Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner, Mamie Gummer, and Tom Wisdom
Publicity Contact Media Site SYNOPSIS
In the year 1912, Seth Atkins (RICHARD DREYFUSS) is the light keeper for Eastham Light, located on a deserted outer beach of Cape Cod. His life is solitary and severe, but that’s the way he likes it. When his assistant suddenly quits, no longer able to tolerate Seth’s stubbornness and hatred for women, Seth is left to manage the lighthouse on his own.
That soon changes when a handsome and mysterious young man who calls himself John Brown (TOM WISDOM) washes ashore. Unable to remember which ship he was on or from which port she hailed, John stays at the Lighthouse, becoming Seth’s unofficial assistant. It turns out that the two share a dislike for women, based on previous unpleasant experiences in their life. They vow to never look at a female again and settle into a life dictated by the rhythm of the sea and the light, happily far from civilization and, in particular, women.
Their contented life is thrown into an uproar when two women from Boston arrive to vacation at a nearby cottage for the summer. The lovely Ruth Graham (MAMIE GUMMER) is well-bred and thoughtful, with a sense of adventure. She is accompanied by her charming and outspoken housekeeper, Mrs. Bascom (BLYTHE DANNER).
It doesn’t take long before the two women call on the assistance of John, who is immediately smitten by and cautious of Ruth. Later, when Seth meets Mrs. Bascom, he is shocked to find that it is his wife, Emeline, who he hasn’t seen for years; not since the day Seth left after a particularly bad argument between them. They decide to keep their previous relationship a secret and avoid each other as much as possible.
Over the course of the summer, Ruth and Tom slowly get to know each other and discover they have more in common than they had thought. It’s clear that there is more to Tom’s past than he is letting on. If he can let Ruth in, he may have a chance at love again.
At the same time, Seth and Emeline find more reasons to see each other than not and realize they have loved and stayed true to the other all along. However, can the hurt from the past be overcome to give them a second chance at their relationship?
The arrival of Emeline’s brother-in-law, Bennie (Bruce Dern), further complicates the situation, as he was the reason for their parting in the first place. Emeline had promised her deceased first husband to always care for Bennie, while Seth can’t stand him, finding him to be snobbish and selfish.
As the two women prepare to leave the Cape at the end of the summer, both men must overcome their own fear of commitment as they struggle to prove their love and worthiness.
Of course, love always finds a way, but not before all four deal with angst, mistaken identity, the nosy Cape Cod locals, a fistfight at the train station, and a nasty New England storm.
ABOUT THE LIGHTKEEPERS
Filmmaker Daniel Adams wrote and directed THE LIGHTKEEPERS as the second film in a trilogy about Cape Cod set during the post-industrial, pre-World-War I time period (THE GOLDEN BOYS, released last year, is the first in this trio).
With all three films, Adams is striving to create a new genre – one he calls “Easterns.” Similar to a Western, with a comparable time period in American History and featuring loners looking for connection over a vast, inhospitable landscape, an Eastern takes place on the harsh New England Coast instead of the American West. In place of cowboys, there are sea captains.
In his Easterns Adams is striving to revive a type of filmmaking that he believes has declined over the last 30-40 years. One that focuses on character and story, as opposed to special effects; one that favors mature plotlines, without resorting to controversy, sex, and foul language to make its point.
“THE LIGHTKEEPERS is a romantic comedy with a moral lesson about making an oath and sticking to it,” says Adams. “It’s not offensive. It’s a film you can take your family to see. It’s a traditional type of film. I have no political agenda or anything. I just think there is a demand and a need for films that don’t offend one’s sensibilities. My aim is to draw the audience in, not drive them away.”
The stars of the film, Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner, were both enthusiastic to get involved with a production that shared their desire for a return to a more simple style of filmmaking. For Dreyfuss, it was also an opportunity to play a challenging character outside of his comfort zone. “The idea of making a film about a guy who is in a time and a place so close to us and yet so far away was immensely appealing,” he says, “and I got to play someone I'm not, because there ain't no way someone's going to mistake me for (an old New England) fisherman.”
For her part, Danner was attracted to a role in which she could be a romantic lead. “Blythe read the script early on,” says Adams, “and she had seen GOLDEN BOYS and thought it would be nice to work on a film like that. And, as she often says, there aren’t that many multi-faceted characters like Emeline Bascom written for women her age.”
Both Mamie Gummer and Tom Wisdom were recommended to Adams by his Casting Director, Sheila Jaffe. “It was important that the two younger actors be able to hold their own with established, legendary actors like Richard and Blythe,” says Adams. “They made my job easy because they were both just so good.”
THE LIGHTKEEPERS was shot entirely on Cape Cod and its rolling beaches and deep blue sky serve as another character in the film. A longtime resident of the Cape, Adams felt it was important to capture the infamously unique light of the area. “Our cinematographer, Tom Jewett, really got what I was talking about and successfully put that on screen,” says Adams. “The light here is a combination of water, sand and sky that creates a richness I’ve never seen anywhere else. It’s a big reason why the film looks so beautiful.”
Creating a period film on a limited budget is always a challenge, but the production was blessed with a multitude of great resources on the Cape. “A lot of times when we would go on a location scout, we would find places that wouldn’t need much set dressing,” says Adams. “The people that live here have been very careful about maintaining the area’s authenticity over the last 100 years. Often, we would scout a location for the first time and someone would joke, ‘the set’s dressed, let’s shoot!’”
The detailed and authentic costumes were created by designer Mimi Maxmen, who did painstaking research to ensure that they were true to the period. “Part of the reason I hired Mimi is because she teaches historical costume design at The Parsons School of Design in New York,” says Adams. “I knew she had the credentials behind her to do a stellar job.”
In the end, Adams’ most enjoyable part of the production was the overriding sense of teamwork. “I try to make the atmosphere on the set collaborative - where everyone is involved. Shooting in remote places on Cape Cod was a huge undertaking - to get the equipment and cast and crew, horses and buggies over sand to the end of the world - but having everyone's involvement and commitment made it all possible."
CREW BIOGRAPHIES
DANIEL ADAMS (Writer, Director) Daniel Adams grew up in Boston, matriculated at The Roxbury Latin School, then Harvard College, majoring in history. He has worked in politics, including two gubernatorial campaigns, a race for attorney general, and a presidential campaign. He garnered valuable film production experience directing television commercials for a Boston advertising agency, winning several awards. Adams co-wrote and directed his first feature film in 1989, A FOOL AND HIS MONEY, which starred Sandra Bullock, Jonathan Penner, George Plimpton and Jerzy Kosinski (released through Trimark Pictures - now Lions Gate). He then went on to write and direct his second feature, PRIMARY MOTIVE, for Twentieth Century Fox which starred Judd Nelson, Justine Bateman, Richard Jordan, John Savage and Sally Kirkland, and was produced by Don Carmody. His third feature, which he also wrote and directed, was a comedy entitled, THE MOUSE, starring Rip Torn and John Savage, released through Strand Releasing, and received extremely positive reviews throughout the United States and abroad. His next film, THE GOLDEN BOYS, which he wrote and directed, starring David Carradine, Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, Mariel Hemingway, Charles Durning, was released by Roadside Attractions and Lions Gate in 2009. Most recently he wrote and directed THE LIGHTKEEPERS, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner, Tom Wisdom, Mamie Gummer and Bruce Dern. Adams is currently teaming up with producer Kate Edelman Johnson to write and direct the big screen theatrical version of the hit 1960s television series THE BIG VALLEY, which originally starred Barbara Stanwyck, Lee Majors and Linda Evans. Susan Sarandon is set to play the former Stanwyck role. As a novelist, Adams conceived, edited and contributed to the serial novel, Out Of The Fog, working with a dozen of the nation's best-selling authors. Also an historian, he is currently writing a biography of American Revolutionary War patriot James Otis. He is an avid sailor, voracious reader of classic literature and historical biographies, and a cigar connoisseur. JUDITH JAMES (Executive Producer) Judith James is a film, stage and television producer. Originally a New York theatrical producer of 11 award winning plays, her first television production was the Emmy winning IN HER OWN WORDS for KCET, American Playhouse, and the Mark Taper Forum. In a partnership with actor Richard Dreyfuss, her film credits include: executive producer of QUIZ SHOW; a producer on MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS; producer of TRIGGER HAPPY, starring Dreyfuss, Jeff Goldblum, Gabriel Byrne, Diane Lane and Ellen Barkin; and movies for HBO, TNT, ABC, and CBS. In addition she has served as consulting producer on many of Mr. Dreyfuss’ films. In a theatrical partnership with Camille Cosby, Judith produced the Broadway play of HAVING OUR SAY; The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years, by Emily Mann, and subsequent tours. Ms. James and Cosby also produced the movie version, directed by Lynne Littman, starring Ruby Dee and Diahann Carroll for CBS. HAVING OUR SAY received the coveted Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. In 2006/2007, she produced the thriller, THE FOREST, in India in the foothills of the Himalayas. She is presently developing a Broadway musical on Pearl Bailey called RAW PEARL with Camille Cosby and, RedBaron Films; readying BASMATI BLUES to shoot in Chennai, India; and DANNY, Stories I Know by
Heart by Erin Condron in Ireland with Grand Pictures and the Irish Film Board. With Kamala Lopez and Gini Sykes she has developed a series about girl gang members called LADY 8. Presently, she is an executive producer of THE LIGHTKEEPERS, written and directed by Daniel Adams and starring Richard, Blythe Danner, Mamie Gummer and Tom Wisdom. She is also directing the marketing of this film. Ms. James was instrumental in securing and constructing for WOMEN IN FILM an alliance with General Motors under which GM supported a myriad of WIF programs and events for three years, ending 2007. PINAR TOPRAK (Composer) Prolific composer Pinar Toprak has written music for an impressive number of diverse movies and distinguished filmmakers with over 25 scores in the last four years. Her latest credits include: THE LIGHTKEEPERS, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner and Bruce Dern; the action feature film BEHIND ENEMY LINES 2: AXIS OF EVIL by 20th Century FOX; the crime drama ORDER OF REDEMPTION with Tom Berenger and Busta Rhymes; the animated feature LIGHT OF OLYMPIA, featuring the voices of Debbie Reynolds and Phyllis Diller; as well as the romantic drama SAY IT IN RUSSIAN, starring Faye Dunaway and Stephen Brand. She has also written music for the Xbox 360 video game NINETY NINE NIGHTS, produced by Microsoft, as well as numerous trailers and commercials. Pinar was born in Istanbul and began her music education at the age of five at the renowned Istanbul State Conservatory. While at the conservatory, she studied composition and violin, as well as voice, and graduated with a diploma in classical guitar. CAST BIOGRAPHIES
RICHARD DREYFUSS (Seth Atkins/Bascom) Richard Dreyfuss was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1947 and began his acting career at the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center when he was eight years old. He acted on television in shows such as BEWITCHED, THE BIG VALLEY and others for over a decade and worked in theater in Los Angeles from 1963 onward. He started doing features in roles of size in the early 1970s in films such as AMERICAN GRAFFITTI, THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, and JAWS. He won the Oscar in 1978 for his performance in THE GOODBYE GIRL. He has been acting in American theatre and films for more than 45 years. In his personal life, Dreyfuss has undertaken a nation-wide enterprise to encourage, revive, elevate and enhance the teaching of civics in American schools. He has become a spokesperson on the issue of media informing policy, legislation, and public opinion, both speaking and writing to express his sentiments in favor of privacy, freedom of speech, democracy, and individual accountability. BLYTHE DANNER (Emeline Bascom) Blythe Danner won a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE and has received Tony nominations for her roles as Emma in Harold Pinter's BETRAYEL, Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams’s A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and Phyllis in Stephen Sondheim's FOLLIES. On television Ms. Danner won two Emmy awards for her role on Showtime’s HUFF and was nominated for Joyce Carol Oates’s WE WERE THE MULVANEYS and twice for WILL AND GRACE. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for Anne Tyler's BACK WHEN WE WERE GROWNUPS. For more than 20 years, Ms. Danner has performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. She also played Beatrice to Kevin Kline’s Benedick in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING for New York’s Shakespeare Festival in the Park,
and she has appeared in several regional companies as well as with the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. Ms. Danner’s films include THE GREAT SANTINI with Robert Duvall, MEET THE PARENTS and MEET THE FOCKERS with Robert DeNiro, MR. AND MRS. BRIDGE with Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, THE PRINCE OF TIDES with Barbra Streisand, 1776, and three Woody Allen films; she also appeared in SYLVIA with her daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. On PBS Ms. Danner has been seen in Chekov’s THE SEAGULL, Shaw’s CANDIDA, and Williams’ ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE. Most recently she filmed WAITING FOR FOREVER with Richard Jenkins and THE LIGHTKEEPERS with Richard Dreyfuss. She is currently filming LITTLE FOCKERS. Ms. Danner has been involved with environmental issues for over 35 years and serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Union of Concerned Scientists and Energy Vision. She also serves on Planned Parenthood’s Board of Advocates and the Advisory Board of the Oral Cancer Foundation supporting the Bruce Paltrow Fund, named for her late husband. She attended the George School in Bucks County and holds honorary degrees from Williams College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and her alma mater, Bard College, and she was awarded the first Katharine Hepburn Medal from Bryn Mawr College’s Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center. Ms. Danner was born and raised in Philadelphia. Her parents met while singing in the Philadelphia Choral Arts Society. Her late brother, William H. Moennig, was the 12th generation of one of the world’s oldest and most distinguished dealers, appraisers, and makers of rare violins, William H. Moennig and Son, Ltd., on Locust St. Her brother Harry B. Danner sang the title role in THE STUDENT PRINCE at the Academy of Music in the 1970s and her sister-in-law Dorothy Danner regularly directs productions for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, among others. Ms. Danner has vivid childhood memories of attending Philadelphia Orchestra Children’s Concerts at the Academy of Music, and as a small child she sat on Eugene Ormandy’s lap and listened to violinists Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh prepare for their concerts. MAMIE GUMMER (Ruth Lowell) Native New Yorker Mamie Gummer graduated from Northwestern University, and also studied theater at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts. She subsequently made her New York stage debut in 2005, starring opposite Michael C. Hall in the Roundabout Theatre production of Noah Haidle’s MR. MARMALADE, directed by Michael Greif, for which she earned a Theatre World Award. She next starred with Kate Burton and Tony Goldwyn in Theresa Rebeck’s THE WATER’S EDGE, directed by Will Frears at NYC’s Second Stage Theatre, for which Ms. Gummer received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination; the Williamstown Theatre Festival revival of Lillian Hellman’s THE AUTUMN GARDEN, directed by David Jones; and, in her Broadway debut, Christopher Hampton’s LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES, directed by Rufus Norris, with Laura Linney and Ben Daniels. More recently, she appeared in the Classic Stage Company’s UNCLE VANYA, directed by Austin Pendleton, for which she was again a Lucille Lortel Award nominee. Ms. Gummer has previously appeared on-screen in Ang Lee’s TAKING WOODSTOCK, with Paul Dano and Emile Hirsch, Lasse Hallström’s THE HOAX, with Richard Gere and Hope Davis; in Lajos Koltai’s EVENING, opposite Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, also for Focus Features; in Kimberly Peirce’s STOP LOSS; in Jodie Markell’s LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND, from a screenplay by Tennessee Williams; in Will Frears’ upcoming independent feature COACH, also with Hugh Dancy; and in Tom Hooper’s Emmy Award-winning miniseries JOHN ADAMS, with Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. She recently wrapped Dan Adam’s THE LIGHTKEEPERS with Richard Dreyfuss, and Jeff Lipsky’s TWELVE THIRTY.
TOM WISDOM (John Brown/Russell Brooks) Tom Wisdom is a handsome and talented rising star born and raised on air bases across England. He trained at the Academy Drama School having received a stage scholarship. His career began on the stage and his work included the World Premiere of Sharman MacDonald’s BORDERS OF PARADISE at the Palace Theatre Watford; the role of “Algernon” in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Wimbledon; “Stephen Carte” in the much acclaimed London production of WHAT'S WRONG WITH ANGRY?; the leading role of “Bennett” in the West End revival of ANOTHER COUNTRY and he starred as “Stanhope” in the London West End production of JOURNEYS END. Tom’s acting career expanded extensively into television with THE GOOD KING for the Family Channel; BLACK HEARTS IN BATTERSEA for the BBC; WYCLIFFE for ITV; series lead “Edward” in CHILDREN OF THE NEW FOREST for the BBC; THE BRAND SPANKING NEW SHOW with Harry Enfield for Sky; THE CASTLE for ABC; WAVELENGTH for Richmond Films, and series regular “Tom Ferguson” in CORONATION STREET. He played the lead role of “Matthew” in the TV film ESCAPE TO SOMERSET for ITV; “Ivor Claire” in SWORD OF HONOUR for Talkback/C4; the leading role of “Stephen Clarke” in SUSPICION for Granada and series lead “Marco” in the Sky TV series MILE HIGH. Tom starred as “Adrian” in the US TV feature FIRE & ICE and most recently as “Oliver Manders” in POIROT opposite David Suchet. Tom graduated into feature films, astounding audiences as ‘Astinos’ in Zack Snyder’s ‘300’ opposite Gerard Butler in 2007 for Warner Bros. He swept America Ferrera off her feet playing ’Ian’ in the 2008 Warner Brothers sequel to SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS. He most recently starred as ‘Midnight Mark’ in Richard Curtis’s, Universal/Working Title film, PIRATE RADIO opposite Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branaugh in 2009. In addition to his studio films, Tom can next be seen in the independent film THE LIGHTKEEPERS alongside Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner and Mammie Gummer.
Courtesy of Joinatune Earthwords (ASCAP) 2009
Performed by The Makem & Spain Brothers
Produced by Zana Mesihovic and David Marcus
Bill Catania/Cape Codder Resort & Spa
Mary Phelps & Tommy Stahle/Earthly Delights, Osterville
David & Mary Wood/Puff The Magic, Hyannis
Claude Hooton, Roger Henson, Bob O’Reilly, Arthur Grohe & David Fahlstrom
Capt. Kevin Foley & The Schooner “Hindu”
The New Films Int’l Team: Belinda Onar (trailer editing) Sezin Hason (key art)
Ron Gell, Cetin Ortalan, Oznur Gunes, Vanessa Garabedyan Oner, Gozde Sarilar,
Melda Kucukcay, Mehmet Kocdemir, Duygu Eroglu, Cigdem Tasgin, Radu Nicolau, George Anania, Diane
Gheorghis, Marius Oprea, Jason Paycoff, Andrew Liberman
Story inspired by “The Woman Haters” by Joseph C. Lincoln
Filmed Entirely On Location On Cape Cod, Massachusetts
COLONOSCOPY – A colonoscopy is an examination of the rectum and large bowel. A colonoscope is a long, thin, flexible tube with a light that allows for direct visualization of your entire large bowel (colon). During the procedure you may have some cramping as air is added to the colon to facilitate examination. To minimize discomfort, we administer intravenous Please Note: TO AVOID C
You are advised to bring Rucksack 65L and large holdall for traveling weighing no more than 20 kg and containing: Sleeping • 3 season sleeping bag (or 4 season sleeping bag if you really feel the cold) • Bivibag if you have one • Lightweight basha/tarp (for sleeping on or under whilst out of camp) • Kipmat (foam, not inflatable as there are too many spiky ground plants) • 5m para