Cannery Row

"You don't have to be crazy to live here... but it helps."

1982 2h 0m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 49

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Doc, who has just moved to Cannery Row, realizes that the only entertainment is the brothel. There he meets the spunky Suzy and they fall in love, giving them both a renewed chance at life.

“You don't have to be crazy to live here... but it helps.”

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Cast

Nick Nolte
Doc
Debra Winger
Suzy DeSoto
Audra Lindley
Fauna Flood
Frank McRae
Hazel
M. Emmet Walsh
Mack
Tom Mahoney
Hughie
John Malloy
Jones
James Keane
Eddie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David S. Ward
Writers: David S. Ward
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David S. Ward, shot by Sven Nykvist. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jack Nitzsche. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Bretherton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nick Nolte and Debra Winger and Audra Lindley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You don't have to be crazy to live here... but it helps.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0083717 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David S. Ward directs. Sven Nykvist behind the camera. Jack Nitzsche scores. David Bretherton cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

144 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by David S. Ward, shot by Sven Nykvist. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jack Nitzsche. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor David Bretherton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Nick Nolte and Debra Winger and Audra Lindley carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "You don't have to be crazy to live here... but it helps.".
7IMDB entry: tt0083717 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "california", "prostitute", "based on novel or book", "marine biologist".
10Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sven Nykvist
Original score: Jack Nitzsche
Editing: David Bretherton
Production design: Richard Macdonald
Costume design: Ruth Myers
Makeup / hair: Lola 'Skip' McNalley
Sound: Jay M. Harding
Stunt coordinator: Glenn R. Wilder
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $11,300,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Cannery Row (1982)

Also by

David S. Ward

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Phills22026-06-23
★ 4/10
I'm afraid I speak for quite a few fans of the late Nobel winning novelist's book to say this film simply doesn't do his work justice. Just too many changes were made to fit a more Hollywood style formula comedy romance. It also was frustrating to see Sweet Thursday, his least successful book, combined and used more in the film. The new things added by director-wruter Ward seemed to have no purpose We have a trumpet playing Chinatown style while a hat floats in the water. Apparently a character named the Seer has drowned and he was hurt by Doc when he used to be prize fighter (or was it a baseball player?} Why on earth this was added to the movie still is a mystery to me. Mr. Ward now teaches screenwriter at Chapman College. God help his students if they write more films like this one. Doc and Suzy alternately dance and fight, oh, where on earth in the novels was that or why was it needed?

Production companies