Tell Me a Riddle

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Tell Me a Riddle

PG

Released Dec 15, 1980

1h 30m

Drama

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5 Reviews

71%

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50+ Ratings

Aging couple David (Melvyn Douglas) and Eva (Lila Kedrova) have lost the spark that once infused their marriage. After nearly four decades together, the elderly duo is feeling disconnected and lost. When they discover that Eva is sick, they decide to travel across the country to stay with their granddaughter Jeannie (Brooke Adams) in San Francisco. On the trip, with Eva's possible death looming, the couple rediscovers the passion and love that had been missing from their lives.

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Kenneth Turan

New West/California

Though not a complete success, Tell Me a Riddle's rare warmth and tenderness are enough to make it a very special occasion.

Jun 17, 2022

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Beth Horning

Sojourner

Since its saving graces abound, I can't help loving the film of Tell Me a Riddle; I'm merely saddened at the thought that what those graces save it from is travesty.

Aug 15, 2019

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Ann Johnston

Maclean's Magazine

Grant has had the courage to make a film so quiet it's almost a whisper. Based on Tillie Olsen's novella, it is a vigil kept for the lonely exile of old age when bones creak, memories fail and hearts ache for times they can't return to.

Jul 19, 2019

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: B

Jan 15, 2013

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Tell Me a Riddle challenges us to face up to the rewards and pains of old age.

Jan 31, 2004

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Avera Y

The book is different from the movie but the movie is lovingly reverential towards Tillie Olsen as well as her real life husband, working class for him and intellectual class for her. The "Riddle" is how can elites and workers truly love one another? I mean this should absolutely happen if we want a world without classes to begin with, right? But who knows the answer? Maybe the ongoing endless search for an answer is the only riddle. Maybe it will never have an answer. I think that is the true theme of Tillie's story and the real reason there was such disharmony between this one couple towards the end of their lives. Her memory book in real life actually contained many frank Communists among its treasured pages. And I just learned from an internet discussion on Tillie's story...that the movie left out many that were actually in there. Maybe the story is ultimately really more about the clash of radically opposing lifestyles (ie: worker/intellectual) and the question of how love can survive within those divergences, despite a lifetime of earnest efforts to renew...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/30/25

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Audience Member

A quiet, sad, beautiful film that didn't get the attention it deserved when it was premiered in 1980. Kedrova and Douglas are completely convincing as the elderly, working class couple, whose bond still holds. The whole affair is nicely modulated; something of an On Golden Pond from a Jewish immigrant perspective.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

Beautiful performances from Melvyn Douglas and Lila Kedrova and thoughtful direction by Lee Grant but this is heavy going.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

I'm amazed with the tenderness with which this story is told on film. The picture moves slowly, which is good, as it allows you to pick up on poignant subtleties. Lila Kédrova is amazing as Eva. The only thing I find lacking in the film is the rhythm of Tilly Olsen's book in which you never forget why it is titled 'Tell Me a Riddle".

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Lee Grant

Director

Melvyn Douglas

David

Lila Kedrova

Eva

Brooke Adams

Jeannie

Dolores Dorn

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Synopsis

Aging couple David (Melvyn Douglas) and Eva (Lila Kedrova) have lost the spark that once infused their marriage. After nearly four decades together, the elderly duo is feeling disconnected and lost. When they discover that Eva is sick, they decide to travel across the country to stay with their granddaughter Jeannie (Brooke Adams) in San Francisco. On the trip, with Eva's possible death looming, the couple rediscovers the passion and love that had been missing from their lives.

Director: Lee Grant
Producer: Michael Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Joyce Eliason, Alev Lytle, Tillie Olsen
Distributor: Filmways Pictures
Production Co: Godmother Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 11, 2019
Runtime: 1h 30m

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