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.