The Dead (1987)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Tony Huston (writer)
James Joyce (story)

Release Date:

17 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A vast, merry, and uncommon tale of love.

Plot:

John Huston's last film is a labor of love at several levels: an adaptation of perhaps one of the greatest...

Plot Keywords:

Ireland | Memory | Based On Short Story | Singer | Snow

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Anjelica Huston	...	Gretta Conroy
Donal McCann	...	Gabriel Conroy
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Mr. Browne
Donal Donnelly	...	Freddy Malins
Helena Carroll	...	Aunt Kate
Cathleen Delany	...	Aunt Julia
Ingrid Craigie	...	Mary Jane
Rachael Dowling	...	Lily
Marie Kean	...	Mrs. Malins
Frank Patterson	...	Bartell D'Arcy
Maria McDermottroe	...	Molly Ivors
Sean McClory	...	Mr. Grace
Kate O'Toole	...	Miss Furlong (as Katherine O'Toole)
Maria Hayden	...	Miss O'Callaghan
Bairbre Dowling	...	Miss Higgins

Runtime:

83 min | Spain:79 min (DVD edition)

Country:

UK | Ireland | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:6 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

15 Usher's Island, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Liffey Films

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.

Quotes:

Molly Ivors: I didn't think you were a West Briton!
Gabriel Conroy: And what do you mean, a West Briton?
Molly Ivors: Someone who looks to England for our salvation instead of depending on ourselves alone.

Movie Connections:

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

See it, Read it and Love it

It's a short movie for such immense feelings. The last 20 or so minutes are among the most intense in the recent years of the industry. Huston (John) is dying and only love can make the difference. The actor's work in the long evening scene is absolutely marvellous.