''The Lightship'' is a

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

American drama film directed by

Jerzy Skolimowski Jerzy Skolimowski (, born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début ''Oko wykol' ...

. The film stars

Klaus Maria Brandauer Klaus Maria Brandauer (; born Klaus Georg Steng; 22 June 1943) is an Austrian actor and director. He is also a professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar. Brandauer is known internationally for his roles in ''The Russia House'' (1990), ''Mephisto'' ...

and

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

, with early appearances by

Arliss Howard Leslie Richard "Arliss" Howard (born October 18, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director. He is known for his roles in the films ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987), '' Tequila Sunrise'' (1988), '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (19 ...

and William Forsythe. The film is based on the novella "Das Feuerschiff" ("The Lightship" in German) by German author

Siegfried Lenz Siegfried Lenz (; 17 March 19267 October 2014) was a German writer of novels, short stories and essays, as well as dramas for radio and the theatre. In 2000 he received the Goethe Prize on the 250th Anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's bi ...

which had previously been made into a German film of the same title in 1963. The film was the last made by

CBS Theatrical Films CBS Theatrical Films, also as CBS Theatrical Films Group, was the film production branch of the U.S. television network, CBS, which was active from 1979 to 1985. CBS was also a partner in TriStar Pictures, which started as a joint venture with Col ...

, which went out of business in November 1985. The film was distributed by

Castle Hill Productions Castle Hill Productions was an independent television and film distribution company handling classic and independent films whose library spans eight decades. History Founded in 1978 by Julian Schlossberg, Castle Hill Productions revived and re ...

just nine months after the closure of the studio.

Plot

The story follows the crew of a small ship run by a man named Miller. Sailing out to sea, the ship is taken over by three criminals, one of them named Caspary. Just when they think they are safe, the criminals find themselves battling the crew for control of the vessel. The conflict between the captain (Brandauer) and his son is an important part of the plot. The son wants to subdue the criminals, Captain Miller is against the idea. His son sees this as cowardice, but in reality Miller feels protecting the crew is more important than apprehending the criminals.

Cast

- Caspary *

- Kapitan Miller *

Badja Djola Badja Medu Djola (born Bernard Bradley; April 9, 1948 – January 8, 2005) was an American actor from Brooklyn, New York who worked primarily within black film. He is best known for ''Mississippi Burning'', ''Penitentiary'', ''A Rage in Harl ...

- Nate *

- Eddie * William Forsythe - Gene * Tim Phillips - Thorne *

Tom Bower Thomas Michael Bower (born 28 September 1946) is a British writer and former BBC journalist and television producer. He is known for his investigative journalism and for his unauthorised biographies, often of business tycoons and newspaper pr ...

- Coop * Michael Lyndon - Alex *

Robert Costanzo Robert Jason Costanzo (born October 20, 1942) is an American film, television and voice actor. He has an acting career spanning over 40 years and is often found playing surly New York City types such as crooks, low-level workers and policemen, a ...

- Stump

External links

* * * * * * * 1986 films 1980s thriller drama films 1980s psychological thriller films American psychological thriller films American remakes of German films American thriller drama films CBS Theatrical Films films Films about the United States Coast Guard Films based on German novels Films directed by Jerzy Skolimowski Films scored by Stanley Myers Films about ship hijackings 1985 drama films 1985 films 1986 drama films 1980s American films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub