Waterland (1992)

Pittsburgh, 1974: A high school history teacher slowly losing it tells his class about his experiences as teenager in England during WWII incl. curious 16 y.o. Mary.

Director:

Stephen Gyllenhaal

Writers:

Graham Swift (novel), Peter Prince (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack, Ethan Hawke

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	Tom Crick
Sinéad Cusack	...	Mary Crick
Grant Warnock	...	Young Tom
Lena Headey	...	Young Mary
Callum Dixon	...	Freddie Parr
Sean Maguire	...	Peter (as Sean McGuire)
Ross McCall	...	Terry
Camilla Hebditch	...	Shirley
David Morrissey	...	Dick Crick
John Heard	...	Lewis Scott
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Maggie Ruth
Ethan Hawke	...	Matthew Price
Cara Buono	...	Judy Dobson
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Henry Crick (as Peter Postlethwaite)
Stewart Richman	...	Ernest Atkinson

Storyline

Tom Crick, a high school history teacher, is having trouble connecting - with his class, with his wife. He ventures into telling his class stories about his young adulthood in the Fens district in England. The emotional wounds from his younger life wash over him in present day, affecting his work and his relationships with his students and his wife.

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Plot Keywords:

death of wife | king | laundry drying on a clothesline | class | teacher | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and language, and for an abortion scene

Did You Know?

Trivia

Maggie Gyllenhaal's motion picture debut

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tom Crick: Once upon a time, children, there was a history teacher who came home one day, after giving a class on the French Revolution, to find that his wife, the woman he loved since they were children, had herself committed a revolutionary, a miraculous act.

User Reviews

Rapturous and haunting...

Here is one of the best films of the 1990s. I remember the first time I saw it, I wasn't too sure what to think. I've seen it countless times in the last six or so years, since that first viewing. I am completely in awe every time I watch it. In awe of the way Jeremy Irons conveys sadness better than any actor working today. In awe of the hypnotic score, the sense of mysterious longing it evokes. In awe of everything here...

I swear this film breaks my heart every time I see it.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Waterland

Filming Locations:

East Anglia, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,100,218

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,100,218

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Screen Productions, Channel Four Films, Palace Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1