| Description | Anderson's last feature film was an adaptation of a play written by David Berry about two elderly sisters sharing a summer house on the Maine coast. Anderson was persuaded to direct the film by its producer Mike Kaplan, a long time friend. The film starred Bette Davis, Lilian Gish, Vincent Price, Ann Southern and Mary Steenburgen. Shooting on the film took place in Maine in September and October 1986 and the film opened in the US in the autumn of 1987. An American film, The Whales of August is quite different to Anderson's British work. Its gentle story and leisurely pace are closer to the classic American cinema he eulogised in his writings on film than the satire, energy and anger of If…., O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital. Material relating to the film includes first draft and final version of script; notes on changes made to script and discussions re filming of script; production notes; correspondence with Mike Kaplan (producer) re development, production, promotion and distribution of Whales of August; correspondence with cast and crew; correspondence with critics re reviews of the film; photographs of location scouting, production, scenes from film and Cannes premier; promotional material (including Japanese posters and programmes); press cuttings of reviews of film and Cannes premier; VHS video tapes of trailer of film and press conference given by Lilian Gish (26 Jun 1987) |