Tempest (1982 film)

Plot

The movie tells the story of Phillip Dimitrius (John Cassavetes), a middle-aged New York City architect who is going through a difficult mid-life crisis.

After learning that his wife Antonia has been having an affair, Dimitrius leaves New York City and moves to a Greek island with his teenage daughter, Miranda (Molly Ringwald). In Athens he meets Aretha Tomalin (Susan Sarandon), a singer, and they become lovers. Mysteriously, he takes a vow of celibacy after they move to the island.

Living on the island is Kalibanos, an eccentric hermit (Raúl Juliá) who was previously its only resident.

Phillip Dimitrius finally seems happy, until one day a twist of fate brings his wife, her new lover Alonzo (Phillip's ex-boss), and Alonzo's son Freddy to the island due to a shipwreck.

Background

The picture was filmed on location, including: Athens, Greece; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and New York City, New York. Susan Sarandon’s character’s last name, Tomalin, is her own maiden name. She took her husband’s last name when she married Chris Sarandon.

Distribution

The film premiered in the United States on August 13, 1982.

It was screened at various film festivals, including: the Venice Film Festival, Italy; the Toronto International Film Festival, Canada; the Davao City Film Festival, Philippines; and others.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a fresh rating of 71%. Vincent Canby, film critic for The New York Times, was harsh in his review. He praised Paul Mazursky for some of his earlier works but Canby did not like this film, and wrote, "Tempest is an overblown, fancified freak of a film. Experiencing it is like watching a 10-ton canary as it attempts to become airborne. It lumbers up and down the runway tirelessly, but never once succeeds in getting both feet off the ground at the same time. The spectacle is amusing in isolated moments but, finally, exhausting."

Box office

The film was a box office flop.

Accolades

Wins

Nominations