Comfort and Joy (1984)

Radio host Alan Bird witnesses how an ice cream van is attacked and destroyed by an angry competitor. This leads him into the struggle between two Italian families, the Bernardis and the ... See full summary »

Director:

Bill Forsyth

Writer:

Bill Forsyth

Stars:

Bill Paterson, Eleanor David, Clare Grogan

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Paterson	...	Alan
Eleanor David	...	Maddy
Clare Grogan	...	Charlotte (as C. P. Grogan)
Alex Norton	...	Trevor
Patrick Malahide	...	Colin
Rikki Fulton	...	Hilary
Roberto Bernardi	...	Mr. McCool
George Rossi	...	Bruno
Peter Rossi	...	Paolo
Billy McElhaney	...	Renato
Gilly Gilchrist	...	Rufus
Caroline Guthrie	...	Gloria
Ona McCracken	...	Nancy
Elizabeth Sinclair	...	Fiona
Katy Black	...	Sarah

Storyline

Radio host Alan Bird witnesses how an ice cream van is attacked and destroyed by an angry competitor. This leads him into the struggle between two Italian families, the Bernardis and the Rossis, over whose ice cream vans can sell where in Glasgow.

---

Plot Keywords:

van | radio | radio dj | ice cream | ice cream man | 

---

Taglines:

Have you ever had one of those weeks...

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

10 October 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conforto E Prazer

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kings Road Entertainment, Lake (Comfort and Joy) Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dicky Bird's car is a 1983 BMW 323i Baur TC convertible, the registration number A329 SGB is a correct Glasgow number, but has subsequently disappeared.

---

Crazy Credits

During the end credits, Alan 'Dickie' Bird (Bill Paterson) is heard taping and screwing up a radio commercial.

User Reviews

I was raspberry when I should have been vanilla.

"Comfort and Joy" is a deceptive film. It begins as a story about those dim, lonely days following a break-up, and turns into a fantastical tale of the dark underworld behind ice cream vendor territorial disputes (!). Yeah, that's what I thought too. How could this work, and who writes this stuff? Bill Forsyth was an exceedingly strange filmmaker. He made movies often thinly disguised as comedy, but with a heart of deep alienation and loneliness. This film, in fact, could almost be a distorted mirror of more nihilistic loner films like "Taxi Driver".

There are passages in "Comfort and Joy" which are utterly dreamlike. The cinematography takes over in nighttime scenes, all deep focus and glowing orbs of unfocused light. Chris Menges photographs his images with a wonderfully real sense. It's this feeling which makes the film true bordering on painful. Bill Paterson (as Alan Bird) enters into this world like someone who'd been sleepwalking. He's subtle, silent, often bemused. He's like a lesson on how to create a character, in the purest sense.

I must say that "Comfort and Joy" is a very specific sort of film. And a very good one, I think. But there's a large portion which depends directly on mood. It's very possible to not enjoy it. But it is real, and that in itself is a wondrous achievement.