LINDSAY ANDERSON

Bil’s rating (out of 5):   BBB. 

USA, 1987.  Nelson Entertainment.  Screenplay by David Berry, based on his play.   Cinematography by Mike Fash.  Produced by Mike Kaplan, Carolyn Pfeiffer.  Music by Alan Price.  Production Design by Jocelyn Herbert.  Costume Design by Rudy Dillon.  Film Editing by Nicolas Gaster.  

This film is a chance to see two great veterans of the cinema in action. Lillian Gish, who at 93 was the oldest actress to ever have a leading role in a film, is wonderful as a widow who spends every summer in the same seaside house for fifty years, a place where whales once swam up close to the shore but no longer do. She lives there with her blind sister (Bette Davis), and begins to enjoy the attentions of a gentleman (Vincent Price) who does his fishing near her home. Davis gets nervous, thinking that her sister wants to abandon her, and even though this is not the case, Gish is definitely at a crossroads as to how to find the best way to take care of them both. Ann Sothern adds a lot of life to her scenes as the ladies’ meddlesome niece. It’s very placid, unassuming, touching and memorable if only for the grand talents involved.

Academy Award Nomination:  Best Supporting Actress (Ann Sothern)