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

"Going Home"
Music by Antonín Dvorák from "9th Symphony (From the New World), 2nd movement"

User Reviews

Waste of light sensitive film

I am sure somebody meant to convey _some_ meaning in this one, and if you have the patience of mountains to last through it (and through all those lengthy shots of drying bedsheets - I'm not kidding!) you will have the better of me. Even if you wasted good money on the ticket, don't lose twice and waste your time. Watch a pebble, try to understand the import it carries..