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With: Anjelica Huston, Donal McCann, Dan O'Herlihy, Donal Donnelly, Helena Carroll, Cathleen Delany, Ingrid Craigie, Rachael Dowling, Marie Kean, Frank Patterson, Maria McDermottroe, Sean McClory, Katherine O'Toole, Maria Hayden, Bairbre Dowling
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Written by: Tony Huston, based on a story by James Joyce
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Directed by: John Huston
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MPAA Rating: PG
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Running Time: 83
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Date: 09/03/1987
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'Dead' Reckoning
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
John Huston directed this, his very last film, 43 years after his debut The Maltese Falcon, from a wheelchair and with the aid of oxygen tanks, when he could have retired and relaxed in bed. The resulting film is a true labor of love -- a masterpiece, and perhaps the crowning achievement of a long, varied and highly celebrated career. James Joyce's original story is considered by many to be the greatest short story ever written, and Huston's son Tony does a remarkable job adapting it to the screen and capturing its autumnal mood. Gretta Conroy (Anjelica Huston) and Gabriel Conroy (Donal McCann) attend a winter holiday party at around the turn of the century (just a few days after New Year's). We casually meet their family members, the lovers, the outcasts, the failures, etc. We hear gossip. People reminisce about the past. Gabriel nervously prepares for his dinner table speech. It's a bittersweet evening told in relaxed, precise strokes, but then -- as in the story -- Huston delivers the punch right at the very end. Gretta and Gabriel travel home in their coach through the snow and Gretta reveals a devastating secret about her past. Despite the movie's sense of regret and sadness, it still has a lovely sense of revelry, and I think it would make a good holiday classic.
Lionsgate released a botched Region 1 DVD of this in November of 2009, but recalled it because it did not contain a complete print of the film. It was re-issued in December in complete form. It's a pretty bare-bones disc, but a must-see movie.
In 2026, the Criterion Collection released a long-awaited high-definition transfer on Blu-ray and 4K. The transfer, from the original camera negative, was supervised by cinematographer Fred Murphy, and the audio track was remastered from the 35mm DME magnetic print master. The result is beautiful. There's a fine grain and a delightful, soft, sepia flavor to the picture, with spots of brightness lighting things up from time to time. Bonuses include an interview with author Colum McCann on the story and its film adaptation (23:27), audio excerpts from Anjelica Huston's 2014 memoir (12:36), and the pièce de résistance, an intimate, revealing hour-long 16mm behind-the-scenes documentary shot on the set. The liner notes booklet includes an essay by film critic Michael Koresky as well as an article from 1987 by screenwriter Tony Huston. Highly Recommended.
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