On the eve of his 78th birthday, the ailing, alcoholic writer Clive Langham spends a painful and sleepless night mentally composing and recomposing scenes for a novel in which characters based on his own family are shaped by his fantasies and memories, alongside his caustic commentary on their behaviour.
             
                        
            
                                
                                
                                
                    Cast: Dirk Bogarde, David Warner, Ellen Burstyn, Cyril Luckham, John Gielgud, Tanya Lopert, Elaine Stritch, Denis Lawson, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Milo Sperber