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The above is part of the toast offered by Gabriel Conroy (Donal McCann) in the middle of an Epiphany dinner party in 1904 Ireland. Little does he know that the rehearsed words that he recites, and that are met with different ranges of cordial acknowledgment and mild disinterest by the various guests, will come back to bite him in the very last act of the film.
The Dead is John Huston's final film, with a script written by his son Tony, based on a short story from James Joyce. Being a fan of classic literature, Huston's daughter Anjelica, has said that "it was very important for my father to make that film." Anjelica herself stars as Gabriel's wife, Gretta. The director died a couple of months before release, which makes of it a rather haunting look at life and death.
You gotta admire a film that doesn't really show its cards until the last 10-15 minutes. Because, for most of its duration, the film dwells in the mundane conversations between the assorted characters that meet for this dinner party, without really showing us what the deal is. Still, it manages to keep you engaged and captivated by sheer dialogue and performances. Conroy, Huston, and Dan O'Herlihy stand out from a great ensemble cast.
But it's also Huston's patient direction and affection for the source material what keeps the film going, even if we don't know where things are going. It is in those final 10 to 15 minutes that he chooses to show us his hand and leave us, the audience, in an existential void as deep as Gabriel finds himself in. Thoughts of the past, of youth, of changes, of absent friends that are missed.
Grade:
THE DEAD
(1987, Huston)
The last film from any director you like
(1987, Huston)
The last film from any director you like
"In gatherings such as this, sadder thoughts will recur to our minds. Thoughts of the past, of youth, of changes, of absent friends that we miss here tonight. But our work is among the living, we must not brood our stoop to gloomy moralizing."
The above is part of the toast offered by Gabriel Conroy (Donal McCann) in the middle of an Epiphany dinner party in 1904 Ireland. Little does he know that the rehearsed words that he recites, and that are met with different ranges of cordial acknowledgment and mild disinterest by the various guests, will come back to bite him in the very last act of the film.
The Dead is John Huston's final film, with a script written by his son Tony, based on a short story from James Joyce. Being a fan of classic literature, Huston's daughter Anjelica, has said that "it was very important for my father to make that film." Anjelica herself stars as Gabriel's wife, Gretta. The director died a couple of months before release, which makes of it a rather haunting look at life and death.
You gotta admire a film that doesn't really show its cards until the last 10-15 minutes. Because, for most of its duration, the film dwells in the mundane conversations between the assorted characters that meet for this dinner party, without really showing us what the deal is. Still, it manages to keep you engaged and captivated by sheer dialogue and performances. Conroy, Huston, and Dan O'Herlihy stand out from a great ensemble cast.
But it's also Huston's patient direction and affection for the source material what keeps the film going, even if we don't know where things are going. It is in those final 10 to 15 minutes that he chooses to show us his hand and leave us, the audience, in an existential void as deep as Gabriel finds himself in. Thoughts of the past, of youth, of changes, of absent friends that are missed.
Grade: