Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
liked it.
Probably the finest of the American Film Theatre productions of the '70s, The Homecoming is a bleakly comic, brutal, and undeniably powerful adaptation of the
Harold Pinter stage classic. Pinter, of course, is essentially known for two things -- his famous pauses and his ambiguity of meaning. Both are present in
Homecoming, but it's important to point out that "ambiguity of meaning" does not mean "ambiguity of emotion." The viewer may have to guess a bit at meaning (as he does in life), but the emotions that these characters feel are crystal clear and presented in all their roaring power. The family in
Homecoming are all prisoners -- of their feelings, their relationships, their resentments and their pasts. They wail, they flail, they tear, they argue, they scream, they laugh, they mock, they suppress -- all in a vain attempt to escape, not realizing that they lack the one thing that would allow them to escape -- the will and the courage to face the unknown. Director Peter Hall has masterfully captured all of the pain and humor in the text, creating a claustrophobic cinematic prison that forces the viewer to be not only in the same room as these people but practically sitting on their laps. Hall's work is incredibly assured, with hardly a false step throughout. The same can be said of the incredible cast, each one of which mines every last inch of their characters and creates unforgettable portraits that make the viewer flinch and laugh at the same time.
Homecoming is a textbook lesson in how to bring Pinter to the screen without diluting his effectiveness -- and perhaps even heightening it. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide