dir. Sydney Lumetwrit. Eugene O'Neill
feat. Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell
There is a natural challenge in adapting a play for the big screen since the scale of stage drama is larger than life while the camera brings the viewer in more intimately, making overly dramatic language and overblown performances cringeworthy. While this film suffers from both at times, particularly the early moments with Hepburn as the nerve-jangled matron, it holds onto the viewer by slowly delivering further background on each of the family members, developing them from a group of somewhat despicable folks into characters that while deeply faulted feel worthy of sympathy. Their faults and the roots of such are exposed to each other over the course of the day, aided by the loosening effects of morphine and whiskey.
It's refreshing to be thrown into a story without the typical easy introduction. Eugene O'Neill dumps us into the fray of this family and takes his time in revealing the answers to questions that quickly crop up about Edmund's (Dean Stockwell) health or Mary's (Katharine Hepburn) drug use. This approach makes a mystery of the story, lending the eventual release of information a touch of revelation, a comforting feeling for the viewer. When James (Ralph Richardson) finishes a long story of his childhood and dashed hopes and dreams as an actor, Edmund thanks him for the tale, and the audience is right there with him, relieved to learn more about what makes this miserly old man tick, the background justifying at least part of his behavior.
While the story is depressing and doesn't offer a load of hope for the family, it's a wonderfully satisfying drama that takes them through a long night that just might lead them to a better understanding of one another.
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