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IMDbPro

The Whisperers

  • 1967
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
Drama

Elderly Mrs. Ross lives alone in her meager flat, scraping by on government assistance even as she claims to have great wealth. After finding stolen money she is victimized, making it necess... Read allElderly Mrs. Ross lives alone in her meager flat, scraping by on government assistance even as she claims to have great wealth. After finding stolen money she is victimized, making it necessary to find her support in her declining years.Elderly Mrs. Ross lives alone in her meager flat, scraping by on government assistance even as she claims to have great wealth. After finding stolen money she is victimized, making it necessary to find her support in her declining years.

  • Director
    • Bryan Forbes
  • Writers
    • Robert Nicolson
    • Bryan Forbes
  • Stars
    • Edith Evans
    • Nanette Newman
    • Harry Baird
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bryan Forbes
    • Writers
      • Robert Nicolson
      • Bryan Forbes
    • Stars
      • Edith Evans
      • Nanette Newman
      • Harry Baird
    • 37User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 4 nominations total

    Photos26

    Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
    Edith Evans and Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Eric Portman and Robert Russell in The Whisperers (1967)
    Edith Evans and Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Max Bacon and Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Edith Evans and Queen Elizabeth II in The Whisperers (1967)
    Edith Evans and Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Edith Evans and Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)
    Leonard Rossiter in The Whisperers (1967)
    Eric Portman in The Whisperers (1967)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Edith Evans
    Edith Evans
    • Mrs. Ross
    Nanette Newman
    Nanette Newman
    • The Girl Upstairs
    Harry Baird
    Harry Baird
    • The Man Upstairs
    Jack Austin
    • Police Sergeant
    Gerald Sim
    Gerald Sim
    • Mr. Conrad
    Lionel Gamlin
    Lionel Gamlin
    • Mr. Conrad's Colleague
    Glen Farmer
    • 1st Redeemer
    Oliver MacGreevy
    • 2nd Redeemer
    Ronald Fraser
    Ronald Fraser
    • Charlie Ross
    Kenneth Griffith
    Kenneth Griffith
    • Mr. Weaver
    Avis Bunnage
    Avis Bunnage
    • Mrs. Noonan
    John Orchard
    John Orchard
    • Grogan
    Peter Thompson
    • Publican
    Sarah Forbes
    • Mrs. Ross When Young
    Penny Spencer
    Penny Spencer
    • Mavis Noonan
    Kaplan Kaye
    • Jimmie Noonan
    Michael Robbins
    Michael Robbins
    • Mr. Noonan
    Frank Singuineau
    Frank Singuineau
    • Negro Doctor
    • Director
      • Bryan Forbes
    • Writers
      • Robert Nicolson(novel)
      • Bryan Forbes(written for the screen by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The director Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman, who played the upstairs neighbor, were husband and wife.
    • Goofs
      The old kitchen curtain is shown in scene after Archie leaves, while Margaret is moping around the apartment. The new curtains are shown again after she returns from seeing Mr. Conrad at the National Assistance Board.
    • Quotes

      Archie Ross: What kind of job might it be, sir?

      Mr. Conrad: Doorman at a cinema.

      Archie Ross: Oh, wonderful. Nice and healthy and in the open.

      Mr. Conrad: The healthiest jobs, Mr. Ross, are the ones you keep.

    • Connections
      Version of ITV Play of the Week: The Whisperers (1961)
    • Soundtracks
      Shall We Gather at the River?
      (uncredited)

      Written by Robert Lowry

      Performed by Edith Evans and mission attendees

    User reviews37

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    The bleakest of kitchen sink dramas
    This may be the bleakest of all the 'kitchen sink' movies, (it is unremittingly gloomy) and Bryan Forbes' picture of the British Welfare State in the 1960's has an almost Dickensian feel to it. But then Forbes always seemed to work better with subjects which didn't lend themselves to levity.

    It's the story of Mrs Ross, a pensioner living on her own and beset by the voices one hears when one is so lonely and in the part Edith Evans is quite magnificent. If you think Evans too patrician for the part of an old woman living in a working class district of an industrial, mostly derelict and rain-sodden city, she does point out that 'she married beneath her' and since she is hardly ever off the screen this is a real tour-de-force, (and she was nominated for the Oscar for it as well as winning a whole slew of other awards). There are also first-rate supporting performances from the wonderful Avis Bunnage and the always consistently reliable Gerald Sim and Eric Portman, terrific as her errand husband). Unfortunately the film's sub-plots involving stolen money and some gangsters seems superfluous and gives the film a somewhat melodramatic air and its down-beat mood meant it was never a popular success and it is hardly ever revived. But seek it out, all the same; it is certainly worth seeing.
    helpful•41
    0
    • MOscarbradley
    • Aug 13, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 1967 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Šaptači
    • Filming locations
      • Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Seven Pines
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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