Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Eugene O'Neill (play)

Release Date:

4 October 1968 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Author Eugene O'Neill gives an autobiographical account of his explosive homelife, fused by a drug-addicted mother...

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Sailor | Family Relationships | Alcoholism | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

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

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Norway:16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

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

Trivia:

Jason Robards reprises his Broadway role in the movie for which he was nominated for the 1957 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the climatic final scene as Mary wanders about her empty house, the shadow of a crew member is visible in the room.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Charmed: A Wrong Day's Journey Into Right (#6.20)" (2004)

Frightening study in human disintegration

This film version of the great American play is powerful and devastating. The cast is excellent. Hepburn is able to show the alterations in her character with subtle horror.

This story is a study in how humans lose themselves in the fog of drugs, alcohol, sex, disease, and other escapes from reality. None of the characters is willing to take responsibility for what is happening, and therefore they drift deeper and deeper into the night. The real horror is the fact that they could save themselves, but they never come out of the past or the fog long enough to take the first step.

The emotional impact of the play is incredibly powerful even as it is underplayed. This is one of the few films of a play that really works well and translates the emotions of the stage onto the screen without losing the depth and the catharsis.