The Whales of August

The Whales of August_720p(480P)

source: The Whales of August

I really liked this movie but could see most people being very bored by it as well. This is because I particularly drawn to this movie by its cast because I am a MAJOR old movie buff. The thought of seeing Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Vincent Price, Ann Sothern and Harry Carey, Jr. again after all these years made this a must-see for me, but a lot of people have no idea who many (or even all) of these people are and the slow pace may irritate those who MUST have an action picture or comedy or nothing. I must admit, the movie is very slow paced. But instead of this being an impediment, I see it as more a slow, leisurely movie based on older characters who SHOULD be slow due to their extreme age. What surprised me most was how incredibly spry and capable Lillian Gish was as an actress. I read that she was nearly 100 when this was filmed and she was EXTREMELY hard of hearing, but she pulled it off like a pro! Davis, though more than a decade younger, was much more infirmed and she spent most of her time yelling, acting senile and being nasty--but that also worked because that was the character she was playing. Unlike Gish and Davis, this was not Vincent Price's last movie (he did "Edward Scissorhands" just after this) and he is delightful as the charming and soon to be homeless neighbor. Plot? Nah, it's not that important here--really. I mean YES, there is a plot but it really isn't that important--the joy of this movie comes from just turning on the camera and watching them do their craft.

The Whales of August follow the events of just more than a day in the life of two sisters, Sarah (Lillian Gish) and Libby (Bette Davis). As Sarah follows her daily chores, from gardening to painting to preparing tea for visitors, you get a strong sense of rhythm and simplicity that is almost hypnotic. Libby, cantankerous and overbearing, is played adequately by Bette Davis. Lillian Gish, however, glows in her role, and makes me fall a bit in love with her! I found Vincent Price wonderfully suited to the role of Mr. Maranov, and Ann Sothern was quite convincing as the sisters' childhood friend. Obviously, if you are looking for action or high drama, this isn't it. But as a meditation on aging and choosing life, it is exquisite. For those of gentler sensibilities, I highly recommend it. I saw it first in 1989, and luckily found an out of print copy this year...I hope other fans will have similar luck.

Definitely not one for the Multiplexes this has Art House written all over it and it's all the better for it. There's a definite Checkovian 'feel' to this one, albeit minor Checkov, with five characters doing nothing much except give a Master Class in Screen Acting. If you actively look for such things you'll find resonances with titles like On Golden Pond and, having brought up Checkov I could argue that they could have re-titled it Two Sisters. Whatever it's a Collectors item even if the story is best not subjected to a strong light; two sisters, both widowed, continue to spend their summers in a cottage in Maine where, years ago, they could track whales briefly; now the whales have gone as has the metaphorical youth of the sisters. Sarah, Lillian Gish, has a suitor of sorts in Vincent Price, a White Russian who exists like Blanche du Bois on the kindness of strangers. Libby, Bette Davis, will have none of it and sends him on his way with a flea in his ear. The two other characters are Ann 'Maisie' Sothern, a friend of Sarah's for sixty years and Harry Carey Jnr - light years away from Monument Valley where he weighed in with support in almost every John Ford Western - as the local repairman. Gentle, Unobtrusive, Unforgettable.

This movie is very slight and quiet and beautiful. There is some of the best cinematography you've ever seen, as the Maine coastline is used to full advantage and you can smell the sea breezes. In a movie like this, you appreciate it even more, because the characters keep talking about what a beautiful day it is, and you get to see what they mean. As a previous comment mentions, the actors in this movie have hundreds of years of screen time between them, so you know you are in good hands. Lillian Gish is still one of the great beauties of the movies; even at this late age, she was still glowing. Bette Davis had already suffered a stroke so she looks very frail and thin. Last time she had an on-screen sister, Joan Crawford in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane"?, they quarreled also, though obviously in a different way. Lillian and Bette get on each others nerves the way family members tend to do without even trying very hard. Ann Sothern and Vincent Price make impressions in smaller parts and Sothern deserved her nomination, though Gish should have gotten one, too, and that would have been a fitting tribute to one of the pioneers of cinema.

This play/film is really about the desire of movie-goers to see a final or near final performance of five well-known actors and actresses: Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, Vincent Price, Ann Sothern, and Harry Carey, Jr. In fact, the film is little more than that, plus some lovely shots of the Maine seashore. Many will find the story, which is arty and oh-so-profound, quite dull and pretentious. It is certainly sentimental. Gish, 94 at the time, is splendid. Davis, at 81, is so hammy that she almost destroys the film. Price and Carey are okay, although the former is hardly a Russian and the latter has a silly and meaningless role. Sothern is hardly recognizable physically. Oh, those plastic surgeons. Not as much here as the reviews would lead you to believe. It's about our farewell to movie stars.

This is a very gentle story that follows its own path rather than being scripted. Even though the actors are getting on in years they still have that magic spark that captures your imagination. Bette Davis and Vincent Price are the two actors that do that but it really is Lillian Gish that steels the show and it doesn't matter that none of them are still with us as this timeless classic will keep them close to hand.

This is the sort of film I am most fond of. Things like On Golden Pond, Four Seasons, A Foreign Field... Lillian Gish, in her last role, is wonderful, giving a gentle and moving performance. Ann Southern and Vincent Price are also equally professional and moving. But Bette Davis is out of her depth here. Not only is she giving her usual one note performance and plays the role without an ounce of sincerity. This is not unusual for Bette, but it is more acceptable in the type of films she usually made like Dead Ringer, Beyond the Forest and Bunny O'Hare. Here, it is the one sour note in an otherwise glorious film.

No one will mistake this actor's showcase for a powerhouse of drama, but there's a reassuring comfort in the assembly of classic Hollywood talent. Advancing years and a toll of illnesses have left their mark on Bette Davis, but seeing the still-sprightly 94-year old Lillian Gish, a silver screen veteran from cinema's infancy, is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any film buff. Each is cast in perfect character, portraying widowed sisters living together on the coast of Maine: Gish is modest, optimistic, indefatigable; Davis is stubborn, moody, and cantankerous. The film is mannered and polite, but little else, directed with deference toward its two legendary stars and by necessity adapting its rhythm to their pace, making it a somewhat enervating experience at times. Harry Carey, Jr. injects a little liveliness into the scenario with his cameo role as a profane handyman.