Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)

Author Eugene O'Neill gives an autobiographical account of his explosive homelife, fused by a drug-addicted mother, a father who wallows in drink after realizing he is no longer a famous ... See full summary »

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Eugene O'Neill (play)

Stars:

Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Katharine Hepburn	...	Mary Tyrone
Ralph Richardson	...	James Tyrone
Jason Robards	...	Jamie Tyrone (as Jason Robards Jr.)
Dean Stockwell	...	Edmund Tyrone
Jeanne Barr	...	Kathleen

Storyline

Author Eugene O'Neill gives an autobiographical account of his explosive homelife, fused by a drug-addicted mother, a father who wallows in drink after realizing he is no longer a famous actor and an older brother who is emotionally unstable and a misfit. The family is reflected by the youngest son, who is a sensitive and aspiring writer.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | sailor | brother brother relationship | irish american | alcoholism | 

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Taglines:

PRIDE...POWER...PASSION...PAIN!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1968 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Günden geceye

Filming Locations:

21 Tier Street, City Island, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min 170 min (TCM print) 134 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point during rehearsals, Sidney Lumet felt that Ralph Richardson wasn't really getting the proper measure of his character, James Tyrone. Lumet took the actor aside and launched into a 45 minute lecture about his character's motivations. Richardson finally stopped him by saying "I see what you mean, dear boy, a little more cello, a little less flute". Lumet confessed to being enormously impressed with this way of expressing it.

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Goofs

When James and Mary sit on the swinging bench, James' left hand jumps to his mouth.

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Quotes

James Tyrone: [Edmund has just recited a piece of poetry] You recite it well... Who wrote it?
Edmund Tyrone: Baudelaire.
James Tyrone: [Dismissively] Never heard of him. Where you get your taste in authors...
James Tyrone: [Motioning to Edmund's bookshelves] This damned library of yours: Voltaire and Rousseau and Schopenhauer. And Ibsen... Atheists, fools and madmen! And your poet, this... "Baudelaire." And Swinburne, and Oscar Wilde. Whitman and Poe... Whoremongers and degenerates! When I've got three good sets of Shakespeare there you can read...
Edmund Tyrone: They...
[...]

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Connections

Version of ITV Sunday Night Theatre: Long Day's Journey Into Night (1973)

User Reviews

One of the best filmed plays in movie history

I just caught an interview with Sam Shephard on Fresh Air where he mentions that this movie was one of the reasons he got interested in the theater. He talked about the great performances of Jason Robards, Ralph Richardson, Dean Stockwell, and Katherine Hepburn. My memory of the movie goes back to the late 60's in Berkeley when I had just seen a performance of the play by the Berkeley Rep and then watched the film shortly thereafter in an on campus showing. I, too, was blown away by these performances. In my mind, they rank up there with the very best in the history of film as an ensemble piece of acting. The direction by Sidney Lumet was outstanding and the screenplay remained true to the original play which has never been a common practice in Hollywood. Perhaps these characters resemble members of my family a little too much but they have not been forgotten in the 30 plus years since I last saw the film.