The Crying Game

Stephen Rea plays Fergus, an IRA member who develops a friendship with a kidnapped British soldier, Jody. When Jody dies, trying to escape, Fergus travels to England and meets Jody’s lover who turns out to be a transexual, something he doesn’t discover until he is undressing her. 112 min, color, cert 18 It was received to critical acclaim and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Actor in a Leading Role (for Rea), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Davidson) and Best Director. Writer-director Neil Jordan finally won the Oscar for his screenplay.

The film went on to success around the world, including a re-release in Britain and Ireland. Hill, John, ‘Cinema and Northern Ireland - Film, Culture and Politics’, British Film Institute, London, 2006, ISBN 1-88457134-3 Jordan, Neil, ‘The crying game: [an original screenplay]’, Vintage, London, 1993, Bib Id 707708, ISBN 099327112 McIlroy, Brian, ‘Shooting to Kill - Filmmaking and the Troubles in Northern Ireland’, Steveston Press, 2001, ISBN 0-9687996-0-4 McLoone, Martin, ‘Irish Film: The Emergence of a Contemporary Cinema’, pp. 234, British Film Institute, London, 2000 Rockett, Kevin, Rockett Emer, ‘Neil Jordan : exploring boundaries’, Liffey, Dublin, 2002, Bib Id 1251898; ISBN 190414828X Zucker, Carole, ‘The cinema of Neil Jordan : dark carnival’, Wallflower, London, 2008. Bib Id 1718207; ISBN 9781905674411; 1905674414

‘The Crying Game’ explores themes of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop of the Troubles. The film’s sympathetic portrayal of an IRA terrorist was later cited by Neil Jordan as one of the reasons for its initial failure at the UK box office, but it is ultimately more an exploration of masculinity than of terrorism.

Courtesy Nik Powell, Executive Director, Scala Films