolerant character, intent on nursing her sister through her discomfort and trying to breach the gulf that has grown between them. The resentment that Libby so clearly displays to her stifles Sarah's every attempt at making a friendly overture towards her, and Sarah cautiously retreats from her.

Maranov (Price) is a fisherman who provides a romantic interest for Sarah, and helps her to recall the happiness of her youth, while also reminding her of the marriage and husband that she has lost. Tisha (Sothern) is a vivacious lifelong friend who provides common sense, fun and laughter, and is the catalyst for some of the sisters' conversations and revelations. In flashbacks, actresses Margaret Ladd, Mary Steenburgen and Tisha Sterling (Sothern's real-life daughter) play respectively Libby, Sarah, and Tisha as young women.

Cast

Production

The film's producer, Mike Kaplan, saw the play performed by the Trinity Repertory Company while he was visiting Rhode Island on family business. Kaplan, who had met Lillian Gish many years earlier when he was a publicist involved in The Comedians (1967), decided immediately that the role of Sarah Webber was a role that would introduce new generations of filmgoers to the great talent of the "First Lady of American Film", who had begun her film career in 1912.

As opposed to the original stage production, the movie made it possible to showcase stars who were the age peers of the characters. Actors and actresses of a certain age and stature were contacted to see whether they were both interested in and physically capable of playing the roles. Many screen greats were approached to play a role but demurred because they suffered from various infirmities, e.g., Shirley Booth, Barbara Stanwyck, Fred Astaire, Paul Henreid. Other greats turned down the producers' overtures for other reasons, e.g., Joel McCrea, Frances Dee, Katharine Hepburn, John Gielgud. Even Davis and Gish turned down the parts more than once before being persuaded to star in the film.

This film marks a reunion between Bette Davis and Vincent Price, after 48 years, having last appeared on screen together in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939).

Berry, Lindsay Anderson (the director), the cinematographer, a location scout, and Kaplan traveled by water taxi to several islands in Casco Bay searching for a location that would provide the necessary ambiance and ocean vistas for the film. In the end, the film was shot on Cliff Island a few miles down the Bay from the site of Berry's family cottage on Peaks Island from where, in fact, the characters and story were drawn. The film's premiere in New York City on October 14, 1987, was followed a few weeks later by a State of Maine premiere in Portland, Maine, which was attended by both Berry and Kaplan.

The film proved immensely popular in Tokyo, running for a full year there. David Berry authorized several stage productions in Japan after the film premiered in Tokyo in 1987, the most recent being in 2005. Authorized stage productions have been presented overseas in several countries including Russia, Greece and Great Britain.

Reception

Reviews for The Whales of August were mixed to positive. Rotten Tomatoes that out of 14 critics, 63% of them gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 6.2 out of 10.[1] Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, giving an opinion that the film was like no other of Lindsay Anderson's films he directed before, although Ebert thought it was not one of Anderson's greatest films.[2]

Although the film starred two of the screen's most important actresses in what would be near to their final film roles, it was not a substantial commercial success. Upon its release, it was widely tipped that either Davis or Gish would be rewarded, if not for their performances in this film, but for their longevity, with Academy Award nominations, but neither actress was nominated. Sothern received the only Academy Award nomination of her career in the category of Best Supporting Actress. The film was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

Home media

The film did well on VHS.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Whales of August (1987) at Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed from May 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ Ebert, Roger (November 13, 1987). "The Whales of August - Movie Review". The Chicago Sun Times. rogerebert.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: The Whales of August". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  4. ↑ "VIDEO CHARTS : Babies Booming, 'East L.A.' Rising". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-04.

External links