The Sandpiper (1965)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Martin Ransohoff (story)
Irene Kamp (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

She gave men a taste of life that made them hunger for more!

Plot:

Free-spirited, young, unwed mother seduces a Episcopalian priest. Lots of pretty beach/ocean scenery.

Plot Keywords:

School | Artist | Headmaster | Love | Single Mother

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Laura Reynolds
Richard Burton	...	Dr. Edward Hewitt
Eva Marie Saint	...	Claire Hewitt
Charles Bronson	...	Cos Erickson
Robert Webber	...	Ward Hendricks
James Edwards	...	Larry Brant
Torin Thatcher	...	Judge Thompson
Tom Drake	...	Walter Robinson
Douglas Henderson	...	Paul Sutcliff (as Doug Henderson)
Morgan Mason	...	Danny Reynolds

Runtime:

117 min | Argentina:118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Iceland:L | USA:TV-14 | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

According to one published report, the redwood sculpture of a nude Elizabeth Taylor was accidentally destroyed years later when it tipped over and smashed, and was discovered to be teeming with termites.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Claire Hewitt, talking to her husband about Danny, says, "He was reciting the Prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Old English." The language Chaucer wrote in, and that the boy recites in, is Middle English, not Old English.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.96)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

The Shadow of Your Smile

The Soap-Wiper

Richard Burton dials down the angst quotient from his previous year's role as a defrocked priest in "Night of the Iguana", and Elizabeth Taylor begins warming up for her later role as Kate in "Taming of the Shrew". The music and the scenery make the film compelling enough to watch, but the psychological and theological ramblings are strictly for the soap lover. Eva Marie Saint, as the hurt wife, has a few good scenes but not nearly enough to salvage the drama. And it's fun to see a young Charles Bronson in a beatnik role. The whole effort ranks several notches above "The VIP's" and other Burton-Taylor vehicles but all in all, "The Sandpiper" is a long boring day at the beach.