Friday, February 5, 2010

An Achingly Haunting Film -- Mona Lisa (1986)



Mona Lisa is one of the most achingly haunting films I've ever seen. I watched it for the first time in a movie theater in Boston. I was alone (I often went to films alone in my youth) and glad to be because I was crying throughout the film, but especially by the end of it.

This 1986 Neil Jordan film (two years prior to Who Framed Roger Rabbit) was my introduction to British actor Bob Hoskins who plays the lead role of George, a man just released from prison, George has just done seven years for some unknown offense, apparently taking the fall for his boss, played by effectively nastily by Michael Caine.

George is uneducated, uncouth, politically incorrect and a fashion disaster. And yet, despite his running with a criminal element, it’s apparent that he possesses a fragile innocence and a deep caring nature.

The first thing George does when he is released from prison is to try to see his daughter which you can imagine does not go well. So early on we see George is given to fits of violent outbursts. But it is violence born of frustration not malice. Not that that excuses it, bit it serves to make George such a wonderfully complex character. Hoskins’ performance in this film is so moving it’s painful, but utterly beautiful to watch.

George has a fascinating relationship with his best friend Thomas, played by Robbie Coltrane now better known as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies. Thomas dabbles in selling odd art pieces and fixing cars, but the two friends talk to each other in and about stories. It’s interesting to watch and you always have the feeling you’re not quite being let in on all that passes between them.

Hoskins asks his old boss for work and he is given the job of being a driver for elegant prostitute Simone, played exquisitely by Cathy Tyson. He begins to fall for her and helps her to find a friend who works for the same pimp she used to. He puts his life on the line for her more than once. In the process, he also tries (and fails) to help another young prostitute he meets along the way. And he begins a relationship with his daughter.

I don’t want to give the entire plot away. You’re just going to have to see this film. And I warn you it is not pretty to watch but it is cathartic. George is the most awkward and hurt part of ourselves. He is our lost innocence.

The film title comes from the Nat King Cole song George plays over and over in his car and one can see how it relates to Simone. Like the Mona Lisa, she doesn't reveal much of what is behind her pretty face.

Mona Lisa is a brutal film because it’s honest. There is no Hollywood gloss and no fairy tale endings. This film can be thought of as the ugly predecessor to Pretty Woman. Hoskins and Tyson both won awards for their roles. The story here is agonizing and the acting is superb. I am forever haunted by an exchange between George and Simone near the end of the film. Simone asks George, “Don’t you ever need someone?” A tearful George replies, “All the time.”

17 comments:

  1. I remember the first time i saw Neil Jordan's kinky as hell case of mistaken and misfired identities & it was not suggestive of Nat King Cole's song I've loved throughout my whole life. Although not quite as diligently morose as Bergman's Persona it has the Arquette character indulging in some hapless forms of self destruction. The women in this film are in some serious difficulty and Hoskins as the chauffeur-hood has issues of pain & confusion to match those of a a far more juvenile character: He is nuanced in shades of de Niro'sTaxi Driver, only sans steroids.George , poor soul, needs a sharper eye to ferret out the motives and desires of those around him. Who's using who here. Changing the key pop song to "Use Me" by Bill Withers won't help elucidate for most audiences jordan's schematic about love, betrayal & hustling.

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    3. I think the using theme is more nuanced than that. Simone's loving Cathie doesn't mean she dislikes George, but he is too macho & simple-minded,naive, to understand that. I think she has affection for him & wouldn't have shot him at the end. Her tears after he leaves are in part a testament to that. Love this film.

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  2. The song is one of my favorites too. Romantic and dreamy. So the disonnect between the song and the world of this film is sharply underscored. All the major characters here are in some serious trouble save Thomas, whose only flaw may be his silliness. However, I do think there was a hint that George's daughter may have been at risk prior to his getting back into her life. Or maybe I am reading that in? But one thing is for sure in this film--Richard Gere isn't riding in to carry off anyone to a hqppily ever after.

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    1. Simone has a lot of good in her too, in my opinion. She's in love w a poor girl she truly wants to save. Nor has she ever given George reason to believe she is in love w him. I think if he'd truly cared for her, he'd have helped her at the end.

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    2. Simone has a lot of good in her too, in my opinion. She's in love w a poor girl she truly wants to save. Nor has she ever given George reason to believe she is in love w him. I think if he'd truly cared for her, he'd have helped her at the end.

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  3. I haven't seen this film but I am definitely going to look into after reading this post. Well done!

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  4. This is such a complex film and has enough humanity in it to break anyone's heart. Everybody is damaged so badly, but George has a lot of good in him. You can't help wishing he'd be rewarded somehow. The music sticks with you too, adding another layer to the pain. Great pick Lana and great observations!

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    2. Simone has a lot of good in her too, in my opinion. She's in love w a poor girl she truly wants to save. Nor has she ever given George reason to believe she is in love w him. I think if he'd truly cared for her he'd have helped her at the end, been a friend. As it is he calls the two women "dykes" which they so obviously are not, showing he is a macho & was actually using Simone's dependence on him in order to have her for himself. His ironical stance is frankly homophobic, something that makes me feel sorry for him, but also see him as psychologically limited until he recounts hus story to his friend, where there does seem a tiny movement of more acceptance for lesbians than before. I may be reading that into his tone. I feel terribly sorry for the two women too. George & the filmmakers leave them in an undeservedly horrible situation, as uf they were not damaged enough. Don't mean Simone should "get away w murder", but any jury would see it was self defense of both women. Poor George needs a normal life. There is little hope that Simone & her girlfriend will ever have that.

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    3. Simone has a lot of good in her too, in my opinion. She's in love w a poor girl she truly wants to save. Nor has she ever given George reason to believe she is in love w him. I think if he'd truly cared for her he'd have helped her at the end, been a friend. As it is he calls the two women "dykes" which they so obviously are not, showing he is a macho & was actually using Simone's dependence on him in order to have her for himself. His ironical stance is frankly homophobic, something that makes me feel sorry for him, but also see him as psychologically limited until he recounts hus story to his friend, where there does seem a tiny movement of more acceptance for lesbians than before. I may be reading that into his tone. I feel terribly sorry for the two women too. George & the filmmakers leave them in an undeservedly horrible situation, as uf they were not damaged enough. Don't mean Simone should "get away w murder", but any jury would see it was self defense of both women. Poor George needs a normal life. There is little hope that Simone & her girlfriend will ever have that.

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    4. Simone has a lot of good in her too, in my opinion. She's in love w a poor girl she truly wants to save. Nor has she ever given George reason to believe she is in love w him. I think if he'd truly cared for him, he'd have helped her at the end.

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  5. Thanks, Nashira for your astute comparisons and insights.

    Thanks, Sweepy. I hope you'll find it worthwhile.

    Thanks, Brent. I do think it's a hard film to watch because the characters are definitely more complex than most that come out of Hollywood.

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