Rating: 
Summary: Hepburn's Greatest Peformance in O'Neill's Greatest Tragedy
Review: Eugene O'Neill finished writing "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in 1940, but when he died in 1951 his will specifically stated the play was not to be produced until at least 25-years after his death. Because his widow relented and gave her permission for this "play of old sorrow written in tears and blood" we are left with this 1962 film and Katharine Hepburn's greatest acting performance. I first stumbled upon this film on late night television twenty years ago and I still remember staying up and crying throughout the emotionally devastating conclusion with the camera slowly pulling back from the family sitting around the table before a stunning series of emotional close ups of the doomed Tyrones. This painfully autobiographical play is set on the long day and night in 1912 when the Tyrone family deals the news that young Edmund (Dean Stockwell) has tuberculosis. The tragedy is compounded by the rest of the family: a father (Ralph Richardson) who is a miser, a brother (Jason Robards, Jr., repeating his stage performance) who finds solace in drink, and a mother who retreats into her addiction to morphine before the night is over. Writing about his own family, O'Neill not only changed their last names to Tyrone but also switched Eugene with Edmund, the name of the infant brother who died. After watching this heartbreakingly painful story you know why the playwright wanted it tucked away until he was long gone. Hepburn received her ninth Oscar nomination for her role as Mary Tyrone (the award went to Anne Bancroft for "The Miracle Worker"), and the four actors shared the acting award for the Cannes Film Festival along with the principals of "A Taste of Hone" (no clue how they came to that strange pairing). The almost 3-hour film is the complete O'Neill script (the key selling point for Hepburn in taking the role) and was shot by director Sidney Lumet in sequence in 37 days after the cast rehearsed for three weeks. The music score is by Andre Previn and Boris Kaufman was the cinematographer of this black and white film. O'Neill is enjoying something of a revival thanks to Kevin Spacey in "The Iceman Cometh" on Broadway, but when it comes to film this is far and away the best representation of his work. Given that he wrote extremely long plays about the early part of the last century, it is likely we will never see a greater film version of O'Neill than "Long Day's Journey Into Night." Interesting background tidbit: Hepburn tried to talk Spencer Tracy into taking the role of the father. Tracy, who was already in failing health, turned it down, claiming it was a question of salary (Hepburn received only $25,000 for her part). Some of Tracy's biographers, wondering how one of the greatest actors of the century would have done with one of the greatest plays, have suggested that Tracy was intimidated by the role. Still, it is hard not to fantasize about the "Long Day's Journey Into Night" as a Tracy-Hepburn vehicle.
Rating: 
Summary: Eugene O'Neill's Greatest Work
Review: There is a lot to admire in this 1962 production of "Long Day's Journey into Night," and very little to criticize. This has to be one of the best versions of the play ever captured on film, and it has an excellent cast and script. The cast rehearsed the play for four weeks and spent two weeks taping it, and their efforts paid off. Katharine Hepburn plays the mother with wonderful dramatic intensity; compare this performance with "On Golden Pond," and you can see how far apart those two characters are from one another, and thus recognize the true scope of her acting ability. Jason Robards played Jamie Tyrone when the play was released on Broadway in 1956, and his performance is by far the most hypnotizing of them all. His experience and undertanding of that role is what makes this film. Sir Ralph Richardson truly becomes James Tyrone; you can't help but notice how his eyes shine with the truth of his feelings as he describes his character's past triumphs on the stage. Perhaps one of the most surprising and most satisfying performance (next to Jason Robards) comes from Dean Stockwell, who was at the height of his dramatic abilities in the early 1960s. About the only flaws in this film can be attributed to minor technical issues of continuity, lighting (it is very clear when the characters are outside versus being on a sound stage, for example), and the music. I felt that Sir Ralph Richardson's English accent didn't quite line up with the Irish heritage of the family, but overlooked it in light of his great performance. This film is truly an experience!
Rating:
Summary: a deeply moving autumnal tragedy
Review: This is one of the greatest and most unique films ever produced in America. This drama is an utter tragedy and the tortured Tyrone family drama plays out in real time: a long dark night of the soul. All of the roles are definitively performed. Hepburn gives the performance of a lifetime: full of pain and memories she can hardly bear to recall. There is also the remarkably simple but moving piano score of Andre Previn. If you need constant action to be entertained, don't subject yourself to Long Day's Journey Into Night - if, however, you are interested in the depth of the human heart and the catharsis of a shattering tragedy, this film will stay with you forever.
Rating:
Summary: Abysmally Brilliant
Review: After reading "A Long Day's Journey into Night" by Eugene O'Neill, and later watching the movie, I got a good idea of what I expected, but the movie went beyond my expectations. Katherine Hepburn portayed Mary Tyrone, cursed with a morphine addiction. Hepburn was the perfect choice for this movie, as she did a stupendous job of displaying random emotions as if she were actually on morphine. The believability is amazing. Although Mary's role was played extremely well, the others are not too deserving of praise. James Tyrone, the miserly Irish-Catholic who cries poor house to everyone, is portrayed by an unfit actor who needed much improvement. Tyrone (Ralph Richardson) needed to have been a little more extreme with his temper, which I interpreted from the play to be as a short fuse. Although I found the movie and the play to be extremely boring and morbid, it does an excellent job of showing, in American literature, the best display of acting, realism, and (ironically) truth behind Eugene O'Neill.
Rating:
Summary: This Journey's a winner!
Review: Long Day's Journey into Night combines a classic play with a talented cast of actors to create a striking cinematic version of Eugene O'Neill's drama and life. The movie depictions of a day in the lives of the Tyrone family provide an effective, dark look at the flawed characters O'Neill created from his own life many years ago. Katherine Hepburn's Mary is more intense on screen that the printed word could convey. She produces a scary visual of the personal and family damage done by addiction. Director Sidney Lumet reinforces the edgy, frayed tension, doubt and despair with his individual shots and with his ability to capture the character interactions in this troubled family. I appreciate the depth of O'Neill's work and how wrenching it must be to lay his life and soul open for all to see. Whether you know the play or not, the movie is a riveting look at a family the reader and viewer know is in crisis, through the eyes of an author, a member of that family, who came to realize the crisis himself.
Rating:
Summary: For the discerning viewer...
Review: No doubt this filming of Eugene O'Neill's epic play will not appeal to everyone (though there are suggestions of drugs, sex & violence...) This is, in effect, an exact filming of O'Neill's play, masterfully directed by a younger Sidney Lumet (Network, Murder on the Orient Express, etc.), and his trademark of generous close-ups is haunting. This is apt, since the entire cast won top acting honors at Cannes. Indeed, aside from the autobiographical train of events, the acting is, without exception, brilliant. This is one of Robards' first film roles, as well as Stockwell, and their performances are multi-layered and mesmerizing. Also, Ralph Richardson's role fits him like a glove. The most remarkable performance is from Katherine Hepburn...as a morphine addict? Wow! I remember reading interviews years ago where Hepburn admitted that she was scared to death of the utter complexity of the role. She was at a point in her career where she was worried that no one would take her seriously, or that she'd fall short in creating any of the many facets of the character. Well, it's complete! Affection, cynicism, duality, suspicion, and her deep trips into her past, not to mention that she's aware that her life's gone to hell...it's overwhelming. The play/film is episodic, but this is OK because it gives wonderful interaction among all characters (even Jeanne Barr, as the goofy housekeeper). It's all very atmospheric and quite profound, thanks to Lumet's understanding of his material. Andre Previn's unobtrusive score properly conveys "dysfunction" when necessary. At three hours, the time flies by, thanks to impeccable production values, and acting, captured on film, that any true aficianado will cherish. Sure, it's artsy, but it would be hard to present O'Neill any other way. I usually prefer widescreen, but the close-ups may actually benefit from this full-screen version. I'm proud to have this film, finally, in my collection.
Rating:
Summary: Landmark film....medicore presentation from Artisan/Republic
Review: Another strip-down medicore presentation from Artisan.... This is a landmark brilliant film of perhaps Eugene O'Neill's great play. The directing by Sidney Lumet and the acting by Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards, and Dean Stockwell is nothing less than amazing. This has got to be one of the 3 all-time greatest performaces from the late Ms. Hepburn! Simply one of the most amazing films of the 1960's. This should have been issued on Criteron. We should have gotten a first-rate restoration job with either a good documentary/back story on the making of the film, or a commentary by the two survivors of the film, Dean Stockwell and Sidney Lumet. Instead we get a nearly public-domain quality release. I'm so happy to finally get this important film on DVD...but I'm utterly disappointed at the slap-dash quality one has come to expect from Artisan.
Rating:
Summary: Emotional, Painful, and Long
Review: If you do not have the stomach for old or classic films, you will want to avoid this film. Leave it for those who can appreciate the extreme tension and release that are created by these wonderful characters. _A Long Day's Journey Into Night_ is an emotional descent, a painful adventure into the lives of one family who has plenty of skeletons in the closet. Katharine Hepburn is superb playing a mother addicted to morphine, administered to her after the birth of her son, Edmund. This event looms over the entire movie, creating tension and anger between each member of the cast. Yet, when we ask ourselves why each of the characters has drowned themselves in alcohol, an interesting notion arises. All of them use Hepburn's character as an excuse to begin drinking again, brought on by their painful realization that she is still addicted to morphine. And yet, I don't get the sense that anyone really wants to give up his or her own habit. In fact, one gets the feeling that they almost hope Hepburn's character relapses so that they can continue to justify their own need. Every character gains the audience's sympathy in this film, only to be destroyed by the memories of another character on stage. While I agree with those who believe that this sort of film is overdone, alcohol loosening the inhibitions of those in the film so that an open and free dialogue can continue long into the night, I think that it is nevertheless a real and emotional genre. Despite all of its wonderful qualities, _A Long Day's Journey Into Night_ is certainly true to its name-long. One gets the sense that it is being shot in real-time. While the dialogue is engaging and effective, I think that its length will turn off many viewers. Still, if you are willing to spend the time with it, I highly recommend this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Moving story buried under an hour of needless footage
Review: "Long Day's Journey into Night" is unquestionably affecting. It's simply a great story, brought to the screen by the able hands of director Sidney Lumet. I have recently begun looking carefully at Lumet's filmography and I hope someday to see them all. He has done some truly masterful work, and he is able to articulate with lucidity and candor the love and respect he has for his craft in "Making Movies". It is this book that got me interested in his filmography. Admittedly, I do not have the luxury of being able to compare the film with the play, having never seen it performed live. Yet, I have seen a few of O'Neil's works on stage, and all that I admire about the way he tells stories is present in this film. All of the O'Neil's I have seen have revolved around character's that have suffered some degree of disconnection from their loved ones. I'm sure you'll agree that "Long Day's Journey" is no exception. In fact here the disconnection is quite severe, although certainly not complete. I hate that the big finale is made possible by the tongue-loosening effects of alcohol. It's simply unnecessary and used by everyone. What I admired about this film the most is that every character was scathingly honest. There is not much that is held back. You need only to look at the first scene. If memory serves there is not one drop of alcohol used in that scene but each of the character says exactly what's on their mind, even when trying to restrain themselves for the mother's sake. In fact I think this half-hearted sheltering is a major contributing factor to the mother's addiction to mind altering substances. I like how she uses these substances not as a device to free her from her inhibitions, but rather to deaden the pain she's in, obviously not just from the rheumatism. It was the frank and genuine anger of these characters that sustained me through the film many painfully dull stretches. Which makes me wonder if I would have liked the 135-minute print better. Yet, there are so many instances of incredibly witty dialogue that I am afraid since the filmmaker's are so inept with regard to knowing what to take out is it really reasonable to believe that they would be any more adept at knowing what to leave in? If they are not, then some of my favorite moments may be lost. So, all in all I'd definitely recommend this film, just know what you're getting into and don't get too comfy.
Rating:
Summary: This Journey's a Winner
Review: Long Day's Journey into Night combines a classic play with a talented cast of actors to create a striking cinematic version of Eugene O'Neill's drama and life. The movie depictions of provide an effective, dark look at the flawed characters O'Neill created from his own life many years age. Katherine Hepburn's Mary is more intense on screen than the printed work could convey. She produces a scary visual of the personal and and family damage done by addiction. Director Sidney Lumet reinforces the edgy, frayed tension, doubt and despair with his invdividual shots and with his ability to capture the character interactions in this troubled family. I appreciate the depth of O'Neill's work and how wrenching it must be to lay his life and soul open for all to see. Whether you know the play or not, the movie is a riveting look at a family the reader and viewer know is in a crisis, through the eyes of an author, a member of that family, who came to realize the crisis himself. Art will never reflect life any better than this.
|
