AND THE SEA WILL TELL
US, 1991, 135 minutes, (179 minutes, miniseries), Colour.
Rachel Ward, Richard Crenna, James Brolin, Hart Bochner, Susan Blakely, John Kapelos.
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace.
And The Sea Will Tell is based on a true story, about a young couple accused of murder in a remote Hawaiian island, murdering a rich couple and stealing their yacht. Rachel Ward and Hart Bochner are the couple, in the situation of the early '70s seen as free spirits and wanderers. However, the Bochner character appears to be an angry young man and is finally convicted of the murder. Rachel Ward appears as a decent young woman, attracted towards losers, getting caught and ultimately feeling the blame for the deaths even though she was innocent. James Brolin is the owner of the boat. Richard Crenna is Vincent Bugliosi, the actual lawyer who prosecuted the Mansons.
1. Interesting story? True story? Of the '70s and '80s? Hawaii, the US, different lifestyles and generations, crime?
2. The Hawaiian locations, the island, the sea? San Francisco? The courtrooms? Musical score?
3. The title, the yachts, the islands, the Pacific? The overturned dinghy? The skeleton? The unfound body?
4. The opening, introduction to Buck and Jennifer? On the boat? Arrival in Hawaii, the shopping, pursued by the police, arrested? The interrogation? Their imprisonment for stealing the boat?
5.The structure of the film: the finding of the skeleton, the arrests, Jennifer and Buck being charged, the separate trials? The insertion of the flashbacks - Jennifer's memory, the testimony of the witnesses? The cumulative effect of the character study, the case, the trial, the solution?
6.The portrait of Mack and Muff, their wealth, their lifestyle, the boat?
7.The portrait of Vincent Bugliosi, his reputation as a lawyer, prosecutor (of the Mansons)? The sketch of his wife? Her support? The assistant? Bugliosi and his attitude towards his clients, the details of the investigation, his performance during the trial? The surprises? The verdict – and the portrayal of his skills?
8.The prosecution, the judge, the presentation of the jury, the witnesses – the contribution to interest in courtroom drama?
9.The focus on Jennifer, her experience, with Buck, being on the boat, the experience of the crime? Trial? Her being innocent? Her feeling guilt over the murders? The audience experiencing the story and the events through her?
