Long Day's Journey into Night (1962 film)

Long Day's Journey into Night is a 1962 American drama film adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's 1956 play. It was directed by Sidney Lumet, and produced by Ely Landau, with Joseph E. Levine and Jack J. Dreyfus Jr. as executive producers. The screenplay was not adapted, but used directly from O'Neill's play, the music score by André Previn, and the cinematography by Boris Kaufman.

Long Day's Journey into Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySidney Lumet
Produced byEly Landau
Joseph E. Levine
Jack J. Dreyfus Jr.
Based onLong Day's Journey into Night
1956 play
by Eugene O'Neill
StarringKatharine Hepburn
Ralph Richardson
Jason Robards
Dean Stockwell
Music byAndré Previn
CinematographyBoris Kaufman
Edited byRalph Rosenblum
Production
company
First Company
Distributed byEmbassy Pictures
Release date
Running time
174 minutes
170 minutes
(TCM Print)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$435,000[1]

It was shot at Chelsea Studios in New York City.[2] The exteriors were shot on City Island.

The film has been restored and preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Plot and themes
Katharine Hepburn as morphine-addicted mother Mary Tyrone (with Ralph Richardson as James Tyrone behind her).

The film concerns a fateful, heart-rending day in August 1912 at the seaside Connecticut home of the Tyrone family.

One theme of the play is addiction and the resulting dysfunction of the family: All three males are alcoholics, and Mary is addicted to morphine. They all constantly conceal, blame, resent, regret, accuse, and deny in an escalating cycle of conflict with occasional desperate and half-sincere attempts at affection, encouragement, and consolation.

Cast and characters

Production

Producer Ely Landau did a version of The Iceman Cometh for TV. This impressed the widow of Eugene O'Neill enough for her to give him the screen rights to Long Day's Journey. The cast and director formed a cooperative and agreed to work for a lower fee in exchange for a percentage of the profits.[3] The film was reportedly shot for $435,000 over 37 days, two days over schedule.[1] Lumet later wrote that the total budget was $490,000.[3]

Reception

Joseph E. Levine bought the film for distribution, but said he lost money on it. "You cannot stay in business by making O'Neill pictures", he said.[4] Lumet later wrote that "there actually were some profits."[3]

Awards and nominations

See also

References
  1. Scheuer, Philip K. (11 Dec 1962). "Julie Harris Seen as 'Haunting' Hit: Director Wise Lauds Cast; Landau on 'Lost Audience'". Los Angeles Times. p. E13.
  2. New York: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie New York – Richard Alleman – Broadway (February 1, 2005) ISBN 0-7679-1634-4
  3. Lumet, Sidney (1995). Making Movies. New York: Vintage Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-679-75660-6.
  4. MURRAY SCHUMACH (Dec 6, 1963). "Joseph E. Levine says making of art films for U.S. is risky". New York Times. ProQuest 116525835.
  5. "Festival de Cannes: Long Day's Journey into Night". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.