The Whales of August

In a house on the Maine coast two elderly sisters wait, as every summer, for the whales to pass. Libby is blind and difficult; Sarah looks after her and wants a picture window put into the house. The entire film is that house, those two women and a few neighbours. What sets it apart is the cast. Lillian Gish was ninety three during filming and this was her last film. It was also the last picture Bette Davis completed. Vincent Price and Ann Sothern are with them. One story from the set works as a summary of the whole thing. Lindsay Anderson told Gish one day that her close-up had been wonderful, and Davis cut in to say that she ought to know, she invented them. The difficulty is that almost nothing happens. Instead of narrative there are the details of a day, and the reckoning between the two women is silent. Who it is for: viewers interested in film history and slow drama. Who it is not for: anyone waiting for events.