The Day of the Locust (1975)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Nathanael West (novel)
Waldo Salt (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 August 1975 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

By train. By car. By bus. They came to Hollywood... In search of a dream.

Plot:

An art director in the 1930's falls in love and attempts to make a young woman an actress despite Hollywood who wants nothing to do with her because of her problems with an estranged man and her acoholic father.

Plot Keywords:

Art Director | Hollywood | 1930s | Accountant | Neighbor

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Donald Sutherland	...	Homer Simpson
Karen Black	...	Faye Greener
Burgess Meredith	...	Harry Greener
William Atherton	...	Tod Hackett
Geraldine Page	...	Big Sister
Richard Dysart	...	Claude Estee
Bo Hopkins	...	Earle Shoop
Pepe Serna	...	Miguel
Lelia Goldoni	...	Mary Dove
Billy Barty	...	Abe Kusich
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Adore (as Jackie Haley)
Gloria LeRoy	...	Mrs. Loomis (as Gloria Le Roy)
Jane Hoffman	...	Mrs. Odlesh
Norman Leavitt	...	Mr. Odlesh (as Norm Leavitt)
Madge Kennedy	...	Mrs. Johnson

Runtime:

144 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | France:-12 | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (w) | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

1240 Cerro Crest Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Betty Field was originally cast in the role of Big Sister but died shortly before filming began. Geraldine Page replaced her.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mrs. Odlesh: It isn't as splashy as some other places, but we pride ourselves on being a little classier.
Tod Hackett: [referring to a large crack in the plaster wall] Hmmm, the crack's real.
Mrs. Odlesh: Oh yes. We call this our earthquake cottage. Mrs. Porter had occupancy then. During the big one in '33. Property damage ran into the millions.
Tod Hackett: Will you fix it if I stayed for a while?
Mrs. Odlesh: Oh no! No! This is our showplace. Mrs. Porter wouldn't let us touch that wall. She worked that sampler herself to cover over the hole. Alrighty. I hope you'll be very happy here.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Blonde Venus (1932)

Soundtrack:

ISN'T IT ROMANTIC?

Armageddon visits Hollywood, thanks to Nathaniel West.

A most unusual film, this. And it is a personal favorite. True to the flavour and colour of the Nathaniel West novel. It is well cast, well conceived, and beautifully presented. It is the cynic's view of Hollywood, but with a goodly quantity of truth to it. It ranges from the banal everyday life of a court apartment house, thru some rather high-flown action at the cock fights and the sound stage, to a raging fantasy in its surrealistic conclusion.

I find it gripping, exciting, funny, suspenseful, and a heck of a great entertainment.