The Homecoming

Pinter reveals himself to be a sick, twisted, woman-hating specimen of male depravity here, in a play that is an argument--a persuasive one--for putting Pinter in a strait jacket.

The only comments are 1. The previous comment states that Cyril Cusak is the impotent father but Paul Rogers plays that role and 2. A character "Brian" played by a then 8 year old actor Jonathan Sachar, is shown as a member of the cast but does not appear in the 1973 adaptation. In any event the adaptation is brilliant and the photographer brings the play from the stage to the screen with his own brilliance. The performances are outstanding with Rogers dominating the screen as the bullying yet pathetic father, and Ian Holm, truly detestable as the hateful son. Finally the dialogue is as sharp and cutting as one would expect from Harold Pinter

"The Homecoming" is a masterpiece of a play, and it is transferred very skillfully to the screen. The screenplay differs little from the original text, except that Peter Hall allows the camera to linger on the phallic imagery of Max's walking stick and the various men's cigars. Needless to say, the acting is superb. Ian Holm shines as the amusing but insidious Lenny, as does Cyril Cusack as his aggressive but impotent father. The star of the film, however, is Vivien Merchant, whose portrayal of Ruth is hypnotic and captivating. This is one of Pinter's finest works. A must-see.

I do think the film is cinematic, and the editing, photography, and art direction all put this in the realm of suburb film making. Yes, it is Pinter at his peak, and most of the cast knew the play well (the new cast members probably only added freshness) from done long runs years before. Having seen most of them, I would say this must surely be the jewel in the AFT crown. Unlike the Pinter directed "Butley" it has grown rather than diminished by the years. This is one of those film plays (Glengarry Glen Ross may be another) does commit the crime of doing the play so well that it pretty much makes further productions useless. The film of "The Caretaker" done some years earlier is also very strong.