Legendary Hollywood filmmaker John Huston didn’t make the same film twice. He was brilliantly all over the place with different genres. Whether it was film noir (The Maltese Falcon, The Asphalt Jungle), adventure (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), or sports (Fat City), among others, he definitely proved that he could do it all.
Buy The Dead (Criterion Collection)I haven’t seen every film he made, but I’ve seen enough to know that he is an all-time favorite of mine, and with 1987’s The Dead (which I’ve haven’t seen), it seems like he went out with a cinematic blaze of glory, since it was his final work.
Reading about it, the film sounds like a portrait of the completeness of life, and one of the later great period pieces of film. Starring the great Angelica Huston (John’s Oscar-winning daughter), the film takes place in turn-of-the-20th-century Dublin during the winter, where an extended family gather for food, wine, and celebration, until Gretta (Huston) tells her husband (Donal McCann) a secret that changes the family forever. Based on the celebrated novel by James Joyce (and written by John’s son Tony), it looks to me as a moody family drama about regret, lost loves, and the humanity that exists in them. It also looks like one of the great shot-entirely-at-night films, which gives it a feel of sadness and melancholy. I wish I could tell you more, but again, I haven’t seen it, but I’m definitely interested in doing so.
Originally released only as a barebones DVD from Lionsgate in 2008, the Criterion edition is going to be the definitive release. Judging by the screenshots, the film looks incredible on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, and the supplements sound amazing as well. They include a new interview with author Colum McCann on the James Joyce short story and its adaptation for the film; new 2K restoration of John Huston and the Dubliners (1987), a behind-the-scenes documentary by Lilyan Sievernich; and audio excerpts from A. Huston’s 2014 memoir, Watch Me. There is also a new essay by author and film critic Michael Koresky and a 1987 piece by T. Huston about the making of the film.
If you’ve seen the film and loved it, or love John Huston’s legendary career in general, then this release should make a worthy addition to your collection. The Hustons are synonymous with great cinema.
Other notable releases:
Captain Blood (Criterion): Classic-film heartthrob Errol Flynn stars as Peter Blood, 17th-century physician turned pirate after escaping unjust political punishment in Michael Curtiz’s 1935 classic swashbuckling adventure. Also starring the great Olivia de Havilland in the first of her nine films with Flynn.
One Battle After Another (Warner): Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed black comedy/action/thriller starring Leonard DiCapirio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and newcomer Chase Infiniti in an epic tale loosely based on a Thomas Pynchon novel, which concerns a band of ex-revolutionaries reuniting to rescue the daughter (Infiniti) of one of their own (DiCapirio) when their evil nemesis (Penn) reappears after 16 years.
Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, No. 5 (Criterion): A new box set featuring another batch of acclaimed international films presented by the legendary filmmaker and fellow cinema lover.
Caught by the Tide (Criterion/Criterion Premieres): An experimental romantic drama about estranged lovers in China during the dawn of the millennium to the COVID-19 era.
Diva 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Kino): Brilliant French thriller about Jules (Frédéric Andréi), who is on the run from from drug dealers, music pirates, and cops, after obtaining a recording of the woman of his dreams, the never-recorded opera star Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez).
