Water (1985 film)

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This article is about the 1985 comedy film. For the article about the Indian drama, see Water (2005 film).

Water is a 1985 film scripted by Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais, directed by Clement, and starring Michael Caine.

[edit] Plot summary

The story is in the style of Ealing Comedies. A small group of British people in the fictional Caribbean colony of Cascara suddenly become wealthy after discovering valuable mineral water in an old oil well. The government takes an interest, and in their efforts to get their hands on the profits, threaten to destroy the cosy way of life enjoyed by the island's inhabitants.

[edit] Other information

The film stars Caine as Baxter Thwaites as a Governor who has 'gone native' (similarly to his role in The Honorary Consul) and Billy Connolly as local biracial activist Delgado, supported by the last performance of Leonard Rossiter as Sir Malcolm Leveridge and one of the last performances of Fulton Mackay.

Water was produced by George Harrison and is unusual in that it features a performance at the end by a (fictional) charity band featuring both Harrison and Ringo Starr, rarely seen together in film or television performances since the break-up of the Beatles, together with Jon Lord, Eric Clapton, and Connolly on vocals. The song performed by the group at the end of the film, "Freedom", was released as a music video. The soundtrack featured reggae music by Eddy Grant and Harrison himself, with Billy Connolly contributing additional songs.

Despite being poorly received on its release, the film was noted for its script which addressed the confusion arising from the effects of colonialism on West Indian islands, spoofing the attitudes of both the locals and the representatives of Her Majesty's Government. The film received its first DVD release in North America in 2006.