The Day of the Locust (1975) DVDRip Dual Eng-Esp (SiRiUs sHaRe)

The Day of the Locust (1975)



Tod Hackett, fresh out of Yale, wants to make it as an art director in late 1930's Hollywood - but he finds himself increasingly distracted by his new neighbor Faye, a would-be starlet with possible designs of her own on a lonely, morose accountant. As Tod is drawn deeper into the lurid private lives of studio bosses and film industry workers, he gradually becomes desperate to know if Faye - or anyone - is capable of real love.



Donald Sutherland ... Homer Simpson

Karen Black ... Faye Greener

Burgess Meredith ... Harry Greener

William Atherton ... Tod Hackett

Geraldine Page ... Big Sister

Richard Dysart ... Claude Estee

Bo Hopkins ... Earle Shoop

Pepe Serna ... Miguel

Lelia Goldoni ... Mary Dove

Billy Barty ... Abe Kusich

Jackie Earle Haley ... Adore (as Jackie Haley)

Gloria LeRoy ... Mrs. Loomis (as Gloria Le Roy)

Jane Hoffman ... Mrs. Odlesh

Norman Leavitt ... Mr. Odlesh (as Norm Leavitt)



Director: John Schlesinger



Runtime: 144 mins



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072848/
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Codecs:



Video : 1.59 GB, 1655 Kbps, 25.0 fps, 656*368 (16:9), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4,

Audio : 79 MB, 80 Kbps, 48000 Hz, 1 channels, 0x55 = MPEG Layer-3, CBR,



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I've been lucky enough to see it on the big screen several times at revival houses, and each time I was blown away. Day of the Locust is a dark, compelling, amusing, bitter epic that's really more about America itself as filtered through the lens of Hollywood at its first creative height, in the 1930s.



What makes the movie, beyond the writing and direction, is its cast, and many of the supporting actors here create indelible characters. Why Karen Black didn't remain a superstar after this decade is a mystery, especially after this film -- in which she proves that she could act the hell out of a role. And how can you not like a film in which Billy Barty plays a foul-mouthed alcoholic (the first character we meet in the book), Burgess Meredith is a hapless door-to-door salesman, Natalie "Lovey" Shafer is the madam of a high-class whorehouse in San Bernardino, and Donald Sutherland is the repressed Homer ("No Relation") Simpson, an accountant who's so alienated from his own feelings that he's reduced to howling in despair in his own garden. And, in fact, Sutherland's character is involved in one of the film's most harrowing moments, which features a young Jackie Earle Haley as a promising child star of indeterminate gender but infinite obnoxiousness.



Anyway, if you have a chance to catch this film on the big screen, by all means do so, and be sure to add the DVD to your collection -- although, since we're coming up on the 30th anniversary, it's just possible that Paramount Home Video might decide to give it the deluxe treatment it deserves. Frankenheimer, et al, manage to take a brilliant novella by Nathaniel West and turn it into an amazing piece of cinema that will stick with you long after the lights go up. And, as an added bonus, you can just enjoy it as a great story, or delve deeply into the symbolism. This is the kind of film that works both ways, and one that you cannot miss if you consider yourself any kind of film fan at all, at all.



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Wow...



I've sat here in front of this blank for several minutes now.



I cannot find another word to describe this movie. The building tensions are handled so deftly, the ending, which must rank among the most harrowing scenes in all art, comes both as a surprise and as no surprise.



William Atherton, Karen Black, Donald Sutherland, Burgess Meredith, Richard Dysart - all incomparably perfect in every way in these roles.



Schlesinger is a master, the Barry score is cleverly arranged and the Hall photography and Clark editing, especially in the final sequence is just about the most prodigiously horrendous and horrific in all cinema.



I'm still shaking.



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Many critics consider The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West to be the best novel ever written about Hollywood. The screen version directed by John Schlesinger and written by Waldo Salt is one of the most faithful adaptations of a book to film ever made. Initially overlooked upon it's release in 1974 (to mixed reviews), it has since developed a huge cult following and is now considered to be a forgotten masterpiece of 70's cinema.



It tells the story of Todd Hackett who comes to Hollywood in the 1930's (but it might as well take place in the present) hoping for a career in set design, he soon finds that the road to success in the film industry is a difficult one and his journey takes a downward spiral as he falls in with the users and abusers of Hollywood, the desperate, disillusioned souls who, consumed by boredom and their own emptiness, search out any abnormality in their insatiable lust for excitement - drugs, perversion, crime.



Aside from top-notch direction, the film contains gorgeous (Oscar nominated) cinematography by Conrad Hall, a haunting score by John Barry, authentic period costume and art design, and outstanding performances from the entire cast. Notably: William Atherton as Todd, Karen Black (her finest role) as Faye Greener, a selfish, wannabe actress and extra, Burgess Meredith (also Oscar nominated) as her alcoholic father and former vaudeville star, and an almost unrecognizable Donald Sutherland as the sensitive, socially retarded misfit who is torn apart by those around him and triggers the films much talked about finale.



One thing is for certain, anyone who has seen the last 20 minutes of this disturbing film will never forget it. A must-see for film students, art directors, and anyone interested in the "golden" years of Hollywood.



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* The name "Homer Simpson" did not inspire the name of the character from "The Simpsons" (1989) - it's a coincidence.



* Goldie Hawn turned down the role of Faye Greener.



* Although Donald Sutherland is given top billing in this film, he does not appear for the first 42 minutes.



* Malcolm McDowell was asked to play a major role.



* Betty Field was originally cast in the role of Big Sister but died shortly before filming began. Geraldine Page replaced her.



* The character Dick Powell in the movie is portrayed by his son Dick Powell Jr.



* Red Skelton, James Cagney and 'Edward Albert (I)' were possibles for key roles.