The Iceman Cometh [2 Discs]

Director: John Frankenheimer John Frankenheimer

Overview

"John Frankenheimer's screen adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's +The Iceman Cometh is an unexpectedly good film of a play that should have been impossible to bring to the big screen intact. The movie holds up across 239 minutes of screen time, although only those who saw +The Iceman Cometh in its original theatrical run -- which was booked by advance subscription -- are likely ever to have seen it in that form, as opposed to the standard broadcast version, cut by 60 to 100 minutes. This DVD not only restores the movie (and it is a movie, not a filmed play) to full-length -- which, for various technical reasons, looks better than any theatrical showing is ever again likely to -- but comes with a pretty hefty body of supplementary material as well. The movie is transferred in its original non-anamorphic 1.85:1 aspect ratio, which frames it perfectly, as shot and intended to be seen. The timing and density of the image have been balanced as well as possible, given that several sources had to be used to assemble a complete edition of the movie. (The original negative was cut down to three hours, and alternate sources had to be used for some damaged sections.) The opening, in the darkness of the early morning in a waterfront flophouse, is rather darker than it looked in the theater, but one can easily discern details even in those shots -- besides which, it was 30 years between theatrical showings of the four-hour version of the movie in New York City, so access to that idealized situation is not something on which to depend. There's some speckling here and there, and a few places where the quality is a bit tough to match between sources, but there's also a lot of good consistency. Regardless, Frankenheimer's direction is consistently more beguiling than any transfer flaws are distracting. He never takes the film anywhere that the play doesn't go, but he keeps his actors so intense and fascinating in their work (especially Robert Ryan and Fredric March) and the camera so animated, that one never feels confined or constricted. That may seem like a funny thing to say about any dramatic piece running four hours, but it glides and flows, and doesn't feel remotely like a four-hour movie. The subject matter isn't easy, or particularly pleasant, although there are moments of humor, but it all feels more engrossing and enjoyable than one would think it had a right to be. The film comes complete with the two original programmed intermissions and has been split onto two discs, in a wide box that includes an insert with an essay by theater critic and scholar Michael Feingold on O'Neill and the play. The essay is also repeated onscreen in a frame-by-frame presentation as part of the supplement. Most significant among the extras is an extensive interview with Edie Landau, the co-producer of the American Film Theatre series (of which this was a part) and widow of producer Ely Landau. She delivers a series of reminiscences covering everything from the couple's early history with television productions of this sort to the failure of the subscription service to fulfill the payments and orders for tickets, which could have sunk the series. Her talk is engaging, often funny, occasionally filled with an infectious joy over what they attempted, and also a certain amount of tragedy and frustration. There's also a six-minute promotional film featuring Ely Landau from 1974, at the conclusion of the first season of the series, and trailers devoted to 11 of the AFT releases. There are 28 chapters spread among the two discs, and the menu is easy to maneuver."

Product Details

Release Date:	04/01/2003
UPC:	0738329027629
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kino Lorber
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	3:59:00
Sales rank:	36,551

Special Features

Theatrical trailer; "Eugene O'Neill and The Iceman Cometh," an essay by Michael Feingold, Chief Theatre Critic, The Village Voice; The AFT Cinebill for The Iceman Cometh; Stills gallery; An interview with Edie Landau, Executive in Charge, the American Film Theatre; "Ely Landau: In Front of the Camera": AFT promotional reel (1974); The American Film Theatre trailer gallery: Includes a complete list of the AFT films; The American Film Theatre scrapbook; Enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lee Marvin	Hickey
Fredric March	Harry Pope
Robert Ryan	Larry Slade
Jeff Bridges	Don Parritt
Moses Gunn	Joe
Bradford Dillman	Willie
Sorrell Booke	Hugo
Hildy Brooks	Margie
Nancy Juno Dawson	Pearl
Evans Evans	Cora
Martyn Green	The Captain/Cecil Lewis
Clifton James	Pat McGloin
John McLiam	Jimmy Tomorrow/James Cameron
Stephen Pearlman	Chuck Morello
Tom Pedi	Rocky Pioggi
George Voskovec	The General/Piet Wetjoen
Bart Burns	Moran
Don McGovern	Lieb

Technical Credits

Lewis Edward	Executive Producer
John Frankenheimer	Director
Ely A. Landau	Producer
Henry T. Weinstein	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Iceman Cometh is a towering, powerful stage play that inevitably loses some of its impact when transferred to the screen, even in as fine a production as this. Part of the reason is that Eugene O'Neill's beautiful language is theatrical in nature and therefore doesn't come across as well in the more naturalistic milieu of the cinema. But a bigger problem is that Iceman is all about a group of people who are trapped with each other; they are not just individuals, they are also all part of a group that has its own character and personality. On-stage, where the camera cannot cut away and zoom in or out, Iceman gains a great deal of its power from the force that the group exerts upon the proceedings, and from the reactions of each member of the group to what is going on. On screen, this is lost, and the loss is felt, even if only subconsciously. In addition, O'Neill's mammoth script has been of necessity pared down; while this has been done in a very admirable manner, it still has an effect. Finally, in Lee Marvin, Iceman has an exceptional actor whose inner raw power and authority, along with his considerable skill, are tremendous assets; however, Marvin lacks the spellbinding charisma that the part demands, that is crucial to its success, and the absence of which leaves a small hole at the play's center. Fortunately, Iceman also has exemplary performances from Robert Ryan and Fredric March, along with solid support from Tom Pedi, Moses Gunn, Jeff Bridges, and Martyn Green. If The Iceman Cometh is not the triumph that it is on-stage, it is still a powerful and frequently mesmerizing piece.