Mona Lisa (1986)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Neil Jordan (screenplay) and
David Leland (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 June 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes love is a strange and wicked game.

Plot:

George, after getting out of prison, begins looking for a job, but his time in prison has reduced his stature in the criminal underworld...

Plot Keywords:

Driver | Gangster | Brighton England | Strip Club | Lesbian

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Bob Hoskins	...	George
Cathy Tyson	...	Simone
Michael Caine	...	Mortwell
Robbie Coltrane	...	Thomas
Clarke Peters	...	Anderson
Kate Hardie	...	Cathy
Zoë Nathenson	...	Jeannie (as Zoe Nathenson)
Sammi Davis	...	May
Rod Bedall	...	Terry
Joe Brown	...	Dudley
Pauline Melville	...	George's Wife
Hossein Karimbeik	...	Raschid
John Darling	...	Hotel Security
Bryan Coleman	...	Gentleman in Mirror Room
Robert Dorning	...	Hotel Bedroom Man

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1988) | Finland:K-18 (1986) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 (2002) | Germany:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

HandMade Films

Trivia:

At one point HandMade Films producer Denis O'Brien suggested Grace Jones for the role of Simone after seeing her on the poster for the Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985).

Quotes:

Thomas: [shows George a plate of plastic spaghetti] What do you think?
George: Do you melt it down and eat it?
Thomas: No. They're ornamental.
George: Ornamental spaghetti.
Thomas: Yeah. Could go a bomb.
George: Where'd you get them?
Thomas: Contacts, George. You can't find plastic spaghetti just anywhere.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Secret Life of Brian (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

MONA LISA

Touching and Hard Hitting.

'Mona Lisa' is a distinctly British film. In many ways it is like the social realist films of the 1960's and early 70's. The attitude taken by Neil Jordan towards the film is worth crediting, the fact that he doesn't turn it into a simple romance is refreshing, and just as it seems to be leaning that way he throws the audience in a totally different direction.

The performances are great all round. This film is another example of just how good many British actors are, and it also serves to show how disappointing the state of our countries film industry is. When films this good are produced with this much talent British film makers shouldn't have to struggle as much as they do to get films made. Bob Hoskins was nominated for an Oscar for the role of George, and was well and truly deserving of it. His performance is subtle and sensitive at times and unflinching and painful to watch at others. He is a well and truly likable character, despite his flaws, made very real by Hoskins. Michael Caine again plays a nasty piece of work, like his character in 1971's 'Get Carter'. While Caine is capable of playing characters the audience love he is also capable of doing the complete opposite and he definitely achieves that here. The sense of class that Cathy Tyson brings to the screen in this film is perfect. She plays a prostitute, Simone, but we get a sense of respectability from her for the majority of the film. She appears desperate to be a lady despite her work, and this fits well with Hoskins portrayal of his blokey and rather 'tacky' character.

Cinematography throughout the film is similar to the style seen in other British films, it's often rather drab, the film isn't in widescreen (at least the version I watched wasn't) nor is the framing of the camera particularly exciting. The lack of attractive cinematography can to an extent put viewers off, but I believe that this type of image is part of the point, it reflects the lives of the characters. There were, however, points where I thought the cinematography was highly effective, particularly where Hoskins' and Tyson's characters are attacked by Anderson in the lift.

The scripting and editing of the end of the film works well, you can feel the pace quicken suddenly, as if to say "right, its time to be an active audience". This idea if dealt with badly could go wrong and let the rest of the film down but it doesn't here and it's instead makes for an far more interesting ending that could have been otherwise. It is also uncompromisingly brutal and hard hitting, which is what I prefer to see from a drama, it's not simply run-of-the-mill.

'Mona Lisa' seems, to some extent be a very British 'Taxi Driver'. It seems a strange comparison to make in some ways as the films are so incredibly different in many ways, but the comparison is definitely there and can clearly be seen at the same time. This is not to say that Hoskins' George is anything like De Niro's Travis Bickle, he is not. 'Mona Lisa' is the type of films that I can imagine lingering with the viewer for some time. It's touching and hard hitting, like the best dramas. It comes highly recommended.

7/10