The Iceman Cometh [Blu-ray]

Director: John Frankenheimer John Frankenheimer

Overview

This film, based on Eugene O'Neill's 1947 Broadway play, is set in 1912 at Harry Hope's waterfront saloon. On the occasion of Harry's birthday, several derelicts enter the scene to pontificate on the lives they'd planned, the lives they still dream about, and the wasted lives they wound up with.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/26/2019
UPC:	0738329236724
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kino Classics
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	3:59:00
Sales rank:	29,208

Special Features

New 2k restoration of the complete 239-minute Director's Cut; Optional English DH Subtitles; New 2k restoration of the 178-minute theatrical version; Interview with Edie Landau; "Ely Landau: In Front of the Camera," a promotional film for the American Film Theatre; Optional English SDH Subtitles; Trailer Gallery

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.