The Long Day Closes
Bud is a lonely and quiet boy whose moments of solace occur when he sits in rapture at the local cinema, watching towering and iconic figures on the movie screen. The movies give Bud the strength to get through another day as he deals with his oppressive school environment and his burgeoning homosexuality.
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- Cast：
- Leigh McCormack , Marjorie Yates , Tina Malone , Patricia Morison
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Reviews
Undescribable Perfection
The Worst Film Ever
Absolutely Brilliant!
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Almost any scene of this film, shown in isolation, would suggest it is a masterpiece. But, the entire movie is setting -- a story never really happens. Director Terrance Davies, cinematographer Michael Coulter, and actor Leigh McCormack create very beautiful, sad world for a sensitive boy named Bud. The film is flawless, but don't expect a traditional film plot. "The Long Day Closes" is like watching a piece of art; sometimes the camera lingers over images so long, it's like you're looking at a still picture.Watching the film, in one sitting, I thought the "Tammy" part was a highlight -- it had me guessing about where "Bud" was: church, school It also moved the setting up to 1957 (I looked up the Debbie Reynolds movie); earlier, I thought the film might take place in the 1940s. Marjorie Yates and the supporting cast were wonderful. The "crucifixion" scene was most startling; it suggests Christianity may have inflicted more harm than good, on this family. Still, nothing really happened to get me interested what was going on, in the story, I am only a child, myself. I will, absolutely watch for the name Terence Davies, and look for his other work; he is a phenomenal filmmaker, obviously. ******* The Long Day Closes (5/22/92) Terence Davies ~ Leigh McCormack, Marjorie Yates, Anthony Watson
"The Long Day Closes" has the kind of emotional impact that the Hollywood bunch could only dream about. There is very little in the way of plot--just a series of memories, as if a family photo album had come to life: like the family at Christmas time. No forced, artificial story lines, like Mama's Dying and We Gotta Pay the Rent--just a perfect rendering of a certain family at a certain time. If you're expecting some sappy tear-jerker, oh boy, do you have the wrong movie. The images here are so powerful, the use of music and old film dialog is so effective. I feel sorry for people who found this movie boring. You obviously didn't get it. Your loss.
This was, without a doubt, the most boring movie I ever saw, and that includes Shanghai Surprise and Maid in Manhattan. I think this film is supposed to be deep and meaningful, but it is basically a plot-less slice of life. It drags, and drags, and drags. I had no idea why I was watching it. There was no plot! It was stultifying! Don't watch it!
My one-line summary might seem to limit one's approach to Terence Davies' magnificent meditation; however, I stand by my assessment: this is the richest (visually and emotionally) and most rewarding cinematic rumination on awakening self-awareness that English-speakers currently have. Though highly personal, there's more here in a single sequence on the loneliness and isolation of realizing and growing into one's queerness, one's affinity with a particular bent of art and aesthetics than the entire oevre of Peter Greenaway. Like Jarman, but at once both more poetic and passionate, The Long Day Closes is non-linear, meant to be savored one aching moment at a time.
