Bethel Leslie is absolutely masterful in this. I once knew a woman exactly like her. I believe every word and emotion she expresses. And she is 100 percent fluently in command of the script and intention behind the words.
LOL NOW I GET THE JOKE ON MARVEL AVENGERS ULTRON! “Tony Stark said it’s been a long day!!” Eugene Oneall like!? Bahahaha! The scene where he’s talking to Nick Furry & the John Deere tractor in the barn…
1:00:36 genius family behaviour! Who hasn’t ran past their parents in their childhood home knowing exactly the steps and the speed to do it! Brilliant work from Mr. Spacey (God rest his soul)
He is best at playing frenzied, fast-talking desperation. He may not have the gravitas and bluster of Ralph Richardson and therefore seems more lightweight in this role.
I'm amazed at the depth of the commentary, even those that disagree with me. I mean to go over them later and maybe respond to one or two. Very impressed. Some of the comments went into far more depth than mine. They know their drama better. Just one thing: I don't think you should be able to see an actor thinking like @jlasf says of Hepburn. I've read of Meryl Streep showing the wheels turning and I think some of her roles come across like a demo in acting, although she was immensely moving in that 'Bridges of (some) County' film with Eastwood. For once I'd be interested in well thought and knowledgeable criticism. Ultimately, those actors in great productions are almost always very good.
I think the critics got it right. Actors talking over each other is obviously a very hard thing to get right. I feel like Lemmon and Spacey are just doing Lemmon and Spacey, the lead actress is more coke than morphine.
Jack Lemmon does a great job of impersonating Jack Lemmon. The woman's role is flat and insipid. Give me Ralph Richardson and Katharine Hepburn in the original, 1962.
I like the contrast between the "fey" and dramatically impaired Hepburn and the more banal Bethel Leslie. Leslie presents a less wounded and therefore also less sympathetic character that I also find enjoyable because it is realistic. It's great to hear the same dialogue spoken so completely differently. I would say Peter Gallagher is the weakest player in this production because he doesn't show enough desperation or anguish. At least Spacey comes in with some thinly disguised anger and passion from the beginning.
Agree. Katharine Hepburn is truly magnificent in that production. It's a master class in acting. You can see her thinking. Her movements seem both considered and spontaneous. It's heartbreaking - as it should be. And Richardson seems like he could be a Booth - his diction and posture show his years on the stage. I can see him playing Othello or Iago. Lemmon - nope. I love him in other things, but not this. I also find the direction very annoying. I don't mind the overlapping dialogue, but the speed of the long speeches makes them unbelievable. No one speaks in paragraphs without taking a breath. Yes, it makes the play shorter, but not better. I will stick with the movie.
@@jlasf Yes, Lemmon is best as the anxious, hyper guy who tries to put a positive spin on things but he doesn't quite believe it. Glengarry Glen Ross and The Days of Wine and Roses come to mind. Even in The Apartment, he is a fine representation of angst and desperation to attain unworthy goals. Sir Richardson, on the other hand, has gravitas. He's willing to go into emotional depths with his eyes, while remaining unapproachable--like a true tragic hero. He is unreachable and yet we feel for him, for he portrays greatness. Flawed greatness, but greatness nonetheless that touches us.
@@junemarshall-kingsley566 I am glad the 1962 movie is available on recordings. If you want to see O'Neill done by a master try to watch Jason Robards in any O'Neil play. I got to see him live on Bway in the mid 80's in this play. Colleen Dewhurst and Jason played the husband and wife in LDJIN. It was magnificent. You could also get a copy of Robards as Hickey in The Iceman Cometh. I would pay big bucks for a copy of Spacey's performance as Hickey in 1999! It was a magnificent cast. I saw it in person and Spacey rivaled Robards in it. One last comment about gravatas in O'Neill. It is necessary because he is our Shakepeare.
@@drjjpdc I also loved Lee Marvin as Hickey in The Iceman Cometh too. He displays just the right amount of manufactured, "hail-fellow-well-met" that is required for the part as well as the physical presence and exuberance. We can believe that he is the golden boy of the desperados in the Bottom of the Sea bar. I would have loved to have seen Jason Robards Jr. in any of the O'Neill plays. I saw him in After the Fall and he was magnetic in that. Regardless of Spacey's off-stage shenanigans, he brings genius to every role and I haven't seen any performance where he just phones it in, as do actors such as Ben Affleck and Harrison Ford. Even mentioning them in the same paragraph as the greats makes me queasy. Because they are not really actors, they are action figures. I am going to make an effort to find every Eugene O'neill play with JR in it, so thanks for steering me in that direction. Very true that O'Neill is our Shakespeare!
