FILM · 1987 · GERMANY
The Dead
- Directed by
- John Huston
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Studio
- Liffey Films, Vestron Pictures, Zenith Entertainment
68 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
After a convivial holiday dinner party, things begin to unravel when a husband and wife address some prickly issues concerning their marriage.
68 Interesting Facts About The Dead
Interesting Facts (18)
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The character Mr. Grace does not appear in James Joyce's original story. He is an invention of John Huston and Tony Huston, included primarily to allow for the reading of the eighth-century Irish poem "Donal Og" ("Young Donal"). Although he represents a departure from Joyce's text, the poem still fits the story's themes: like the song "The Lass of Aughrim" that follows it, "Donal Og" deals with the pain that love can bring to young women… just as it does for Greta.
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It was the fifth and final collaboration between actress Anjelica Huston and director John Huston; the latter was a father directing his daughter. Their films together include Casino Royale (1967), A Walk with Love and Death (1969), Sinful Davey (1969), Prizzi's Honor (1985) and The Dead (1987). John Huston also co-wrote Mr. North (1988), on which Anjelica Huston worked, bringing their total collaborations to six.
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Production Story (29)
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Included in '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', compiled by Steven Schneider, the production also earned a place on Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' list. Cited as one of Akira Kurosawa's 100 favourite films, it appeared in critic Stephen Harvey's list of the ten best films of 1987 in the February 1988 issue of 'Film Comment'.
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The film was a true family project for the Hustons. Father John Huston was in the director's chair, daughter Anjelica Huston took the lead role, and son Tony Huston wrote the screenplay. It is the only screenplay Tony Huston wrote for a feature film that was produced. The film is the third and final collaboration between father and son John and Tony Huston; while Tony wrote the screenplay, he had previously worked with his father as an uncredited second assistant director on Wise Blood (1979) and as an actor in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963). These three films were shot in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s respectively, each in a different decade.
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The film, the fifth and final collaboration between Anjelica Huston and her father, director John Huston, is among the productions in which a father directed his daughter. The pair had previously worked together on Casino Royale (1967), A Walk with Love and Death (1969), Sinful Davey (1969) and Prizzi's Honor (1985). John Huston also contributed to the screenplay of Mr. North (1988), in which Anjelica appeared, bringing their total number of joint projects to six.
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According to the notes on the film's DVD sleeve, the production had a "completely Irish cast," while the trade magazine Variety states that the cast was "almost entirely Irish." Anjelica Huston is American; her father, director John Huston, was also American, and her mother, Enrica Soma, was an American of Italian descent. John Huston's father, Walter Huston, was a Canadian of Scots-Irish descent. John Huston settled in Ireland in 1953 and, although he lived apart from his wife who remained in America, he contributed to the upbringing in Ireland of Anjelica, who was two years old at the time. So although Anjelica Huston cannot be considered fully Irish, she was steeped in the culture and traditions of Galway, the home of her character Greta Conroy. The theme of dislocation and of being far from the world you were born into is also an inseparable part of the story.
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The production, included in Steven Schneider's '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die,' also earned a place on Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' list. Cited as one of Akira Kurosawa's 100 favourite films, the work entered critic Stephen Harvey's list of the ten best films of 1987 in the February 1988 issue of 'Film Comment.'
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The character Mr. Grace does not appear in James Joyce's story; he was created by John Huston and Tony Huston to allow for the reading of the eighth-century Irish poem Donal Og. Although it is a departure from Joyce's text, the poem is in keeping with the story's themes: just like the song 'The Lass of Aughrim' that follows it, 'Donal Og' deals with the pain love brings to young women, just as Greta has experienced.
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Behind the Scenes (6)
Characters & Cast (8)
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This film was a complete family project for the Huston family. Father John Huston was in the director's chair, daughter Anjelica Huston took the lead role, and son Tony Huston wrote the screenplay. This is the only screenplay Tony Huston wrote for a feature film that was produced. In the film, the third and final collaboration between father and son John and Tony Huston, Tony wrote the screenplay while having previously worked with his father as an uncredited second assistant director on Wise Blood (1979) and as an actor in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963). These three films were shot in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s respectively, each in a different decade.
- #056
This film, the fifth and final collaboration between Anjelica Huston and her father, director John Huston, is among the productions in which a father directed his daughter. The pair had previously worked together on Casino Royale (1967), A Walk with Love and Death (1969), Sinful Davey (1969) and Prizzi's Honor (1985). John Huston also contributed to the screenplay of Mr. North (1988), in which Anjelica appeared, bringing their total to six joint projects.
- #057
According to the notes on the film's DVD sleeve, the production had a "completely Irish cast," while the trade magazine Variety states that the cast was "almost entirely Irish." Anjelica Huston is American; her father, director John Huston, was also American, and her mother, Enrica Soma, was an American of Italian descent. John Huston's father, Walter Huston, was a Canadian of Scots-Irish origin. John Huston settled in Ireland in 1953 and contributed to the upbringing in Ireland of Anjelica, who was two years old at the time, even though he lived apart from his wife, who remained in America. For this reason, although Anjelica Huston cannot be considered fully Irish, she was steeped in the culture and traditions of Galway, the hometown of her character Greta Conroy. The theme of dislocation and of being far from the world into which one was born is also an inseparable part of the story.
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Easter Eggs & References (1)
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It was the third and final collaboration between father-and-son directors John Huston and Tony Huston; Tony Huston wrote the screenplay for this film and had previously worked on earlier John Huston films, appearing uncredited as second assistant director on Wise Blood (1979) and as a billed actor in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963). Each of the three films was made in a successive decade: one in the 1960s, one in the 1970s and one in the 1980s.
Deeper Meaning (4)
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The character Mr. Grace does not appear in James Joyce's story; he was created by John Huston and Tony Huston to allow for the reading of the eighth-century Irish poem Donal Og. Although it is a departure from Joyce's text, the poem is in keeping with the story's themes: just like the song 'The Lass of Aughrim' that follows it, 'Donal Og' deals with the pain that love brings to young women; just as Greta experiences.
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Career & Awards (2)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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