The Whales of August main backdrop
The Whales of August main poster

The Whales of August

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7.0/10 • 71

1987-10-141h 30m

Drama

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

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

Directors
Lindsay Anderson
Editors
Nicolas Gaster

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Bette Davis

    Bette Davis

    Libby Strong

  2. Lillian Gish

    Lillian Gish

    Sarah Webber

  3. Vincent Price

    Vincent Price

    Mr. Maranov

  4. Ann Sothern

    Ann Sothern

    Tisha Doughty

  5. Harry Carey, Jr.

    Harry Carey, Jr.

    Joshua Brackett

  6. Margaret Ladd

    Margaret Ladd

    Young Libby

  7. Mary Steenburgen

    Mary Steenburgen

    Young Sarah

  8. Tisha Sterling

    Tisha Sterling

    Young Tisha

  9. Frank Grimes

    Frank Grimes

    Mr. Beckwith

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Mar 28, 2022

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...

Media

  • The Whales of August poster
  • The Whales of August poster
  • The Whales of August poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
sibling relationshipbased on play or musicalmaineelderlyelderly ladysister sister relationship