The Neon Bible (1995)

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. This film evokes the haunting quality ... See full summary »

Director:

Terence Davies

Writers:

Terence Davies, John Kennedy Toole (novel)

Stars:

Jacob Tierney, Drake Bell, Gena Rowlands

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

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. This film evokes the haunting quality of memory while creating a heartfelt portrait of a boy's life in a rural 1940s Southern town.

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Plot Keywords:

teenage boy | 1940s | told in flashback | reminiscence | hypocrisy | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Bíblia de Neon

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Academy, Channel Four Films, Iberoamerica Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview with "Time Out Film", Terence Davies said about this film, "[It] 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."

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Quotes

David, aged 15: 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.

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Connections

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

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Soundtracks

" (I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land"
aka "Dixie"
Written by Daniel Decatur Emmett

User Reviews

Read the book, skip the movie

Read the book and don't waste your time trying to watch this movie. I am only sorry that I can't give this 0 stars out of 10, but after thinking about it, I realize that there are a few other movies that could be considered worse than this. I consider "Confederacy of Dunces" and "The Neon Bible" worthy of their place on my bookshelf, but this movie belongs in a landfill. I agree with previous comments that the movie suffers from disjointedness. Yes, it is a memory story in the Southern Gothic style, but the book does a much better job of conveying the impact of the varied events of his childhood upon David as he reflects upon them during his train ride. I can only imagine how maddening the movie must be for those who never read the book beforehand - in short, if the movie left you feeling dissatisfied, it is still worth your while to read the book.