Water (1985 film)
Encyclopedia
Water is a 1985 comedy film
scripted by Dick Clement
and Ian Le Frenais, directed by Clement, and starring Michael Caine
. This HandMade Films
production was released in U.S. theatres in April 1986 by Atlantic Releasing
.
British colony
of Cascara. Widely ignored by the British Government, media and general public, local Governor Baxter Thwaites is having an easy life in his small and peaceful colony. That peace is disturbed when an abandoned oil rig starts delivering water - at the standard of the finest table water brands. Different parties, including Downing Street, the Cascara Liberation Front, the White House and the Cubans take interest in the future of the island and threaten to destroy the cosy way of life enjoyed by the island's inhabitants.
The plot seems to be inspired by the 1958 comedy Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
.
) and Billy Connolly
as local biracial activist Delgado, supported by the last performance of Leonard Rossiter
as Sir Malcolm Leveridge and one of the last performances of Fulton Mackay
.
Water was produced by George Harrison
and is unusual in that it features a performance at the end by a (fictional) charity band "The Singing Rebels" featuring both Harrison and Ringo Starr
, rarely seen together in film or television performances since the break-up of the Beatles
, together with Jon Lord
, Eric Clapton
, and Connolly on vocals (The Rebels being the name of the "band" Harrison played in with his brother prior to joining up with McCartney and Lennon). The song performed by the group at the end of the film, "Freedom", was released as a music video
. The soundtrack featured reggae
music by Eddy Grant
and Harrison himself, with Billy Connolly contributing additional songs. Most of the movie was filmed in and around Soufrière, Saint Lucia
, with some scenes shot in Devon, England and at Lee International Studios.
The BBC television presenter Paul Heiney
had a small part in the film as part of the In at the Deep End series.
Water was first released on home video by Paramount Home Video on 1 February 1987. The film received its first DVD edition in North America in 2006, courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment
.
Despite being poorly received on its release, the film was noted for its script which addressed the confusion arising from the effects of colonialism
on West Indian islands, spoofing the attitudes of both the locals and the representatives of Her Majesty's Government.
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
scripted by Dick Clement
Dick Clement
Dick Clement, OBE is an English writer.Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, Clement was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and is best known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais. Generally, Clement and La Frenais write comedies, or dramas with a comic tone...
and Ian Le Frenais, directed by Clement, and starring Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
. This HandMade Films
Handmade Films
HandMade Films is a British film production and distribution company. Through a series of sales, and acquisitions, the company now known as Handmade Plc owns all the rights and assets of the original HandMade Films Ltd...
production was released in U.S. theatres in April 1986 by Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974...
.
Plot summary
The story is set in the fictional CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
British colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Cascara. Widely ignored by the British Government, media and general public, local Governor Baxter Thwaites is having an easy life in his small and peaceful colony. That peace is disturbed when an abandoned oil rig starts delivering water - at the standard of the finest table water brands. Different parties, including Downing Street, the Cascara Liberation Front, the White House and the Cubans take interest in the future of the island and threaten to destroy the cosy way of life enjoyed by the island's inhabitants.
The plot seems to be inspired by the 1958 comedy Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a 1959 British comedy film made by the Boulting Brothers.-Plot:...
.
Other information
The film stars Caine as Baxter Thwaites as a Governor who has 'gone native' (similarly to his role in The Honorary ConsulThe Honorary Consul
The Honorary Consul is a British thriller novel by Graham Greene, published in 1973. It was one of the author's favourite works.- Plot summary :...
) and Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
as local biracial activist Delgado, supported by the last performance of Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
as Sir Malcolm Leveridge and one of the last performances of Fulton Mackay
Fulton Mackay
Fulton Mackay OBE was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom Porridge.-Early life:...
.
Water was produced by George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and is unusual in that it features a performance at the end by a (fictional) charity band "The Singing Rebels" featuring both Harrison and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, rarely seen together in film or television performances since the break-up of the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, together with Jon Lord
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, and Connolly on vocals (The Rebels being the name of the "band" Harrison played in with his brother prior to joining up with McCartney and Lennon). The song performed by the group at the end of the film, "Freedom", was released as a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The soundtrack featured reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music by Eddy Grant
Eddy Grant
Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
and Harrison himself, with Billy Connolly contributing additional songs. Most of the movie was filmed in and around Soufrière, Saint Lucia
Soufrière, Saint Lucia
Soufrière is a quarter on the Southwest coast of Saint Lucia in the West Indies. Soufrière was the former capital of Saint Lucia during times of French rule. It is now a small sleepy fishing port with an emerging tourism industry...
, with some scenes shot in Devon, England and at Lee International Studios.
The BBC television presenter Paul Heiney
Paul Heiney
Paul Heiney has been a radio broadcaster or television reporter in the United Kingdom for over thirty years.-Early life:...
had a small part in the film as part of the In at the Deep End series.
Water was first released on home video by Paramount Home Video on 1 February 1987. The film received its first DVD edition in North America in 2006, courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
.
Cast
- Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
as Governor Baxter Thwaites - Valerie PerrineValerie Perrine- Life and career :Perrine was born in Galveston, Texas, the daughter of Winifred , a dancer who appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities, and Kenneth Perrine, a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. Owing to her father's career, Perrine lived in many locations as the family moved to different...
as Pamela Weintraub - Brenda VaccaroBrenda VaccaroBrenda Buell Vaccaro is an American stage, television and film actress.-Early life:Vaccaro was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian American parents Christine M. and Mario A. Vaccaro , both of whom were pioneers in Italian cuisine...
as Dolores Thwaites - Leonard RossiterLeonard RossiterLeonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
as Sir Malcolm Leveridge - Billy ConnollyBilly ConnollyWilliam "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
as Delgado Fitzhugh - Dennis DuganDennis DuganDennis Dugan is an American director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, with whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go With It, and Jack and...
as Rob Waring - Fulton MackayFulton MackayFulton Mackay OBE was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom Porridge.-Early life:...
as Reverend Eric - Jimmie WalkerJimmie WalkerJames Carter "Jimmie" Walker is an American actor and stand-up comedian, known for portraying J. J. Evans on the television series Good Times, which ran from 1974 to 1979...
as Jay Jay - Dick ShawnDick ShawnDick Shawn was an American actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Shawn was born as Richard Schulefand in Buffalo, New York. He played Sylvester Marcus, son of Mrs. Marcus , in Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Lorenzo St...
as Deke Halliday - Fred GwynneFred GwynneFrederick Hubbard "Fred" Gwynne was an American actor. Gwynne was best known for his roles in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters, as well as his later roles: Pet Sematary and My Cousin Vinny...
as Franklin Spender - Trevor LairdTrevor LairdTrevor Laird is an English actor.Born in London, Laird appeared in the 1979 film Quadrophenia as Ferdy, a drug supplier for the main character Jimmy. His breakthrough role was in the 1980 cult classic Babylon. He also appeared in the 1986 Doctor Who serial Mindwarp as the guard commander Frax...
as Pepito - Alan IgbonAlan IgbonAlan Igbon is a British actor.Of West African and Irish background, Igbon has been a familiar jobbing actor since his teenage years when he took the background part of inmate Meakin in the 1979 cinematic re-make of the controversial borstal film Scum, whose character memorably launched an...
as Cuban - Stephen M Booker as Helicopter Pilot
Reception
The movie received a mixed review in the New York Times, which read in part "The folks who packaged this put-on operated on the theory that a lot of eccentric people doing nutty things produce hilarity. The ingredient missing from the fitfully amusing conglomeration of characters is a character for the whole. In kidding everything, the movie leaves us uncertain about whether anything is being seriously kidded."Despite being poorly received on its release, the film was noted for its script which addressed the confusion arising from the effects of colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
on West Indian islands, spoofing the attitudes of both the locals and the representatives of Her Majesty's Government.