The Day of the Locust
In a grotesquely heightened Hollywood of the late 1930s, artistic aspiration and starry-eyed desire curdle into exploitation, loneliness, and collective violence.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bitter
- grotesque
- satirical
- classic cinema night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually ambitious, powerful, and frequently fascinating adaptation with sharp performances, though its overstatement and weakened character focus divide opinion.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tod works as an artist in Hollywood while Faye pursues screen stardom, making the movie business both setting and subject.
The aspiring performers, hangers-on, and desperate spectators are rendered through gaudy, bitter exaggeration that culminates in mass disorder.
Faye's pursuit of stardom, Tod's wish to be noticed, and the surrounding Hollywood aspirants turn ambition into exploitation and despair.
Late-1930s Hollywoodland attracts wannabes and desperadoes while studios, parties, and movie lots convert private fantasy into social predation.
Films like The Day of the Locust, and why
Sunset Boulevard
shared hollywood satire, corrosive ambition, grotesque social observation, and bitter drama
The Player
shared critique of the movie business, morally compromised outsiders, and darkly theatrical tone
Midnight Cowboy
shared new hollywood pessimism, alienated characters, and stylized social decay
Network
shared bleak social satire, outsider protagonists, and unsettling escalation into collective violence
Movie Details
- Director
- John Schlesinger
- Release Date
- 1975-05-07
- Runtime
- 145 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (114)
Cast
- Donald Sutherland
- Karen Black
- Burgess Meredith
- William Atherton
- Geraldine Page
- Richard Dysart
- Bo Hopkins
- Pepe Serna
- Lelia Goldoni
- Jackie Earle Haley
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Day of the Locust about?
- In a grotesquely heightened Hollywood of the late 1930s, artistic aspiration and starry-eyed desire curdle into exploitation, loneliness, and collective violence.
- What is The Day of the Locust like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Day of the Locust as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Day of the Locust violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Day of the Locust as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Day of the Locust?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually ambitious, powerful, and frequently fascinating adaptation with sharp performances, though its overstatement and weakened character focus divide opinion.
- Which films are like The Day of the Locust?
- Films with a similar feel include Sunset Boulevard, The Player, Midnight Cowboy, and Network.
- How long is The Day of the Locust?
- The Day of the Locust runs 145 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Day of the Locust?
- In United States, The Day of the Locust is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
