White Squall (1996)

Teenage boys discover discipline and camaraderie on an ill-fated sailing voyage.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers:

Charles Gieg Jr. (book), Felix Sutton (book)

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Sheldon 'Skipper'
Caroline Goodall	...	Dr. Alice Sheldon
John Savage	...	McCrea
Scott Wolf	...	Chuck Gieg
Jeremy Sisto	...	Frank Beaumont
Ryan Phillippe	...	Gil Martin
David Lascher	...	Robert March
Eric Michael Cole	...	Dean Preston
Jason Marsden	...	Shay Jennings
David Selby	...	Francis Beaumont
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Girard Pascal (as Julio Mechoso)
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Sanders
Balthazar Getty	...	Tod Johnstone
Ethan Embry	...	Tracy Lapchick
Jordan Clarke	...	Charles Gieg

Storyline

A true story about a group of American teenage boys who crew a school sailing ship to gain experience, discipline, or whatever their parents feel they lack. The voyage is a true adventure for them all but it has its downs as well as ups.

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Plot Keywords:

sail | squall | storm | male bonding | acrophobia | 

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Taglines:

The Adventure Of a Lifetime Turns Into the Ultimate Challenge of Survival!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and a traumatic shipwreck

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Danish Spanish

Release Date:

2 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

White Squall - Reißende Strömung

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,908,514, 4 February 1996

Gross USA:

$10,292,300

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,292,300

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Largo Entertainment, Scott Free Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many sailors claimed no line squall existed. The derecho line thunderstorm that struck the USA Eastern Seaboard on 29 June 2012 is the kind of "line squall" that wrecked the actual sailboat on which the plot of the film is based.

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Goofs

During the inquiry into the sinking one of the prosecutors tells the skipper the national weather service does not recognize white squalls. The national weather service was not created until 1970, prior to that it was the US weather bureau.

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Quotes

Tracy Lapchick: Well, if it ain't Howard Hughes come to take me home!

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Connections

Featured in 76th Golden Globe Awards (2019)

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Soundtracks

SOMETHIN' ELSE
Written by Sharon Sheeley & Bob Cochran
Performed by Eddie Cochran
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

the weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed...

I would say that "White Squall" deserves more credit than it got when it was released. Portraying several young men and their captain (Jeff Bridges) going sailing and encountering a devastating storm, the movie really holds you. Never getting preachy about friendship and never turning into a silly action flick, it's a movie that knows how to tell a story. Another good addition to Ridley Scott's filmography. And that one scene with the Dutch school girl...hubba hubba! On another note, this movie was my introduction to Ryan Phillippe, who plays one of the young men (although his name didn't enter my vocabulary until I saw "I Know What You Did Last Summer"). Also starring are John Savage, Jeremy Sisto (Billy on "Six Feet Under"), Ethan Embry and Zeljko Ivanek. Certainly worth seeing.

I have to admit, I would never want to go sailing. Too many bad things seem to happen.