The Day of the Locust

The Day of the Locust is a 1975 American satirical historical drama film directed by John Schlesinger and starring Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, William Atherton, Burgess Meredith, Richard Dysart, John Hillerman and Geraldine Page. Set in Hollywood, California, just before World War II, the film depicts the alienation and desperation of a disparate group of individuals whose dreams of success fail to come true. The screenplay by Waldo Salt is based on the 1939 novel of the same title by Nathanael West. The film has garnered attention from scholars for its critical commentary on the film industry, as well as its nightmarish depiction of Hollywood, with some critics identifying implicit horror elements in the film's visuals. Plot Aspiring artist and recent Yale graduate Tod Hackett arrives in 1930s Hollywood to work as a painter at a major film studio. He rents an apartment in the San Bernardino Arms, a rundown apartment building occupied by various people, many on the fringes of the industry: Among them are Faye Greener, a tawdry aspiring actress; her father Harry, an ex-vaudevillian; Abe Kusich, a dwarf who carries on a tempestuous relationship with his girlfriend, Mary; Adore Loomis, a young boy whose mother is hoping to turn him into a child star; and Homer Simpson, a repressed accountant who lusts after Faye. Tod's unit has a crack in a wall caused by an earthquake; he puts a bright red flower in the crack. Tod befriends Faye, and attends a screening of a film in which she has a bit part, accompanied by Earle Shoop, a cowboy she is dating. Faye is disappointed with the film after finding that her appearance has been severely truncated. Tod attempts to romance Faye, but she coyly declines him, telling him she would only marry a rich man. Tod attends a party at the Hollywood Hills mansion, where the partygoers indulge in watching stag films. Despite her hesitations, Faye continues to spend time with Tod. The two have a campfire in the desert with Earle and his friend, Miguel. A drunken Tod becomes enraged when Faye dances with Miguel, and chases after her, apparently to rape her, but she fends him off. Some time later, Faye and Homer take Harry to a holy roller church gathering led by a female preacher known as Big Sister, who performs a public "healing" of him in an attempt to cure his heart ailment, but he subsequently dies. In order to pay for Harry's funeral costs, Faye begins prostituting herself.