The Dead
Gabriel and Gretta Conroy (Donal McCann and Anjelica Huston), a young couple in early 1900s Dublin, are enjoying a holiday party when Gretta suddenly has poignant memories of a deceased former love. The shattering revelation of Gretta's secret past causes Gabriel to see his life â€" and all the world â€" in an entirely new light.
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Last updated: December 5, 2009, 5:05 pm
The Dead Customer reviews:
Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 54
(Five Yards, 2009-12-06) I had not seen this film since it was first released when I put it on reserve for students. When I had a chance to watch it, I was quite pleasantly surprised -- it is better than I remembered. Or I am older and appreciate the subtleties of the performances and cinematography. My students learned from the differences between story and film, as well as finding empathy with Gabriel due to the strong performance by Donal McCann.
(Robert in NY, 2009-12-03) I'm terribly biased toward this film. One of those that either grabs you, or bores you til your eyes roll back in your head. If youre looking for a plot, theres not much to summarize: you'll get an intimate look at a 1904 Christmas party in Dublin. Little happens. But much is revealed as this Christmas Eve passes. The attendees are a cross-section of (mostly) Catholic Dubliners. Joyce is quoted in the last few minutes of the film, in a very memorable scene. One reviewer here mentions several minutes of the original film were cut in this recent dvd transfer This film was only available (in the USA) on vhs until recently. Both the ntsc and 2006 pal dvd versions sold on amazon (and amazon uk) show the running time as 83 minutes. An old vhs tape selling on amazon.uk shows the time as 79 minutes, so I'm a bit confused. If it has been cut, its a shame; this one could be 4 hours longer, and I wouldnt mind. The incidental music is wonderful too. Incidentally, a Broadway musical of this short story ran briefly back in the '90s. I would love to see the full score of that show released, though I fear its not worth the expense for the producers, since cast recordings generally dont sell well. This is John Huston's last film. His daughter Angelica is a member of the magnificent ensemble cast.
(Dennis S. Stuempfle, 2009-11-30) I came here to write a review about a movie that I, quite frankly, I found slow and boring and a movie that did not hold my interest at all. I read good reviews about this movie over the years so I rented it. I was bored. My wife would have been if she had not fallen asleep during the first 15 min. We turned the movie off after 1/2 hour. So I didn't get the hype. BUT, after seeing so many passionate lovers of this movie rate it 1 because of Lionsgate cuts, I'm wondering if that was enough to spoil the movie for the first time viewer. Maybe it was. In any event, don't bother buying or renting this version of the movie. It isn't worth your time.
(M. J. Walters, 2009-11-12) I have been waiting for a DVD release of "The Dead" almost since the day I first discovered the film at a tiny video rental store. I fell immediately in love with the film and bought a copy for myself because I wanted to be able to watch it whenever I chose. Time passed. Even more time passed. DVDs which were just appearing on the horizon when I first saw this film eclipsed VHS but there was no sign of a release. I managed to burn the movie to DVD, a hectic and not-terribly satisfactory solution. When I discovered a PAL version was available I ordered it since I had a multi-standard DVD player. Why am I telling you all this? Because I want you to understand how I felt when I found that Lionsgate was finally releasing "The Dead" to DVD in this country. I was overjoyed, I pre-ordered it, and I waited anxiously for it to arrive. And then I watched it and nearly wept. It's not bad enough that the beautiful cover of the original film has been replaced by hideous cover art with no real connection to the film, save the image of Anjelica Huston, but to find that an 83-minute film has been chopped down to 75 minutes, and utterly without regard for the continuity was enough to make me furious, and determined to keep anyone else from buying this travesty. Fortunately Lionsgate has apparently discovered that their truncated version of the real thing was not being well-received (What were they thinking??) and has issued a recall. Information is here: http://www.seanax.com/2009/11/05/total-recall-lionsgate-recalls-the-dead/ They are taking the position that it was an accident. My thinking is that an accident is not sending the DVD out in the case, or sending defective one, or sending ones with the wrong film. Cutting a film to pieces is not an accident, it is a deliberate act. I see from the information on IMDb that in Spain, the release is 79 minutes. It's not as if this is as long as say, "Fanny and Alexander"'s original version, or another "Lawrence of Arabia." This is 83 minutes we're talking about. If you don't have an attention span that long you won't like this film anyway, no matter how much they cut out of it. This is a film that is short and perfect, and it should not be interfered with in any way. So if you were one of the unfortunates who bought a copy, please go to the URL I've just posted and get yourself a copy of the real (we hope) film before they say "Oh no, too late!" or do something else boneheaded to it. And pass the word. Lovers of this film have waited far too long to be jerked around like this.
(Movie Fan, 2009-11-11) I pre-ordered this disk so there were no reviews at that time. I gave it as a gift to a HUGE fan of this movie. I just found out that 10 mins are missing and I could definitely hear the disappointment. My friend has waited for years for this to go on DVD-why would they cut scenes at this point? I see that other have experienced the same frustrations.