Whales of August, The (1987)

The Whales of August (1987), directed by Lindsay Anderson.

Given the cast, all near the end of their lives, I tend to neglect the simple plot, adapted from a stage play, and marvel over their long fruitful careers. What a long strange trip it was.

In order of seniority we have:

They speak and move like elderly people and the acting is "large", but that may be realistic. Old people sometimes do speak with exaggerated emphasis.

Favorite moment: the two sisters are reminiscing about their long-dead husbands and the days of passion. Bette Davis: "You two didn't have to go off and make whoopee every hour". Lillian Gish looks away and sighs.

Ann Sothern had 106 IMDB credits and I cannot remember the last time I saw her. I'll have to revisit A Letter to Three Wives (1949) soon.

I only know Lindsay Anderson from such oddities as if... (1968) and O Lucky Man! (1973) and this was an unexpected subject for him.

Produced by Alive/Island Alive Films who also gave us so many 1980s indie films: Insignificance (1985), The Hit (1984), Choose Me (1984), Trouble in Mind (1985) and The Moderns (1988).

Available on Blu-ray from Kino. The commentary track is a conversation with Mike Kaplan, the producer who conceived the project and got it made. He knew Lillian Gish and wanted a vehicle for her.

He says