Separate Tables (1958)

The stories of several people are told as they stay at a seaside hotel in Bournemouth which features dining at "Separate Tables."

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Terence Rattigan (screenplay), John Gay (screenplay)

Stars:

Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, David Niven

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deborah Kerr	...	Sibyl Railton-Bell
Rita Hayworth	...	Ann Shankland
David Niven	...	Major Angus Pollock
Wendy Hiller	...	Pat Cooper
Burt Lancaster	...	John Malcolm
Gladys Cooper	...	Mrs. Railton-Bell
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Lady Matheson
Felix Aylmer	...	Mr. Fowler
Rod Taylor	...	Charles
Audrey Dalton	...	Jean
May Hallatt	...	Miss Meacham
Priscilla Morgan	...	Doreen

Storyline

It's the off-season at the lonely Beauregard Hotel in Bournemoth, and only the long-term tenants are still in residence. Life at the Beauregard is stirred up, however, when the beautiful Ann Shankland arrives to see her alcoholic ex-husband, John Malcolm, who is secretly engaged to Pat Cooper, the woman who runs the hotel. Meanwhile, snobbish Mrs Railton-Bell discovers that the kindly if rather doddering Major Pollock is not what he appears to be. The news is particularly shocking for her frail daughter, Sibyl, who is secretly in love with the Major.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to horace | reference to aristotle | snobbishness | dominant mother | seaside resort | 

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Taglines:

Once...Only Once in a Lifetime A Cast...A Story...A Motion Picture Like This!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The musical theme of the terrace sequence and a few other pieces were re-written by David Raksin on the request of the producers following a bad preview.

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Goofs

Much of the conversation between Ann and John on the balcony has mismatched audio due to looping recorded at slightly the wrong time versus the video.

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Quotes

Ann Shankland: I didn't mean any harm.
John Malcolm: That's when you do the most damage.
Ann Shankland: We all make mistakes.
John Malcolm: You specialize in them.

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Alternate Versions

Delbert Mann did not want the song in the opening titles, and he discovered an old British print that included David Raksin's main title rather than the song, as he had wanted it, being used in a film festival.

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Connections

Referenced in Claudette Colbert - Discovering: Deborah Kerr (2013)

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Soundtracks

Separate Tables
(1958)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Harold Adamson
Sung by Vic Damone (uncredited)

User Reviews

If you like human nature you'll love this movie.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I went back and watched parts of it over because it was done so well.

The actors show the greatness and degradation of human nature under the duress of great personal obstacles and non-ideal circumstances.

Burt Lancaster is both bold and vulnerable, directly honest and compassionately understanding.

One person exhibits unsurpassed understanding with unselfish love. To me, this is a love story on many levels; manipulative love, selfish, lonely love, the love of people's opinion, love battling fear and finally... well, you need to watch it and see.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 1959 (France)

Also Known As:

Separate Tables

Filming Locations:

Stage 5, The Lot - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$7,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions, Clifton Productions, Norlan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1