| Seven
Great British short novels --Dead, The (James Joyce)
823.91082 R129 |
John Huston's last film is a labor of love at several levels: an
adaptation of perhaps one of the greatest pieces of English-language
literature by one of Huston's favorite authors, James Joyce; a love
letter to the land of his ancestors and the country where his
children grew up; and the chance to work with his screenwriter son
Tony and his actress daughter Anjelica. The film is delicate and
unhurried, detailing a Christmas dinner at the house of two spinster
musician sisters and their niece in turn-of-the-century Ireland,
attended by friends and family. Among the visiting attendees are the
sisters' nephew Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta. The evening's
reminiscences bring up melancholy memories for Gretta concerning her
first, long-lost love when she was a girl in rural Galway. Her
recounting of this tragic love to Gabriel brings him to an epiphany:
he learns the difference between mere existence and living. The
all-Irish cast and careful period detail give the piece richness and
gravity, and Donal McCann and Anjelica Huston are unforgettable as
the Conroys. -- IMDb |