The Whales of August

"The Screen's Immortals... A movie you'll never forget."

1987 1h 30m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

64%

FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 82🍅64%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 5,718

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two aged sisters reflect on life and the past during a late summer day in Maine.

“The Screen's Immortals... A movie you'll never forget.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Bette Davis
Libby Strong
Lillian Gish
Sarah Webber
Vincent Price
Mr. Maranov
Ann Sothern
Tisha Doughty
Harry Carey Jr.
Joshua Brackett
Margaret Ladd
Young Libby
Mary Steenburgen
Young Sarah
Tisha Sterling
Young Tisha

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lindsay Anderson
Writers: David Berry
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lindsay Anderson, shot by Mike Fash. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bette Davis and Lillian Gish and Vincent Price carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Screen's Immortals... A movie you'll never forget.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094315 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lindsay Anderson directs. Mike Fash behind the camera. Alan Price scores. Nicolas Gaster cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Lindsay Anderson, shot by Mike Fash. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alan Price. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Nicolas Gaster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bette Davis and Lillian Gish and Vincent Price carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Screen's Immortals... A movie you'll never forget.".
8IMDB entry: tt0094315 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 82 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mike Fash
Original score: Alan Price
Editing: Nicolas Gaster
Production design: Jocelyn Herbert
Costume design: Rudy Dillon
Makeup / hair: Toni Trimble
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Whales of August (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes: 64% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 5,718 votes
MPAA: Not Rated
US box office: $1,338,198

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 2 wins & 5 nominations total

Also by

Lindsay Anderson

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-03-28
★ 7/10
When I see this, I cannot help but wonder how much actual acting Bette Davis and Lilian Gish (who made her first film in 1912!) were doing, and how much of their performances were but second nature for two elderly ladies who were simply being themselves in this screen adaptation of David Berry's play. The sisters, now spinsters, spend their summers away from the heat of Pittsburgh in a small cottage on an island off the coat of Maine. Davis ("Libby") is blind and reliant on Gish ("Sarah"), her slightly more nimble, certainly more amenable sister as they live out their lives contemplating what has gone before. Vincent Price adds some delicate diversion to the dynamic, sparingly, as a local gentlemen who, having escaped from revolutionary Russia, has his own stories to tell too. It moves very much at it's own pace, evoking quite poignantly the day-to-lives of the women as one of them is clearly suffering the effects of senility tempered with odd spells of lucidity that demonstrate the fragility of life and of the aging process. You won't need a tissue, but you might want to pick up the phone to your grandmother afterwards...

Production companies