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My Beautiful Laundrette
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My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   4,763 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Stephen Frears
Writer:
Hanif Kureishi (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for My Beautiful Laundrette on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
April 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Plot:
An ambitious Asian Briton and his white lover strive for success and hope, when they open up a glamorous laundromat. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(11 articles)
Interview: 'Cheri' Director Stephen Frears
 (From Cinematical. 26 June 2009, 7:02 PM, PDT)

Dueling with Stephen Frears
 (From IFC. 26 June 2009, 7:56 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A perfect slice of Thatcherite Britain.....oh! And a fab gay romance.. more

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Saeed Jaffrey ... Nasser Hussein
Roshan Seth ... Ali Hussein

Daniel Day-Lewis ... Johnny (as Daniel Day Lewis)
Gordon Warnecke ... Omar Hussein
Derrick Branche ... Salim N. Hussein
Rita Wolf ... Tania N. Hussein
Souad Faress ... Cherry N. Hussein
Richard Graham ... Genghis
Shirley Anne Field ... Rachel
Winston Graham ... Jamaican One
Charu Bala Chokshi ... Bilquis (as Charu Bala Choksi)
Dudley Thomas ... Jamaican Two

Garry Cooper ... Squatter
Neil Cunningham ... Englishman
Persis Maravala ... Nasser's Elder Daughter
Walter Donohue ... Dick O'Donnell
Nisha Kapur ... Nasser's Younger Daughter

Stephen Marcus ... Moose
Badi Uzzaman ... Dealer
Ayub Khan-Din ... Student
Gurdial Sira ... Zaki
Chris Pitt ... Kid One
Dawn Archibald ... Gang Member One
Kerryann White ... Kid Two
Gerard Horan ... Telephone Man
Jonathan Moore ... Gang Member Two
Ram John Holder ... Poet
Colin Campbell ... Madame Butterfly Man

Bhasker Patel ... Tariq
Dulice Liecier ... Girl in Disco (as Dulice Leicier)
Sheila Chitnis ... Zaki's Wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Persis Khambatta ... (uncredited)
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Directed by
Stephen Frears 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Hanif Kureishi  written by

Produced by
Tim Bevan .... producer
Sarah Radclyffe .... producer
 
Original Music by
Ludus Tonalis 
 
Cinematography by
Oliver Stapleton 
 
Film Editing by
Mick Audsley 
 
Casting by
Debbie McWilliams 
 
Production Design by
Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski  (as Hugo Luczyc Wyhowski)
 
Costume Design by
Lindy Hemming 
 
Makeup Department
Elaine Carew .... makeup artist
Wendy Rawson .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Jane Frazer .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Davies .... third assistant director
Simon Hinkly .... first assistant director
Waldo Roeg .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Mark Allett .... stand-by props
Alison Dominitz .... assistant art director
Alastair Gow .... constructor
Raymond Perry .... stand-by props (as Ray Perry Jr.)
Ray Perry Sr. .... property master
Julian Rothenstein .... graphic artist
Robin Thistlewaite .... constructor
Jeanne Vertigan .... production buyer
 
Sound Department
Albert Bailey .... sound recordist
St. Clair Davis .... boom operator
Peter Maxwell .... dubbing mixer
'Budge' Tremlett .... dubbing editor
Matthew Whiteman .... assistant dubbing editor
Steve Hancock .... sound camera operator (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Jim Dowdall .... stunt coordinator
Tracey Eddon .... stunts (as Tracey Eddons)
Wayne Michaels .... stunts
Nosher Powell .... stunt coordinator
Rocky Taylor .... stunt coordinator
Tip Tipping .... stunts
Bill Weston .... stunt coordinator
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Fiona Cunningham-Reid .... clapper loader
Malcolm Davies .... gaffer
Martin Duncan .... electrician
Tony Hare .... electrician
Anthony James .... camera trainee
Steve Keith-Roach .... focus puller
Mike Laye .... still photographer
Dave McWhinney .... electrician (as Dave McWhinnie)
Jamie Monks .... second camera grip
Jim Monks .... camera grip
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Karen Sharpe .... wardrobe mistress
 
Editorial Department
Jason Adams .... first assistant editor
Chris Cook .... second assistant editor
 
Music Department
Stanley Myers .... music producer
Hans Zimmer .... music producer
 
Transportation Department
Harry Vincent .... driver: property
 
Other crew
Ronald Bailey .... national film school attachment
Jo Brown .... national film school attachment
Chris Bruce .... unit runner (was: Bruce, Chris 20030812)
Abdul Chowdray .... national film school attachment
Bill Craster .... production accountant
Anuree De Silva .... national film school attachment
Penny Eyles .... continuity
Sam Garwood .... production runner
Graime Marmion .... assistant production accountant
Charlie McGrigor .... unit runner
Rebecca O'Brien .... location manager
Sarah O'Brien .... production assistant
Andrew Young .... projectionist
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Runtime:
97 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English | Urdu
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and A Room with a View (1985) both opened in New York on the same day, March 7, 1986. Both movies featured Daniel Day-Lewis in prominent and very different roles: in A Room with a View, he played a repressed, snobbish Edwardian upperclassman, while in Laundrette, he played a lower-class gay ex-skinhead in love with an ambitious Pakistani businessman in Thatcher's London. When American critics saw Day-Lewis, who was then virtually unknown in the US, in two such different roles on the same day, many (including Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times and Vincent Canby of The New York Times) raved about the talent it must have taken him to play such vastly different characters. more
Quotes:
Nasser: [whilst having sex with his lover] Christ, you move like a liner. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy (2003) (V) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
28 out of 31 people found the following comment useful:-
A perfect slice of Thatcherite Britain.....oh! And a fab gay romance.., 28 December 1998
Author: Nicola Osborne (nosb125299@aol.com) from Cardiff, Wales

A classic film in my book, My Beautiful Laundrette is the story of Omar, a young restless Asian man caring for his alcoholic father in Thatcherite London. Escape comes in the form of his uncles many and varied business ventures,...

Anyone who experienced anything of life in '80's Britain will recognise the craving for instant financial success. Similarly I am sure Asian viewers will recognise the struggles inherent in finding an identity in a country which is your home but which can never feel quite like your real home.

Omar dreams of success so works to achieve it...along the way he meets up with old school-friend Johnny, who has betrayed him by falling in with a group of neo-nazi's. Omar soon has Johnny working for him and his uncle. Turning the tables on him as he is made to rely on the very people he has been taught to hate. The chemistry between Omar and Johnny is palpable and their relationship handled totally matter-of-factly. About the only part of the film not trying to score any political points is the gay relationship. There is a "so-what" attitude and no-one comes out at any point. And why should they?

Tension in the film is far more the result of socio-economic and racial inequalities. The whole thing is handled with grace, charm and wit. Anyone remotely familier with British film in particular will note the starry casting of supporting roles, though Danial Day Lewis is - now - the biggest star of the show. Here he shows the real substance behind his fame - more so than in any other film of his seen to date. The cast is universally excellent and the unique shooting, pacing and dialogue, quite quite brilliant.

Some of the shots in this film could be used as a template for brilliance...An unexpected kiss in a dark alley is easily the most erotic single shot I have seen in a film.

Despite a few reviews I have read claiming otherwise, I don't believe you need to be gay or Asian to get something out of this picture. Living in Britain may help, though it's a lot less than essential.......

And hey! Wouldn't you love to throw your knickers into the washing machines of a neon-lit music-filled laudrette from heaven run by two insatiably young and energetic lovers?

Well I would anyway! Pass the detergent this way please!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Oh my god! It's so eighties! All in all: Not a great film markus-dehmann
Omar... daziechane
Did tania die? atomickid
synopsis says Asian joeski5651
How is masculinity represented?? xxlauraxx-4
Ice Ice Baby... honeybabyplease
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