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The Dead (1987)

PG 83 min  -  Drama  -   17 December 1987 (USA)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 3,467 users  
Reviews: 56 user | 41 critic

Gabriel Conroy and wife Greta attend a Christmas dinner with friends at the home of his spinster aunts, an evening which results in an epiphany for both of them.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

James Joyce (story), Tony Huston
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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anjelica Huston ...
Donal McCann ...
Dan O'Herlihy Dan O'Herlihy ...
Donal Donnelly ...
Helena Carroll Helena Carroll ...
Cathleen Delany Cathleen Delany ...
Ingrid Craigie Ingrid Craigie ...
Rachael Dowling Rachael Dowling ...
Marie Kean Marie Kean ...
Frank Patterson Frank Patterson ...
Maria McDermottroe Maria McDermottroe ...
Sean McClory Sean McClory ...
Mr. Grace
Kate O'Toole ...
Miss Furlong (as Katherine O'Toole)
Maria Hayden Maria Hayden ...
Miss O'Callaghan
Bairbre Dowling Bairbre Dowling ...
Miss Higgins
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Storyline

John Huston's last film is a labor of love at several levels: an adaptation of perhaps one of the greatest pieces of English-language literature by one of Huston's favorite authors, James Joyce; a love letter to the land of his ancestors and the country where his children grew up; and the chance to work with his screenwriter son Tony and his actress daughter Anjelica. The film is delicate and unhurried, detailing a Christmas dinner at the house of two spinster musician sisters and their niece in turn-of-the-century Ireland, attended by friends and family. Among the visiting attendees are the sisters' nephew Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta. The evening's reminiscences bring up melancholy memories for Gretta concerning her first, long-lost love when she was a girl in rural Galway. Her recounting of this tragic love to Gabriel brings him to an epiphany: he learns the difference between mere existence and living... Written by Russ W. <russwlkr@ix.netcom.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Christmas Dinner | Epiphany | Ireland | Memory | Recovered Memory  | See more »

Taglines:

A vast, merry, and uncommon tale of love.

Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK | Ireland | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

John Huston's The Dead See more »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$69,074 (USA) (20 December 1987) (6 Screens)

Gross:

$4,370,078 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel 4, Delta Film, Liffey Films See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | Spain: (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Mr. Grace does not appear in Joyce's original story. He is an invention of John and Tony Huston's, and was chiefly included so as to permit a reading of the eighth-century Irish poem Donal Og ("Young Donal"). Although it represents a departure from Joyce's text, the poem is nonetheless appropriate to the story's themes: like the song "The Lass of Aughrim" that follows it, "Donal Og" deals with the suffering that love can bring to young women...just as it has for Gretta. See more »

Quotes

Gabriel Conroy: [asking Gretta about Michael Furey] What was it he died of so young? Consumption, was it?
Gretta Conroy: I think he died for me.
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Connections

Referenced in "Criminal Minds: Demonology (#4.17)" (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"Arrayed for the Bridal"
From the opera "I Puritani di Scozio" by Vincenzo Bellini
Sung by Cathleen Delaney See more »