Long Day’s Journey Into Night

“None of us can help the things life has done to us. They’re done before you realize it, and once they’re done they make you do other things until at last everything comes between you and what you’d like to be, and you’ve lost your true self forever.” -Eugene O’Neill, Long Day’s Journey into Night

I recently heard Al Pacino on Rick Rubin’s excellent podcast declare that Jason Robards delivers the greatest performance he’s ever seen in Sidney Lumet’s film adaptation of Eugene O’Neil’s masterpiece, Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

I won’t argue with Mr. Pacino. Robards is spectacular. (Note: Brando in On The Waterfront would be my all-time pick.)

At one point while watching the film by myself, I audibly mouthed “Wow” in pure awe. Robards delivers perhaps the best drunk acting I’ve ever seen too. (My all-time favorite remains Jack Lemmon in The Days Of Wine And Roses but this is right up there.)

And Katherine Hebburn is pretty damn amazing in her own right.

Read the excerpt below from Lumet’s book “Making Movies”…

At the end of rehearsal [for Long Day’s Journey], just before shooting, I gathered the actors to tell them about my shooting system and habits and to find out if there was anything they needed during shooting that we could provide. At this session, I said to them, “And by the way, you’re all invited to rushes.”

As we were leaving, Kate called me aside. “Sidney,” she said,”I’ve gone to rushes of practically every picture I’ve ever made. But I won’t be coming to these rushes. I can see how you work. I know Boris [Kaufman’s] work. You’re both dead honest. You can’t protect me. If I go to rushes, all that I’ll see is this” — and she reached under her chin and pinched the slightly sagging flesh — “and this” — she did the same thing under her arms — “and I need all my strength and concentration just to play this part.”

Tears sprang to my eyes.

I’d never seen an actor with such self-knowledge and such dedication, trust, and bravery.

She was breaking habits of thirty years because she knew they would interfere with the job.  That’s a giant.