#8
The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday
1979
Directed by: John Mackenzie
Written by: Barrie Keeffe
Music by: Francis Monkman
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Derek Thompson, and Eddie Constantine
British Gangster movies are some of the best out there and The Long Good Friday might just be the best one. The story centres on London underground mobster Harold Shand (an amazing Bob Hoskins) as he tries to make the move from mobster king to legitimate businessman. The 1988 Olympics were forecast to be in London and he is attempting to get a piece of the construction rights. Unfortunately for him, his enterprises become the victim of mysterious bombings which he cannot trace. As the film progresses it becomes clear that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) are behind it due to a mix up involving his right hand man Jeff (Derek Thompson). Of course a staple of the gangster movie genre is that the protagonist is a stubborn bastard who believes that he is untouchable. This always leads to his downfall, and The Long Good Friday is no different in this respect.
What makes this movie special is how it presents Britain in the late 1970s. It was made in 1979, the year that Margaret Thatcher came to power. Britain had been in perpetual decline as a world power since the end of WWII. Harold however was having none of this. It's his strong belief that Britain is still the greatest power the world has ever seen and his belief in his country is matched only by his belief in himself. The opening scene goes a long way to showing this:
It's a short clip, but I think it's a great one to show his confidence. The British Airways jet flies by and cut to a shot of him strolling through the airport, perfect. In the clip he was just returning from a trip to the United States where he was setting up a joint venture deal with the American Mafia to help him with his rebuilding project in London. The next clip is another one of my favourites. It's a sort of pitch to the visiting Americans about his vision for Britain's future and his obsession with Britain's past. The only clip I could find was an extra long one so feel free to cut the clip at the end of his short speech:
The setting is perfect with the iconic image of London's Tower Bridge in the background while he's making his speech. As he said, he's a businessman with a sense of history. His speech clearly shows the ambition that he has for London and he sees himself as the only one who can mastermind the 'New London'. It is in this way that he resembles a large segment of the country at this time. People were eager for a change. People had an intense nostalgic feeling for the days when the sun never set on the British Empire and London was the most important city in the world. It was this feeling that Thatcher capitalized on to win her first term and then again her second term through the patriotic feeling generated by the Falklands War.
Britain was one of the newest members of the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the European Union) at this time too and there was a feeling in the country that due to its prestige it should be one of the leading members of it. Harold mentions London as the gateway to Europe in speech, so he certainly believes that things are looking up for Britain. Membership in the European Economic Community comes with perks for some segments of the population as well as responsibilities which cannot be neglected. If you want to be a part of Europe, you must also accept it's joint decision-making mechanisms and be willing to make concessions. Anti-European Union sentiment is probably the highest in Britain though and concessions are often seen as unacceptable. Much like the stubbornness of good old Harold.
The violence and chaos that follows this speech in the movie though was a warning to the people who thought that Britain could regain it's world renowned status without serious soul searching. As the film shows, there were serious matters that could not be covered up or forgotten. Chief among these were 'the Troubles' that were plaguing Northern Ireland. It had pretty much been in a state of war since 1970. All of this within the United Kingdom itself. The IRA gets involved and Harold wrongfully thinks that he can brush them aside without too much trouble. With this confidence he only angers the powerful IRA which leads to his downfall. In addition to this his deal with the Americans falls apart. Both of these come to a head in the final scene of the movie. A great one, but possibly a spoiler so watch the next clip with caution:
Harold's prestige took a hit in this clip when the mafia lawyer referred to Britain as a 'Banana Republic'. From here his rant is great and sums up pretty much everything I've been talking about. His confidence in himself and in his country turned out to be his downfall. Released the same year as Thatcher's election, this movie is a warning that progress can only happen with addressing fully the nation's problems. That long-shot of Harold's face in the car with the gun pointed at him is a perfect ending too. What was going on inside his head when a young Pierce Brosnan was pointing his gun at him? Fear, anger, acceptance or maybe admiration? And that theme song, incredible stuff. Classic gangster film.
What makes this movie special is how it presents Britain in the late 1970s. It was made in 1979, the year that Margaret Thatcher came to power. Britain had been in perpetual decline as a world power since the end of WWII. Harold however was having none of this. It's his strong belief that Britain is still the greatest power the world has ever seen and his belief in his country is matched only by his belief in himself. The opening scene goes a long way to showing this:
It's a short clip, but I think it's a great one to show his confidence. The British Airways jet flies by and cut to a shot of him strolling through the airport, perfect. In the clip he was just returning from a trip to the United States where he was setting up a joint venture deal with the American Mafia to help him with his rebuilding project in London. The next clip is another one of my favourites. It's a sort of pitch to the visiting Americans about his vision for Britain's future and his obsession with Britain's past. The only clip I could find was an extra long one so feel free to cut the clip at the end of his short speech:
The setting is perfect with the iconic image of London's Tower Bridge in the background while he's making his speech. As he said, he's a businessman with a sense of history. His speech clearly shows the ambition that he has for London and he sees himself as the only one who can mastermind the 'New London'. It is in this way that he resembles a large segment of the country at this time. People were eager for a change. People had an intense nostalgic feeling for the days when the sun never set on the British Empire and London was the most important city in the world. It was this feeling that Thatcher capitalized on to win her first term and then again her second term through the patriotic feeling generated by the Falklands War.
Britain was one of the newest members of the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the European Union) at this time too and there was a feeling in the country that due to its prestige it should be one of the leading members of it. Harold mentions London as the gateway to Europe in speech, so he certainly believes that things are looking up for Britain. Membership in the European Economic Community comes with perks for some segments of the population as well as responsibilities which cannot be neglected. If you want to be a part of Europe, you must also accept it's joint decision-making mechanisms and be willing to make concessions. Anti-European Union sentiment is probably the highest in Britain though and concessions are often seen as unacceptable. Much like the stubbornness of good old Harold.
The violence and chaos that follows this speech in the movie though was a warning to the people who thought that Britain could regain it's world renowned status without serious soul searching. As the film shows, there were serious matters that could not be covered up or forgotten. Chief among these were 'the Troubles' that were plaguing Northern Ireland. It had pretty much been in a state of war since 1970. All of this within the United Kingdom itself. The IRA gets involved and Harold wrongfully thinks that he can brush them aside without too much trouble. With this confidence he only angers the powerful IRA which leads to his downfall. In addition to this his deal with the Americans falls apart. Both of these come to a head in the final scene of the movie. A great one, but possibly a spoiler so watch the next clip with caution:
Harold's prestige took a hit in this clip when the mafia lawyer referred to Britain as a 'Banana Republic'. From here his rant is great and sums up pretty much everything I've been talking about. His confidence in himself and in his country turned out to be his downfall. Released the same year as Thatcher's election, this movie is a warning that progress can only happen with addressing fully the nation's problems. That long-shot of Harold's face in the car with the gun pointed at him is a perfect ending too. What was going on inside his head when a young Pierce Brosnan was pointing his gun at him? Fear, anger, acceptance or maybe admiration? And that theme song, incredible stuff. Classic gangster film.
For being showing perfectly how uncomfortable the state of affairs were in 1979 Britain, The Long Good Friday is in my opinion the 8th best movie of the 1970s.
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