Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7540 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-07-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Black & White, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Synopsis
This film version of Terence Rattigan's 1955 West End hit features a stellar ensemble cast. The film follows the interplay of a group of lonely characters who are staying at a slightly shabby seaside hotel in Bournemouth. The term "separate tables" refers to the practice of seating single guests at their own tables in the dining room, and serves as a metaphor for the characters' fear of intimacy. Major Pollack (David Niven) is a retired officer who likes to wax eloquent about fanciful acts of heroism in WWII North Africa, and Sybil Railton-Bell (Deborah Kerr) is a repressed spinster boxed in by an oppressive mother (Gladys Cooper). John Malcolm (Burt Lancaster), a cynical, hard-drinking, occasional writer, is surprised by the sudden arrival of his ex-wife Ann (Rita Hayworth). Though Ann's legendary beauty is dimmed by age, Ann and John both reach tentatively for some human contact. SEPARATE TABLES, a work that now seems relatively tame, was controversial in its day for attempting to deal with sexual problems, however obliquely. The all-star cast is excellent, but it is the genius of Wendy Hiller, in a small part, that steals the show.

Customer Reviews

powerful and moving film
A superbly written, beautifully acted, understated and yet wonderfully powerful and moving film. All the actors give the performances of their lives, the piece is beautifully shot and has you hooked from the first scene. No special effects, no computer gimmicks, no car chases, nothing but the power of the writing and the performances. Puts modern films to shame.

A gem of a movie!

This is a movie centred around a marvellous story.

David Niven plays a 'fake' Major. This is because he hides a secret past which is about to become public knowledge at a small Hotel where he has been staying some time. He is 'sweet' on a 'spinster-ish' woman (Deborah Kerr) who's dominated by her possessive mother (Gladys Cooper) There are other stories within this picture, but the story between 'The Major' and 'Sybil' is by far the most touching and absorbing. There are some wonderful scenes in this, and David Niven gives an outstanding performance and gets much sympathy from the Viewer.

This film not only shows how cruel and judgmental people can be, but how the best can be brought out after their shame - and in contrast, just how kind they can be.

A gem of a movie.

Also stars Felix Aylmer, Cathleen Nesbitt, Rod Talyor, Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster.

An Uninteresting Star-Studded Movie
This is Terrence Rattigan's character study of five individuals staying at a resort British town of Bournemouth. The setting of this motel is a symbol of a refuge for these five desperate characters trying to make their lives better, and staying out of troubles. The movie, directed by Delbert Mann, casts some of the best actors in Hollywood. David Niven won an Oscar award for his role as a retired Major (Angus Pollack). Mann is known for great comedic movies such as, Lover Come Back, and That Touch of Mink. His modest directorial role in this film is insufficient to make this movie interesting.

Ann Shankland (Rita Hayworth), a former model comes in search of her ex-husband John Malcolm (Burt Lancaster), who is currently engaged to Pat Cooper (Wendy Hiller), the manager of the motel. Other residents of the motel include, Sybil Railton (Deborah Kerr) an unassertive and frightfully repressed young lady living with her wealthy mother Mrs. Railton Bell (Gladys Cooper). She is casually befriended by Angus Pollack (David Niven) who has been charged with a minor sexual infraction in a public theater. As the lives intersect, emotions grow tense, providing all of the characters with their big dramatic moments. While David Niven offers a fine performance in this otherwise boring film, the viewers are some what bored by the role of Ms. Kerr who is known to have made some of the best movies Hollywood could offer. This movie is far from the magic of "Here to Eternity" that showed Deborah Kerr's love-making scene with Burt Lancaster on the Hawaiian beach.

Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster shine as ex-lovers forced to examine their pasts. Hayworth plays a passive woman in a reconciliatory mode who has not lost love for her ex-husband in spite of the fact she is engaged to be married again. Gladys Cooper is interesting to watch as she uses her status as a wealthy woman to control the opinion of the rest of the residents of the motel to throw Major Pollack out of the motel because of his run in with the law. The movie moves slowly in spite of some penetrating character study of the five individuals.