#98: Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Part of the Top 150 Films series
Long Day’s Journey Into Night is my favourite play. Its trenchant examination of familial accusations, addictions, and dysfunctions never ceases to emotionally wreck me in any of its forms, whether on the page, the stage, the radio waves or — its best incarnation — the silver screen. Lumet is my favourite film director. His ability to wring the cinematic potential out of all sorts of materials and genres is second-to-none. It’s therefore no surprise that putting my favourite play with my favourite director results in a masterpiece of theatrical transposition to the screen. O’Neill’s text is brilliantly enhanced by Boris Kaufman’s cutting cinematography, Ralph Rosenblum’s electric editing and the cast’s heartbreaking, dynamic performances. Lumet, however, is the star of the show. His ability to construct and meld a unified cinematic style to an acerbic, very theatrical play means this film is the gold standard for traditional theatrical adaptations to this day.
