IMDb > The Iceman Cometh (1973)

The Iceman Cometh (1973) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   517 votes
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Up 29% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Frankenheimer
Writers:
Thomas Quinn Curtiss (writer)
Eugene O'Neill (play)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Iceman Cometh on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
It's 1912 and the patrons of 'The Last Chance Saloon' have gathered for their evening of whiskey to contemplate their lost faith and dreams... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 wins more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Paul Giamatti: 'I'm clearly not Brad Pitt'
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 12 November 2009, 1:27 AM, PST)
Remember...The American Film Theatre!
 (From CinemaRetro. 16 April 2009, 1:12 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Remarks more (20 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Lee Marvin ... Theodore 'Hickey' Hickman

Fredric March ... Harry Hope

Robert Ryan ... Larry Slade

Jeff Bridges ... Don Parritt
Bradford Dillman ... Willie Oban
Sorrell Booke ... Hugo Kalmar
Hildy Brooks ... Margie

Juno Dawson ... Pearl (as Nancy Juno Dawson)
Evans Evans ... Cora
Martyn Green ... Cecil Lewis
Moses Gunn ... Joe Mott
Clifton James ... Pat McGloin
John McLiam ... Jimmy Tomorrow
Stephen Pearlman ... Chuck Morelo
Tom Pedi ... Rocky Pioggi
more

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
239 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
USA:PG
Filming Locations:
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
Company:
Cinévision Ltée more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Sorrell Booke, who played Hugo Kalmar in the 1960 television version of The Iceman Cometh (1960) (TV), repeats his role here. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Murder, She Wrote: The Taxman Cometh (#7.15)" (1991) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
24 out of 28 people found the following comment useful.
Remarks, 27 October 2003
10/10
Author: Dean Nolan from Chicago, Il

Can I tell you that I have waited 30 years to see this movie? When I was in my late teens, I received a brochure in the mail advertising the American Film Theater series. One of the films in the series that made my eyes pop was the promise to show Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh". I was a big fan of O'Neill's work, but felt cheated by AFT's disastrous marketing concept of showing it's films to season subscribers only, and then only giving them two days to see the film. I was forced to take a pass, but mourned my loss ever since.

This play is rarely performed. At four hours, it would task most theater companies, and Hickey's 25 minute soliloquy in the last act requires only the best actors to pull off. I was fortunate to have seen this play, once in my life, performed on the stage. This was Chicago's Goodman Theater production starring Brian Dennehy as Hickey in 1990. I felt fortunate, but came away from that production dissatisfied. Dennehy was a "good" Hickey, but not a great one, and the rest of the cast left me a little shallow.

How glad I was then to discover that this film had been re-released. By pure chance, I saw a notice in the paper that this film would be showing at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. I couldn't let this opportunity pass by a second time. I attended the screening and was absolutely stunned. It exceeded my expectations.

First of all, the cast was stellar. Robert Ryan played his last film role here, and it was perfect. I don't say something like that very often. I cannot imagine a better Larry.

Fredric March played his last role here too, as Harry Hope. Also an excellent performance.

The question everyone would be asking about is Hickey, played by Lee Marvin. Was he up to the role? To my surprise, Marvin couldn't have been a better choice.

Hickey was a salesman, and a rare one at that. He was the type of salesman that could knock on your door and convince you that what he had to sell was what you needed. A salesman like that had to exude a sense of complete self confidence. They would have to be totally sure of themselves and show it. Lee Marvin did that perfectly.

The tragedy of Hickey was that he was his own best customer. He was a tortured soul until he came across a solution that made him feel that he could live with himself again, thus creating his own pipedream. His mistake was to think he found a solution that would save humanity.

Unfortunately, in Harry Hope's dive, pipe-dreams and illusions were the only thing the patrons had to live for. Tampering with that created disaster.

Lee Marvin convinced me that he was Hickey, and in a play like this, that is quite an accomplishment.

By the way, I discovered that this film is now available on VHF and DVD. I am getting a copy.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Iceman Cometh (1973)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Tom Pedi also reprised!! mickeyv007
I saw both in college, + the 1960 teleplay is by far the better version february2nd
this film is so dark, I wonder if the writer thought FlorenceLawrence
trying to hire this out at the moment, whats it like, no spoilers plea FlorenceLawrence
more

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