A little backstory: Long Day’s Journey Into Night is a film that was based off of a 1956 radio drama by Eugene O’Neill. This play was presented in a number of productions; Laurence Olivier took a turn at it in the National Theatre’s run in 1971. This film is an adaptation of the National Theatre’s version, and seems to have a little better quality of actors (the aforementioned Olivier, Denis Quilley, Constance Cummings, and Ronald Pickup) than the 1962 feature (Katharine Hepburn, Dean Stockwell, and Jason Robards, Jr.)
What results in the National Theatre’s version is nothing less than special. S’more Entertainment’s version of this performance is incredibly sharp given the age. The audio is a little rougher than would be heard on current Blu-Rays, but everything is audible and easy to understand. There are only the smallest of changes made to the original O’Neill presentation (owing to the unique qualities of the cast, crew, and stage), but I feel that these inclusions and modifications make the resulting product that much stronger. Many viewers have watched a presentation of Long Day’s Journey Into Night, but I feel that this is as close to an original O’Neill-based performance as we are apt to see.
Make sure to pick up on Amazon or other online retailers for a listing of the other films that S’more will be releasing through the rest of 2012. The company prides itself on releasing a number of hard-to-find titles, and I believe that they have hit it out of the park with this one. If you are a fan of O’Neill or of plays in general, search out a copy of the S’more release of Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
Rating: 9.0/10
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (DVD) / 2012 S’more Entertainment / 160 Minutes / http://www.smoreent.com
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
Contact: editor@neufutur.com