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IMDbPro

A Whale for the Killing

  • TV Movie
  • 19811981
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
146
YOUR RATING
A Whale for the Killing (1981)
Drama
A female humpback whale is stranded in a small area during a storm. Fishermen of the village seek to kill the whale but a man visiting the area fights to save the whale's life.A female humpback whale is stranded in a small area during a storm. Fishermen of the village seek to kill the whale but a man visiting the area fights to save the whale's life.A female humpback whale is stranded in a small area during a storm. Fishermen of the village seek to kill the whale but a man visiting the area fights to save the whale's life.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
146
YOUR RATING
    • Richard T. Heffron
    • Lionel Chetwynd(written for television by)
    • Farley Mowat(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Peter Strauss
    • Dee Wallace
    • Kathryn Walker
    • Richard T. Heffron
    • Lionel Chetwynd(written for television by)
    • Farley Mowat(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Peter Strauss
    • Dee Wallace
    • Kathryn Walker
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 4User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys

    Photos

    A Whale for the Killing (1981)
    A Whale for the Killing (1981)
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    Top cast

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    Peter Strauss
    Peter Strauss
    • Charles Landon
    Dee Wallace
    Dee Wallace
    • Janet Landon
    • (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
    Kathryn Walker
    Kathryn Walker
    • Dr. Linda McFarland
    Bruce McGill
    Bruce McGill
    • Glenn
    Ken James
    • Mayor
    David Ferry
    David Ferry
    • Johnny Goodenough
    Richard Widmark
    Richard Widmark
    • Tom Goodenough
    David Hollander
    David Hollander
    • Stevie Landon
    Bill Calvert
    • Tony Landon
    Larry Reynolds
    Larry Reynolds
    George Merner
    Reuven Bar-Yotam
    Reuven Bar-Yotam
    Kent Barrett
    Arthur Rosenberg
    Arthur Rosenberg
    Tommy Sexton
    Colin Fox
    Colin Fox
    Vicki Whitten
    • Jeannie
    E.P. Henley
      • Richard T. Heffron
      • Lionel Chetwynd(written for television by)
      • Farley Mowat(based on the book by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      First acting credit for Newfoundland Pop singer, Alan Doyle (Lead singer of Great Big Sea).
    • Connections
      Referenced in Basil Poledouris: His Life and Music (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      A Whale For The Killing
      Sung by Denny Brooks

      Lyrics by Lionel Chetwynd

    User reviews4

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    3/10
    Read the book
    It's sad that only two movies have been made from the works of Farley Mowat, Canbda's master storyteller. Never Cry Wolf is much better. This movie whitewashes a rather complex situation. Good outsider v. evil locals. The truth is that Mowat comes across as a bit of a jerk in the book. Many of the locals resent the attention he brought to their small coastal Newfoundland town. And I can't say I blame them. Was the way the locals treated the whale wrong? Admittedly, yes, but the impression I had was that Mowat turned the locals into proxies for the entire wasteful and somewjhat criminal whaling industry. The Newfoundland locals didn't hunt whales and, for the most part, lived somewhat in harmony with nature. They didn't overfish and lived fairly simple lives. They shouldn't have shot at the whale, but whales getting caught in coves was pretty rare. Mowatt himself admitted that. And there was a pretty good chance the trapped whale would have starved to death anyway. The locals behaved horribly to the whale, but in the grand scheme of things they proved over and over again that they were not the bad guys. Skip the movie. Read the book.
    helpful•0
    1
    • petewood-59951
    • Mar 8, 2021

    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 1, 1981 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Playboy Productions
      • Beowulf Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 25 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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