The Homecoming (1973) Reviews

Member Rating:

In The Homecoming, adapted from the play by Harold Pinter, Michael Jayston brings his wife Vivien Merchant home to visit his long-estranged family. Jayston's father Paul Rogers is a washout, his uncle Cyril Cusack is on the edge of senility, and his brothers Ian Holm and Terence Rigby are, respectively, a slimy pimp and a brutish boxer. The sparser the dialogue, the thicker the tension in the air. Though British in origin, The Homecoming was presented as part of the American Film Theatre series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director(s):: Peter Hall

Theatrical MPAA Rating:: PG

Format(s):: DVD
View All Versions to rent and buy

Movies Similar to The Homecoming

: Add The Ice Storm to Queue Add The Ice Storm to top of Queue

: Add Twister to Queue Add Twister to top of Queue

: Add Dancing At Lughnasa to Queue Add Dancing At Lughnasa to top of Queue

: Add Home for the Holidays to Queue Add Home for the Holidays to top of Queue

: Add The Myth of Fingerprints to Queue

Average Ratings

(4 member reviews)

Member Reviews

	Geoffrey G.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

Pinter plays on the tension of 'civilized society' revealing the animal natures trapped inside. This is a realtime, visceral process and the first time you see it can be a strange, unnerving shock. There's no "redemption" here, these guys are hopeless - but the final scene shows the pathetic need of this "family" for some kind of actual love, which may have come from the mother but which now only this disturbed and self-destructive woman can supply. Try "The Servant" - Pinter's best screen adaptation.

Was this review helpful? Yes | No

	ALbert T.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful

Acting was top notch...but storyline was a real stinker and painful to watch. This may be the most dysfunctional family ever brought to the screen.

Was this review helpful? Yes | No

	Ronald V.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful

I would say an excellent film version of the stage play. Dialogue is "Pinteresque," or surreal, illogical, and maybe annoying as compared to normal conversation. Although quite tedious in its development, the plot and the outcome of the returning couple's plans for "the family" makes the play very worthwhile. A very sick group!!

Was this review helpful? Yes | No

	Jay T.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

Wonderfully acted filming of the play but the characters are so nasty and unlikeable that one longs for some sort of redemption or resolution which never comes; instead we are given a very puzzling ending that I could not understand. Maybe someone can clue me in.

Was this review helpful? Yes | No