The Lightship

This article is about the 1985 film. For other uses, see Lightship.

The Lightship
Directed by	Jerzy Skolimowski
Screenplay by	William Mai David Taylor
Based on	The Lightship by Siegfried Lenz
Produced by	Bill Benenson Moritz Borman Matthias Deyle
Starring	Robert Duvall Arliss Howard Klaus Maria Brandauer Badja Djola William Forsythe
Cinematography	Charly Steinberger
Edited by	Scott Hancock Barrie Vince
Music by	Stanley Myers
Production company	CBS Theatrical Films
Distributed by	Castle Hill Productions
Release date	September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States

The Lightship is a 1985 American drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. The film stars Klaus Maria Brandauer and Robert Duvall, with early appearances from Arliss Howard and William Forsythe.

The film is based on the novella "Das Feuerschiff" ("The Lightship" in German) by German author Siegfried Lenz which had previously been made into a 1963 German film of the same title. This was the last film done by CBS Theatrical Films, who had gone out of business in November 1985. Subsequently, this film was distributed by Castle Hill Productions just nine months after the studio's closure.

Plot

The story follows the crew of a small ship run by a man named Miller. On a small cruise out to sea, the ship is overtaken by three criminals, one of them is Caspary. Just when they think the ship will be their haven, the criminals find themselves battling the crew for control of the vessel.

One of the main plot strings is the conflict between the Captain (Brandauer) and his son. The son wants to attack the criminals and subdue them, Captain Miller is against any such action. His son sees this as cowardice, but in reality Miller feels his duty is to protect the lives of his crew, as they are more important than apprehending the criminals for the authorities.

Cast

• Robert Duvall - Caspary
• Arliss Howard - Eddie
• Klaus Maria Brandauer - Kapitan Miller
• Badja Djola - Nate
• William Forsythe - Gene
• Tim Phillips - Thorne
• Tom Bower - Coop
• Michael Lyndon - Alex
• Robert Costanzo - Stump

External links

• The Lightship at IMDb
• The Lightship at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Lightship at Box Office Mojo
• Vincent Canby (September 26, 1986). "Movie Review THE SCREEN: 'LIGHTSHIP,' WITH DUVALL". New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
• Michael Wilmington (October 31, 1986). "Movie Review : Desperate Hours On The 'Lightship'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
• "The Lightship: Review". TV Guide. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
• Variety Staff (December 31, 1984). "The Lightship". Variety. Retrieved October 4, 2011.