The Long Good Friday


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The Long Good Friday
Directed by John Mackenzie
Produced by Barry Hanson
Written by Barrie Keeffe
Starring Bob Hoskins
Helen Mirren
Dave King
Bryan Marshall
Pierce Brosnan
Paul Freeman
Music by Francis Monkman
Cinematography Phil Meheux
Distributed by British Lion Films
Handmade Films
Paramount
Release date(s) United Kingdom November 1980
United States 2 April 1982
Running time 114 min.
Language English
Budget £930,000

The Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979[1] but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film.

Contents

Plot

The film's protagonist is Harold Shand (played by Bob Hoskins), an old fashioned 1960s-style London gangster who is aspiring to become a legitimate businessman, albeit with the financial support of the American Mafia. The storyline weaves together the events of the late 1970s, including low-level political and police corruption, IRA gun-running, the displacement of traditional British industry with property development and the emerging free market economy.

Harold is the undisputed ruling kingpin of the London underworld, when his world is suddenly torn apart by a series of murders and exploding bombs from an unseen foe. Uncovering his enemy's identity forms much of the film's subsequent plotline. His ruthless and violent pursuit of leads only points out the small-time tawdriness of the organization he hopes to legitimize.

The story seems to hinge upon an act of betrayal by one of Harold's closest aides, the implications of which only become clear near the film's climax, when the solution to the mystery is suggested though not spelled out. He acts on the information with the same brutality that took him to the pinnacle of the London underworld in the first place, but his enemies this time follow motivations different than those of his local rivals.

The American Mafia representatives decide to leave England because of all the killings but Harold is determined to stay, saying that he will become a legitimate businessman. When he leaves the hotel, he gets into a taxi that sharply pulls out from the hotel zone. Harold realises that his girlfriend, Victoria, is not in the car and sees her in the back of another car being driven away by armed men. Harold finds himself at gunpoint from the front seat passenger.

Production

The film was directed by John Mackenzie and produced for £930,000[2] by Barry Hanson from a script by Barrie Keeffe, with a soundtrack by the composer Francis Monkman; it was screened at the Cannes, Edinburgh and London Film Festivals in 1980.[3]

The original story had been written by Keefe for Hanson when the latter worked for Euston Films,[2] a subsidiary of Thames Television. Euston did not make the movie but Hanson bought the rights from Euston for his own company Calendar Films.[2] Although Hanson designed the film for the cinema and all contracts were negotiated under a movie, not a TV agreement, the movie was eventually financed by Black Lion, a subsidiary of Lord Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment for transmission via Grade's Associated TeleVision (ATV) on the ITV Network.[3] The film was commissioned by Charles Denton, at the time both Programme Controller of ATV and Managing Director of Black Lion.[2] After Grade saw the finished film, he allegedly objected to what he perceived as the glorification of the IRA[1] and it was scheduled for transmission with heavy cuts on 24th March 1981.[3]

In late 1980, Hanson attempted to buy the film back from ITC to prevent ITV screening the film with these cuts which he said would be "execrable".[2][3] and added up to "about 75 minutes of film that was literal nonsense".[1] It was also reported at the same time that Bob Hoskins was suing both Black Lion and Calendar Films to prevent their planned release of a US TV version in which Hoskins' voice would be dubbed by British Midlands actor David Daker.[3]

The rights to the film were eventually bought from ITC before the planned ITV transmission by George Harrison's company Handmade Films for around £200,000 less than the production costs.[1] They gave the movie a cinema release.

Locations

The film was shot on location around London including:

Cast notes

The film includes a large number of performances by young actors who later became famous.

Parody

The film was spoofed in one year's edition of Comic Relief. Titled "The Wrong Good Friday," it featured Bob Hoskins asking for a payment from Jimmy Nail, although Hoskins' character had come to collect on the wrong date. Clips are featured in the DVD "Seriously Funny."

Remake

In May 2007 it was confirmed that a remake was being planned by Handmade to start filming in Miami in 2008. Paul W. S. Anderson is to direct.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "British Film Institute website".
  2. ^ a b c d e "Association of Independent Producers' magazine, September 1980
  3. ^ a b c d e "Producer seeks a £1m buyer...": news report in movie trade magazine Screen International, 22nd November 1980
  4. ^ "BBC News - Entertainment - Long Good Friday gets US remake".

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