The Crying Game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the unrelated novel of the same name by John Braine, see The Crying Game (novel).
| The Crying Game | |
|---|---|
 The Crying Game DVD cover |
|
| Directed by | Neil Jordan |
| Produced by | Stephen Woolley |
| Written by | Neil Jordan |
| Starring | Forest Whitaker Miranda Richardson Stephen Rea Adrian Dunbar |
| Cinematography | Ian Wilson |
| Editing by | Kant Pan |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | October 30, 1992 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Crying Game (1992) is a film written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film explores themes of race, nationality and sexuality at the time of the Irish Troubles. The original working title of this film was The Soldier's Wife. The film is remarkable for leading audiences to sympathize with a terrorist and a transgendered person, both traditionally figures of horror for mainstream audiences but here presented as complex and likable human beings. Audiences accepted the film as a thriller, but also a very unconventional romance. For this reason, the film has become something of a cult classic in the GLBT community.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film begins as a psychological thriller, as IRA foot soldier Fergus (played by Stephen Rea) and a unit of other IRA members, including Jude (Miranda Richardson) and led by Maguire (Adrian Dunbar) kidnap Jody, a British soldier (played by Forest Whitaker). The IRA members demand the release of other jailed IRA and threaten to execute Jody in three days if their demands are not met. While Fergus guards Jody they develop a bond. Jody persuades Fergus to meet his girlfriend after he (Jody) is killed and make sure she is alright. The deadline set by Jody's captors passes and Jody is to be executed. Fergus takes Jody into the woods to carry out the sentence, but instead Jody is accidentally killed by British tanks when he attempts to flee. Fergus then hides from his IRA companions in London, where he takes a job as a day laborer with the alias "Jimmy". While in London, Fergus meets and falls in love with Jody's transgendered girlfriend Dil (Jaye Davidson).
The story takes Fergus through a gamut of emotions regarding the transgendered Dil. Initially Fergus believes Dil to be a biological woman, but he feels guilty for being attracted to the lover of Jody. Later, when Fergus is about to make love to Dil and discovers she is transgendered, his initial reaction is revulsion. Eventually, he accepts his affection for and attracation to Dil, which grows into love and finally spurs to him to go to prison for Dil's sake. The two end the film deeply committed to each other.
The film does not indicate that Fergus is a repressed homosexual who is finally admitting the truth to himself by pursuing Dil. Rather, he is presented and considers himself to be heterosexual, and finds that the woman he is attracted to happens to be - biologically - male.
[edit] Production details
The film was originally released in the UK, where it failed at the box office. However, it was a sleeper hit in the U.S., thanks in part to a memorable advertising campaign which asked audiences not to reveal the film's secret. It was received to critical acclaim and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Writer-director Neil Jordan won an Oscar for his screenplay. The film went on to success around the world, including a re-release in the UK.
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack to the film was produced by Anne Dudley and the Pet Shop Boys, and Boy George scored his first hit in years with his recording of the title song - a song that had been a hit in the 1960s for British singer Dave Berry. The closing rendition of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" was performed by American singer Lyle Lovett.
[edit] Cast
The acclaimed cast included Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Forest Whitaker, Jaye Davidson, Jim Broadbent and Adrian Dunbar.
Davidson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, although the prize went to Gene Hackman for his performance in Unforgiven. The nomination led to some controversy, as the revelation of Davidson's gender was a spoiler for viewers who had not yet seen The Crying Game. There was much speculation about what Davidson would wear to the Oscars, as his appearing as a man would possibly spoil the film's surprise. In the end Davidson wore a rather androgynous outfit, and the event passed without incident.
In the 2005 film Breakfast on Pluto, Jordan would tell another tale of a sympathetic transgendered person getting entangled in the Irish Troubles, and the film would also feature Rea. Pluto, however, was much more stylized and episodic than The Crying Game, and proved less popular with audiences.
[edit] Trivia
- The tagline for the film was "Play It At Your Own Risk".
