Ruby Dee is great--really getting the desperation of her character. I've always found Earle Hyman a little stiff in the role, but he is strong early on. Both of the sons are adequate. This African-American version is a risky attempt, probably a little illogical overall, but it does show that the play is adaptable to any good cast. I still think that the 1962 version is the best overall, but this one is still worth watching if you can find it. I took me almost a year to track down a DVD of it. I did, eventually, and was happy to have it. I have my American lit students watch all four acts as they exist in four different film versions: Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey, this one, one with Olivier and Constance Cummings, and the original film version with Richardson, Stockwell, Robards, and Hepburn. I still believe that the last one, with incredible performances by Robards and Hepburn in the last act, would be hard to top. I saw this at the Alley Theatre a few years ago--a gruelling performance that lasted almost four hours--with the great Ellen Burstyn playing Mrs. Tyrone. I always thought that the ideal casting for her role would have been Geraldine Chaplin--playing her own great-grandmother. But it never came to pass.
Review of Long Day's Journey Into Night
