The Neon Bible (1995)

Director:

Terence Davies

Writers:

Terence Davies (writer)
John Kennedy Toole (novel)

Release Date:

1 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

While on a train, a teenage boy thinks about his life and the flamboyant aunt whose friendship acted as an emotional shield from his troubled family...

Plot Keywords:

Teenage Boy | 1940s | WWII | Reminiscence | Aunt Nephew Relationship

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jacob Tierney	...	David, aged 15
Drake Bell	...	David, aged 10
Gena Rowlands	...	Mae Morgan
Diana Scarwid	...	Sarah
Denis Leary	...	Frank
Bob Hannah	...	George
Aaron Frisch	...	Bruce
Charles Franzen	...	Tannoy Voice
Leo Burmester	...	Bobbie Lee Taylor
Sherry Velvet	...	First Testifier
Stephanie Astalos-Jones	...	Second Testifier
Ian Shearer	...	Billy Sunday Thompson
Joan Glover	...	Flora
Jill Jane Clements	...	Woman
Tom Turbiville	...	Clyde

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Academy

Trivia:

In an interview with Time Out Film Terence Davies said "The Neon Bible' doesn't work, and that's entirely my fault. The only thing I can say is that it's a transition work. And I couldn't have done 'The House of Mirth' without it."

Quotes:

David: If you were different from anybody else in town, you had to get out. They used to say in school, "you have to think for yourself," but you couldn't do that in town. You have to think what your father thought and that was what everybody thought.

Movie Connections:

References Mildred Pierce (1945)

Soundtrack:

Tara's Theme

Disjointed scenes, poor storyline, inconclusive ending

3 stars

I just recently learned this film is based on a book. I thought it might be, it had that kind of feel to it.

The film fails to follow through, instead we get scenes that are incomplete and questions that are not answered.

We see scenes of a husband and wife having an extremely difficult marriage and domestic violence but we are never really told why the family is doing so poorly.

We see preachers rousing their audience and hear their rhetoric but we never really know what the director is trying to tell us by these scenes.

We see the KKK in action, screaming a racist comment and burning something, but we never know whether any of the main characters are members of the Klan, who they have attacked or what happened prior to the attack or what happened afterward.

The film is filled with these kinds of poorly connected scenes.

There is no real storyline, and then suddenly we are led to two very unexpected incidents and a non-conclusive ending as to what eventually happens to the main character of the young boy.