Moonlighting (1982)

A Polish contractor, Nowak, leads a group of workmen to London so they can provide cheap labor for a government official based there. Nowak (Irons) has to manage the project and the men as ... See full summary »

Director:

Jerzy Skolimowski

Writer:

Jerzy Skolimowski (original screenplay)

Stars:

Jeremy Irons, Eugene Lipinski, Jirí Stanislav

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	Nowak
Eugene Lipinski	...	Banaszak
Jirí Stanislav	...	Wolski
Eugeniusz Haczkiewicz	...	Kudaj
Edward Arthur	...	Immigration Officer
Denis Holmes	...	Neighbor
Renu Setna	...	Junk Shop Owner
David Calder	...	Supermarket Manager
Judy Gridley	...	Supermarket Supervisor
Claire Toeman	...	Supermarket Cashier
Catherine Harding	...	Lady Shoplifter
Jill Johnson	...	Haughty Supermarket Customer
David Squire	...	Supermarket Assistant
Michael Sarne	...	Builders' Merchant (as Mike Sarne)
Lucy Hornak	...	Wrangler Shop Assistant

Storyline

A Polish contractor, Nowak, leads a group of workmen to London so they can provide cheap labor for a government official based there. Nowak (Irons) has to manage the project and the men as they encounter the tempations of the West and loneliness and separation from their families. Nowak is the only one of the group who speaks English, and he uses this as a tool over his team. When the unrest in Poland leads to a military takeover, Nowak is faced with a much more difficult situation than he expected.

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Plot Keywords:

polish | poland | building laborer | london england | apartment | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Polish

Release Date:

26 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nagy gázsi

Filming Locations:

Hammersmith Road, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Michael White Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

First released in 1982, this was around three years before the popular unrelated television series of the same name, Moonlighting, was first broadcast in 1985.

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Quotes

Nowak: I can speak their language, this is why the boss chose for me for the job. But I don't know what they really mean.

User Reviews

Moonlighting (1982), a great Polish film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski.

Moonlighting is an outstanding Polish film which deserves to be listed among top 100 world cinema films.It is a film which shows us that there are some cruel,inhuman,unjust political systems and political establishments who constantly deprive common people of earning their respective livelihoods.Moonlighting demonstrates that human life is full of misery as it can make somebody do things which one would normally not do in daily life.This is the case of a Polish foreman Novak who is in London with three construction workers known to him. For them,their work site appears more of a prison as they cannot go out.Skolimowski is as critical of the plight of clandestine workers as that of Polish government's decision to declare Martial Law.It is sad to learn that according to moonlighting some workers had to work for 18 hours a day.Anxiety,apprehension and confusion are immediately palpable to these people who have landed in London for earning extra money.For example :an airport scene shows Polish workers to be entirely dependent on Novak as he is the only person who speaks English.Touching too are the scenes in which Novak pilfers from a neighborhood supermarket.A word about Sir Jeremy Irons.He is a joy to watch as nobody expected him to play the role of Nowak with amazing inventiveness.