The Dead (1987)

My Review

Director John Huston’s final film is unlike most of the projects he was involved in over the five decades of his career, such as “Key Largo” (1948) and “The African Queen” (1951). “The Dead” is the story of a woman’s memories of a deceased boy friend recollected at a dinner party. Huston and screenwriter Tony Huston (John’s son) put together this interesting tale that holds viewer’s interest for 83 minutes.

The director’s daughter, Angelica Huston, is the star of the show. She gave an interesting and low-key performance. The film is set in Ireland, with mostly Irish actors in the cast including Colm Meaney, Dan O’Herlihy, Helena Carroll, Cathleen Delaney, Rachel Dowling, and Redmond Gleeson. Exterior shots were filmed on location in Dublin, Ireland, and other scenes filmed in a soundstage in Valencia, California.

“The Dead” is a fitting tribute to director John Huston, whose first film was the classic “The Maltese Falcon” of 1941. “The Dead” was not much of a success in limited release (meaning art house cinema) for Vestron Pictures, Zenith Entertainment, Liffey Films, Channel 4, and Delta Film. The film received two Oscar nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costume Design.