When the Whales Came
“A story so enchanting you'll wish it were real.”
A pair of children befriend an eccentric old man, who lives isolated on the far shore of their island home. But it turns out that the old man knows a terrible secret about the island and the whales who sometimes come. Meanwhile WWI is making life hard in the village.
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Cast
14 people
Paul Scofield
The Birdman
Known for
A Man for All Seasons
Quiz Show
David Threlfall
Jack Jenkins
Known for
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Shameless
Helen Mirren
Clemmie Jenkins
Known for
Monsters University
MobLand
Helen Pearce
Gracie Jenkins
Max Rennie
Daniel Pender
Also in
Hard Road
David Suchet
Will
Known for
His Dark Materials
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Jeremy Kemp
Mr. Wellbeloved
Known for
Top Secret!
The Blue Max
John Hallam
Treve Pender
Known for
The 10th Kingdom
EastEnders
Barbara Ewing
Mary Pender
Known for
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Eye of the Needle
Dexter Fletcher
Big Tim
Known for
Band of Brothers
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Nicholas Jones
Vicar
Known for
House of the Dragon
Darkest Hour
Joanna Bartholemew
Miss Tregarthen
No other roles listed
Clive Rees Director · Michael Morpurgo Screenplay Robert Paynter Cinematographer
First release March 28, 1989 · Produced in United Kingdom · Production Golden Swan, ITV Central
Production
American Continental Corp.
Production
Golden Swan
Production
ITV Central
Production
United Kingdom
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
Italy · March 28, 1989
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
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Some details come from TheTVDB.