The Dead 4K 1987 Ultra HD 2160p

A film adaptation of James Joyce's short story of the same name—a true masterpiece about how one Christmas Eve can change everything, turning our view of life and, of course, death upside down. At a dinner party in honor of the holiday, the Conroys often quarrel, and upon returning home, the tired wife tells her husband about her first lover—a teenager who died because of his love for her. So, on a snowy Christmas evening, the hero, with tears in his eyes, understands the difference between life and existence.

User Review

Dublin, the sixth day of the newly arrived year 1904. The Morcan sisters welcome long-time friends and relatives to their home, invited for a traditional post-Christmas party. The narrative distracts the reader for a long time, forcing them to first watch as the guests and hosts demonstrate their skills in the fine arts—dancing, piano playing, singing, and reciting poetry. Then they eat goose and pudding, interspersing this important meal with discussions of the former glory of the Dublin Opera, as well as pathetic speeches and false compliments to the hosts...

The film is based on the novella of the same name by James Joyce from his Dubliners cycle (1914), which John Huston had dreamed of adapting for the screen for many years, not least because of his long stay in Ireland. The austere, ascetic, monotonous, and therefore seemingly long exposition, without any hint of intrigue, perfectly conveys Joyce's characteristic dispassionate narrative style, and at the same time, it is necessary here to create an almost tangible effect of presence in Dublin at the beginning of the 20th century.

The shift in time becomes an occasion for realizing the transience of existence and all living things. But the real insight comes when the viewer, together with the married couple Gabriel and Greta Conroy, hears an old Irish song. Therefore, when they arrive home after the party, the wife recalls her long-ago first love, a 17-year-old boy who died, and awakens in her husband a sense of loss and sadness. The light of this moment illuminates the characters' past.

This sudden spiritual insight evokes compassion and an emotional tension that allows the husband to realize the full depth of his selfishness, which had hidden the world of genuine feelings from him. Gabriel's anguished gaze reveals cold winter landscapes, loneliness, and the alienation of people, which has essentially turned them into living dead. Here, the meaning of the film, which no one expected from 80-year-old John Huston, is revealed. The wise classic, dying of emphysema, not only reflects on death here, but also says goodbye to the world, leaving his spiritual testament, which he manages to finish just a few days before his death.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (95.9 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 (96kHz, 24-bit)
#English: FLAC 2.0
#English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Commentary by film writer and author Martyn Conterio)

Info Subtitles