Table for Five (1983)

Director:

Robert Lieberman

Writer:

David Seltzer (writer)

Release Date:

19 March 1983 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He wants a second chance to love his children...but someone else has learned how.

Plot:

J. P. Tannen takes his three children for a vacation cruise. They usually live with their mother and step-father...

Plot Keywords:

Family Relationships | Male Female Relationship | Cruise Ship | Adopted Son | Africa

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jon Voight	...	J. P. Tannen
Richard Crenna	...	Mitchell
Marie-Christine Barrault	...	Marie
Millie Perkins	...	Kathleen
Roxana Zal	...	Tilde
Robby Kiger	...	Truman-Paul
Son Hoang Bui	...	Trung
Maria O'Brien	...	Mandy
Nelson Welch	...	Old Man
Bernie Hern	...	Bickering Husband
Moria Turner	...	Bickering Wife
Kevin Costner	...	Newlywed Husband
Cynthia Kania	...	Newlywed Wife
Marion Russell	...	Rodessa
Gustaf Unger	...	Twin
Bertil Unger	...	Twin
Erik Holland	...	Captain
Peggy Kubena	...	Blonde
James C. Lawrence	...	Communications Officer
Ora Rubinstein	...	Girl on Airplane
Robert Schaffel	...	Frank
Rupert Sykes	...	Ship's Officer
Hugo Valentino	...	Ugo
Ronald F. Hoiseck	...	Maitre D'
Enrico Pini	...	Taxi Driver
Saïd	...	Jeep Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shawn Easton	...	Fireman (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Lieberman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
David Seltzer		writer

Produced by
Robert Schaffel	....	producer

Original Music by
Miles Goodman
John Morris

Cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond

Film Editing by
Michael Kahn

Casting by
Jane Jenkins

Production Design by
Robert F. Boyle

Art Direction by
Norman Newberry

Set Decoration by
Arthur Jeph Parker

Costume Design by
Vicki Sánchez		(as Vicki Sanchez)

Makeup Department
Jeff Angell	....	makeup artist
Kaye Pownall	....	hair stylist (as Kay Pownall)

Production Management
Richard McWhorter	....	production manager (as Richard F. McWhorter)
Wally Samson	....	unit production manager
Roberto Cocco	....	unit production manager: Europe (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	first assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Russ Harling	....	second assistant director
Gere LaDue	....	dga trainee
Victor Tourjansky	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Phil Read	....	construction coordinator
Art Schneider	....	lead man
John A. Scott III	....	assistant property master (as John Scott)
Arthur Shippee	....	property master

Sound Department
Larry Carow	....	sound editor
Crew Chamberlain	....	cable person
Don Coufal	....	boom operator
Don Digirolamo	....	sound re-recording mixer
Juno J. Ellis	....	assistant sound editor (as Juno T. Ellis)
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer
Scott Hecker	....	sound editor (as Scott A. Hecker)
Craig S. Jaeger	....	assistant sound editor
Robert Knudson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Buzz Knudson)
John A. Larsen	....	sound editor
Bruce Richardson	....	sound effects editor (as Paul Bruce Richardson)
Robert R. Rutledge	....	sound editor (as Robert Rutledge)
Hank Salerno	....	adr editor
Norman B. Schwartz	....	post-production dialogue
Jeff Wexler	....	sound mixer
Tiziano Crotti	....	sound: second unit (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Gunter Jennings	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Alexander	....	second grip
John Boccaccio	....	first assistant camera
Dick Deats	....	key grip
Jerry D. Deats	....	dolly grip (as Jerry Deats)
Jessie Deats	....	company grip
Larry Flynn	....	electrician
Christopher Dunn George	....	second assistant camera (as Christopher George)
Michael Gershman	....	camera operator
Victor Goss	....	director of photography: second unit
Jan Kiesser	....	additional photographer
Christine M. Loss	....	still photographer (as Christine Loss)
Rexford L. Metz	....	aerial photographer (as Rex Metz)
Ken Nishino	....	first assistant camera
Jerome L. Posner	....	best boy electric (as Jerry Posner)
Larry Whitehead	....	gaffer
Massimo Zeri	....	assistant camera
Gianfranco Maioletti	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Randy Nolen	....	steadicam operator (uncredited)
Kenji Takama	....	camera intern (uncredited)

Casting Department
Elisabeth Leustig	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandy Berke Jordan	....	costumer: women (as Sandy Berke)
Nick Scarano	....	assistant costumer: men
Silvio Scarano	....	costumer: men

Editorial Department
Bruce Green	....	assistant editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Tom Nelson	....	apprentice film editor

Music Department
Frank Jones	....	scoring mixer
Debra Kopensteiner	....	musical research
Eugene Marks	....	music editor (as Eugene A. Marks)
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Enid Arias	....	personal consultant: Mr. Voight (as Enid Watts Arias)
Joanie Blum	....	script supervisor
Roberto Cocco	....	foreign location manager: Italy
Dimitri Dimitriadis	....	foreign location manager: Greece
Marjorie Gaines	....	assistant to producer
Karen Hale Wookey	....	script supervisor (as Karen Wookey)
Don Hansard	....	process coordinator
Don Henry	....	production auditor
John James	....	location manager
Dov Maoz	....	foreign location manager: Israel
Chuck Painter	....	unit publicist
Colleen Rose	....	assistant: Robert Schaffel
Ahmed Sami	....	foreign location manager: Egpyt (as Ahmed Sami Mohamed)
Faye Stephens	....	assistant to producer
Ron Weber	....	craft service
John Whaley	....	foreign location manager: UK
Nikos Doukas	....	location manager: Greece (uncredited)

Thanks
Dale Amar	....	special thanks
Hannah Rita Rose Amar	....	special thanks
Newt Arnold	....	special thanks (as Newton Arnold)
Fletcher Bryant	....	special thanks
Shawn Easton	....	special thanks
Mike Espejo	....	special thanks
Mike Gelbish	....	special thanks
Jon Johannessen	....	special thanks
Jeff Lawrence	....	special thanks
Milton Lieberman	....	special thanks
Sally Lieberman	....	special thanks
Joseph F. Nasser	....	special thanks
Daniel Núñez	....	special thanks (as Daniel Nunez)
Adam O'Neil	....	special thanks
Raymond Purtle	....	special thanks
Jacob Saba	....	special thanks
Ed Schaffel	....	special thanks
Gordon Smith Jr.	....	special thanks
Geoff Vanderstook	....	special thanks
Barbara Voight	....	special thanks
Bob Yanez	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• CBS Theatrical Films

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1987) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Fox Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Atari  video games

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alexandria, Egypt

Company:

CBS Theatrical Films

Trivia:

Look for Kevin Costner as a fellow shipboard guest.

Movie Connections:

Features Centipede (1980) (VG)

Entertaining Family Drama

If four-handkerchief melodramas are not your cup of tea, I advice you to skip this movie. If you do not mind sentimental movies, you'll find this film a pleasant, if uncomplicated movie experience. John Voight (in a very good performance), plays a ne'er do well, absentee single father who is desperate to try to reconnect with his three children during a long vacation. As expected in this kind of movie, the plan (momentarily) backfires, and things get worst when tragedy knocks at the door. It is a manipulative movie, but the cast is very good and David Seltzer's (believe it or not, he also wrote "The Omen") screenplay (almost) manages to avoid the temptation of using commonly known movie clichés. Voight's sincere work is central to the movie's success (I wonder how much was acting, and how much was drawn from his own personal experience as an absentee father), but I also loved Richard Crenna's subtle performance as the husband of Voight's ex-wife. Not perfect, and too long, but a nice little movie.