A tardy recommendation for the holidays…
John Huston’s 1987 film The Dead is a neglected gem that begs to be rediscovered, never having made the jump to DVD. It’s a somber choice for such a jovial holiday, but one that may flatter the more pensive viewer. Like many works of art, its qualities tend to impress gradually, long after the end credits have rolled.
Lifted from a short story by James Joyce from his legendary Dubliners anthology, the film gives a fly-on-the-wall account of an Irish Christmas party circa 1904. Among the attendees are Gretta (Anjelica Huston) and Gabriel Conroy (Donal McCann), the latter of whom serves as a sort of narrator. In true Irish fashion, they sing, dance, recite poetry, consume a splendid-looking meal, drink gallons of whiskey, and make passionate conversation. The combination of good drink and Irish hospitality leads to many anecdotes and reminiscences. As director, Huston shows serene confidence during these scenes, fluidly cutting back and forth between conversations, more concerned with painting a portrait than telling a story. Slowly, the guests file out into the snowy night, leaving behind another memory. And then, suddenly, an epiphany happens. I won’t give it away here, except to say that it provides the protagonist with a moment of clarity, and changes the entire focus of the story.
Why is this a great Christmas movie? For starters, few films capture the moods and textures of a cozy holiday gathering so vividly. Fred Murphy’s delicately faded cinematography is transporting, effortlessly evoking turn-of-the-century Dublin. The film fully embraces its literary roots and yet it remains genuinely cinematic—the kind of movie where looks and gestures speak louder than words. Several volumes of poetry reside in the faces of its cast (especially that of Cathleen Delaney, who plays Gabriel’s spinster aunt), and the final scene, taken almost verbatim from Joyce’s story, is sublime.
As the title suggests, Huston’s film eventually turns its attention to the remembrance of those departed. In doing so, it takes the long view of life. When John Huston embarked on the project, he knew he was dying of emphysema. He passed away shortly after completing shooting. Life imitates art.
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