Dead, The (1987)

reviewed by
Hal Render

                                THE DEAD
                       A film review by Hal Render
                        Copyright 1988 Hal Render

Having just seen John Huston's last film, THE DEAD, I can only report it as a strange thing. A group of people gather at the Dublin home of two elderly sisters to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) in 1904. There is no real plot; the film merely follows the people through the course of the evening. We find out a little about each, what their relationships are, and how they feel about one another. Summed up this way, you'd think that there is little to recommend it. But you'd be wrong.

THE DEAD is a marvelous picture of a time and a people who are long gone. From the first shot, each character and scene are framed with loving care, and I found myself engrossed by every line of dialogue. The film is suffused with a wonderful humanity and warmth which draws you into the lives of these people. By the end, I was spell-bound by the magic web Huston and the actors had woven. In the theater where I saw it, several people were still sitting silently in their seats when the credits had finished and the lights came up. The film was that good.

THE DEAD is based on a short story by James Joyce in his collection DUBLINERS. It was adapted for the screen by Tony Huston (John Huston's son) and stars Angelica Huston (his daughter), among others. I'm afraid I didn't recognize many of the other actors, but other reviewers will undoubtedly know and list them. The film is not for everyone, but if you feel like hearing a final bit of poetry from a great voice of the American cinema, I urge you to see THE DEAD.

Hal Render
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
render@a.cs.uiuc.edu           (ARPA)
{seismo,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!render (USENET)

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