First published in 1939, Nathanael West’s novel The Day of the Locust has become regarded as the author’s masterwork and one of the best American novels of the 20th Century. Its road to screen adaptation was a long one as most tended to shy away from the ambitious work, until the team behind the Best Picture Oscar winning Midnight Cowboy – director John Schlesinger, producer Jerome Hellman and screenwriter Waldo Salt – decided to take on the project. Despite the belief of studio head Robert Evans that the project was a mistake, Paramount Pictures gave the green light for Schlesinger to bring West’s novel to life. Previously released on DVD by Paramount and on a Region Free Blu-ray by Imprint, Arrow Video has given the movie its US Blu-ray debut.
The Production: 5/5
Do you know the old saying “there’s a broken heart for every light on Broadway”? That also applies to Hollywood, and also for the many of the people on Hollywood’s fringes looking in on the magic coming out of the movie studios during the late 1930’s, especially the residents of West Hollywood and the San Bernardino Arms bungalow apartments. Recent Yale graduate Tod Hackett (William Atherton) tries to get his break as an art director for a picture on Waterloo while trying to win the affections of aspiring starlet Faye Greener (Karen Black). Washed up vaudevillian Harry Greener (Burgess Meredith) is slowly dying from heart failure while trying to hock silver polish door to door, while meek and forlorn accountant Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland) – a former hotel clerk from Iowa – finds himself falling in love with Faye while also being subjected to many humiliations from her and taunts and tricks from aspiring yet bratty child star Adore Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley). As all of these characters either chase glory or look back at what once was, they each face a grim reality of being just cogs in the Hollywood Dream Factory’s machine; the red-carpet premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Buccaneer will turn the simmering tensions into a volcanic eruption in a riot of apocalyptic proportions.
One of the most underrated films of the 1970’s, The Day of the Locust is one of the darkest and cynical films to look at Hollywood since Sunset Blvd. (1950). Under the direction of John Schlesinger and the pen of screenwriter Waldo Salt, the script gives the characters that populate West’s novel a three-dimensional and comprehensive – if not entirely sympathetic – appearance that gives the overall dark satire a sharp bite. The film boasts some exceptional production values from the production design team of Richard MacDonald, John Lloyd and George James Hopkins – utilizing Gypsy Rose Lee’s house and the famed Frank Lloyd Wright designed Ennis House (which was also used as the location for the original House on Haunted Hill) as locations – along with costume designer Ann Roth and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall (who earned one of the film’s two Oscar nominations for his work here), all of whom capture both the glamour of Golden Age Hollywood as well as the down-and-out nature of those living on Tinseltown’s fringes. To top it all off, Schlesinger gets great performances from his cast top to bottom to truly bring West’s novel to life; however, the unrelenting darkness – bordering on outright horrific, especially during the film’s climax – that surrounds this depiction of Hollywood may be off putting for some (it’s also a major reason why audiences didn’t connect with the film during its initial theatrical release). In the end, The Day of the Locust manages to do justice to its source material and has retained its shattering power while keeping our eyes wide with wonder; in other words, this is one hidden gem absolutely worth seeking out.
Top billed here, Donald Sutherland turns in one of his best career performances as Homer Simpson (no relation to the beer and donut loving denizen of Springfield); interestingly enough, the Homer Simpson of this film would come face to face with the Homer J. Simpson of Springfield years later when Sutherland was a special guest star in The Simpsons episode “Lisa the Iconoclast”. As Faye Greener, Karen Black would also have one of her performances of her career; as her washed up and dying father, Burgess Meredith would receive the first of two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Serving as the film’s main protagonist – and fresh off of Steven Spielberg’s debut theatrical feature The Sugarland Express (1974) – William Atherton also has the best performance of his career as Tod; while a starring role of this quality would prove elusive for Atherton after this movie, he would however, have more success as a supporting actor in The Hindenburg (released the same year as this movie), Ghostbusters (1984) and Die Hard (1988). Filling out this ensemble cast are Richard Dysart as screenwriter Claude Estee, Bo Hopkins as cowboy Earle Shoop, Pepe Serna as Earle’s friend and partner Miguel, Jackie Earle Haley as the impish Adore, Gloria LeRoy as Adore’s mother, Billy Barty (cast against type here) as bookie Abe Kusich, Lelia Goldoni as Faye’s friend Mary Dove, Natalie Schafer as the brothel madam Audrey Jennings, John Hillerman as Ned Grote, Nita Talbot as Joan, Paul Stewart as Helverston, Paul Jabara as the nightclub entertainer doing a drag take on “Hot Voodoo”, schlockmeister William Castle as the director of the ill-fated Waterloo epic and Geraldine Page – cast after Betty Field died prior to the start of production – as the Aimee Semple McPherson inspired evangelist Big Sister; notable cameos here include future director Dennis Dugan as a studio apprentice, Bob Holt as a tour guide regaling tourists of an aspiring starlet’s death from leaping off the Hollywood sign (a nod to Peg Entwistle’s tragic death), composer Robert O. Ragland as a guest at the Jennings mansion, Eddie Cantor appearing via archive footage from his film Ali Baba Goes to Town, Bill Baldwin as the announcer at the premiere of The Buccaneer, Morgan Brittany as Vivien Leigh, Celia Kaye as Merle Oberon and Richard Powell playing his father, Dick Powell.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
This release is presented in its original 1:85: aspect ratio taken from a brand new 2K restoration by Arrow Films done for this release, taken from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative done by Paramount Pictures. Film grain, color palette and fine details are all faithfully presented with minimal issues like warping, scratches, dirt and tears present; I should mention that this release curiously does not have the original closing Paramount logo on the transfer (the movie was the last film to feature the 1968-1975 logo, which is intact on the Paramount DVD). Overall though, this release is still likely the best the movie will ever look on home video and surpasses the previous Paramount DVD and Imprint Blu-ray.
Audio: 5/5
There are three audio options on this Blu-ray release: the original restored lossless mono soundtrack, a 2.0 stereo soundtrack and a restored 5.1 lossless track. On all three tracks, dialogue, sound mix and John Barry’s music score – intermingling with songs of the period, including Louis Armstrong’s memorable rendition of “Jeepers Creepers” – are all presented faithfully with strength and clarity and minimal cases of distortion like crackling, popping and hissing present. The inclusion of the original mono soundtrack on this release alone makes this likely the best the movie will ever sound on home video and surpasses previous home video editions of the movie.
Special Features: 4/5
Oral history commentary conducted by author/film historian Lee Gambin, featuring assistant directors Leslie Asplund and Charles Ziarko, production associate Michael Childers, actors Pepe Serna and Grainger Hines, costume designer Ann Roth, assistant editor Alan L. Shefland and assistant camera operator Ron Vidor –Â Newly recorded for this release, Gambin and the numerous cast and crew members look back at the production of the movie, including which legends of Hollywood’s Golden Age stopped by on the set, who tested for the part of Faye and a deleted scene on Santa Monica Beach among the many anecdotes recalled here.
Welcome to West Hollywood (24:38) –Â Film critic Glenn Kenny shares his appreciation for the movie and Nathanael West’s novel in this newly filmed featurette.
Days of the Golden Age (17:55) –Â Costume and film historian Elissa Rose looks at Ann Roth’s work on the film’s costumes – with audio comments from Roth herself – in this new visual featurette.
Jeepers Creepers, Where’d You Get Those Peepers? (23:55) –Â Created for this release, this visual essay by Lee Gambin shows how horror film elements made their way into Schlesinger’s film adaptation of West’s pitch-black satire.
Radio Spots (2) (2:01) –Â The two spots can be played together or played separately.
Image Galleries –Â Promotional Stills (41), Photos from Michael Childers (20) & Photos from Ron Vidor (8)
Notably absent here from the 2020 Region Free Imprint Blu-ray release are a commentary by Kat Ellinger, interviews with film critic Kim Newman and actor William Atherton and the film’s teaser and theatrical trailers.
Overall: 4.5/5
Despite a cool reception of audiences – though garnering some critical praise – The Day of the Locust remains a crucial work in the career of John Schlesinger and a high point for much of the cast and crew involved. Arrow Video has likely delivered the best home video edition of the movie to date, with a terrific HD transfer and a great slate of special features (though some couldn’t be ported over here). Very highly recommended and absolutely worth upgrading from the previous DVD and Blu-ray.
The Day of the Locust
$19.99
Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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