Rent The Dead (1987)
3.8 of 5 from 73 ratings
1h 20min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
It is the Feast of Epiphany (6th January) 1904 in Dublin and time for one of the highlights of the season - the grand party thrown by Misses Kate (Helena Carroll) and Julia (Cathleen Delany) Morkan and their niece, Mary Jane (Ingrid Craigie). Their favourite nephew, Gabriel Conroy (Donal McCann) arrives with his beautiful wife, Gretta (Anjelica Huston), and acts as host. Although a splendid evening is had by all, Gretta is profoundly affected when she hears the words of a sentimental old song - The Lass of Aughrim. She weeps as she tells of a brief and innocent romance from her youth, cut short by the young man's death at the age of seventeen. In all their years of marriage, Gabriel has never heard her speak of this boy, locked away in her heart. His jealousy gives way to sadness as he realises he has never felt such passion, and his thoughts turn to death, for without passion there is only death. Gabriel's agony of self-doubt, the sudden awareness of his own frailty, becomes a vision of a bleak, wintry landscape, a revelation of universal truth uniting the living and the dead. - Actors:
- Anjelica Huston, Donal McCann, Dan O'Herlihy, Donal Donnelly, Helena Carroll, Cathleen Delany, Ingrid Craigie, Rachael Dowling, Marie Kean, Frank Patterson, Maria McDermottroe, Sean McClory, Kate O'Toole, Maria Hayden, Bairbre Dowling
- Directors:
- John Huston
- Producers:
- Wieland Schulz-Keil, Chris Sievernich
- Writers:
- James Joyce, Tony Huston
- Others:
- Dorothy Jeakins
- Aka:
- John Huston's The Dead
- Studio:
- Network UK
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- Award Winners, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 2, Top 10 Best Last Films, Top Films
- Countries:
- Ireland
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 26/01/2026
- Run Time:
- 83 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New interview with author Colum McCann on the James Joyce short story and its adaptation for the film
- New 2K restoration of 'John Huston and the Dubliners' (1987), a behind-the-scenes documentary by Lilyan Sievernich
- Audio excerpts from actor Anjelica Huston's 2014 memoir, 'Watch Me'
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 26/01/2026
- Run Time:
- 83 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
More like The Dead
Reviews (1) of The Dead
The Living Room - The Dead review by griggs
There’s a stretch in The Dead where I felt privileged just to be in the room. Huston lets the first two acts of this James Joyce adaptation unfold with such ease that you settle into the rhythms: the songs, the small talk, the careful politeness. You’re watching people perform versions of themselves, and it’s quietly absorbing.
When the film finally lets you past that surface, it does so with disarming directness. Anjelica Huston and Donal McCann carry the shift — McCann especially, letting Gabriel’s composure crack into visible bewilderment. But after so long on the outside, being brought this suddenly into something so personal felt intrusive, like I’d overstayed my welcome.
Underneath the warmth and hospitality, it’s about how the dead govern the living. Beautifully made. I just didn’t need that much access.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.