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:

Freddy Malins: Oh, if you'll excuse me... See, I've never been able to relieve me-self in the presence of another. Otherwise, I'd have joined the army.

Movie Connections:

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

One man's opinion

I have watched thousands of movies in my life and I believe this movie is the most "perfect" movie that has ever been made. By perfect I mean the storytelling, the plot, the acting, the staging, the camera work, etc. (This is a lay opinion; I have no background in film production.) A lot of movies have perfect scenes, such as the bartender filing a report with the police officer in the movie Fargo. (Indeed, that scene could play well as a short.) In The Dead every scene is done to perfection, making the entire movie perfect. Perhaps, John Huston sold his soul to the Devil to make such a movie. Hopefully, Daniel Webster has gotten him out of the contract!