Institute History
Description
Known through its production as On the Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Waiting for the Moon is a fresh and provocative portrait of Gertrude Stein (Linda Basett) and Alice B. Toklas (Linda Hunt) during a time which tested the depth and parameters of their love and trust. Neither straight biography nor totally contrived, Waiting for the Moon present us with a “possible” Stein and Toklas, enmeshed in a set of fictional, yet entirely possible, relationships.
Gertrude is ill, perhaps fatally, but she will not tell Alice. Alice, however, suspects the truth but, respecting Gertrude’s integrity, acquiesces as though all was well. Over the course of three months, their relationship oscillates between resentment, love, compassion and anger. Amidst all this, various other characters come and go—Hemingway, Picasso and Apollinare. The literate script by Mark Magill is emersed in the wit and wisdom of Stein, and structured as a series of five days. It is an original film, rich and atmospheric, exemplary in its treatment of real and fictitious events, and solidified by the remarkable performance of the Academy award-winning actress Linda Hunt as Alice.