I hadn’t seen “The Crying Game” since it was released in 1992, but last week for election night here in the States I hung out with my friend Kelly who’s a huge fan of old movies. We had a couple drinks and saw the movie again before watching the returns come in later that evening. While I wasn’t that surprised by the outcome of the election, I can say it was one of those evenings I’ll remember the rest of my life, partly because the movie was simply the perfect choice to begin the evening with. There were moments I was just transported by it. I’m sure the wine didn’t hurt.
Years ago I saw the movie in a theater when it first came out, and I must have read something beforehand and figured out what the movie’s big secret was. Oh, and if you’ve never seen it, then don’t read this short blog post as it has some spoilers – though at this point I can’t imagine that anyone doesn’t know the big reveal.
Jaye Davidson of course is terrific as Dil, though I’ll admit the movie seems pretty dated regarding being trans. In some of the dialogue she’s treated more like a gay man who presents as a woman, whereas if the movie were made today she would simply be trans. And the dialogue in the bar between Dil and the bartender (Jim Broadbent) to me just seems a little too clever and coy. I kept thinking: You know, I’ve been in plenty of gay bars, and no one ever talks like that. But, hey, it’s a movie.
But the actress who really intrigued me the most was the vicious IRA member Jude (played by Miranda Richardson). She starts off as a blonde but halfway through the movie disguises herself and becomes this dark-haired femme fatale in a retro suit with blunt bangs. In an interview, Miranda Richardson admitted in an interview that the whole look is actually pretty funny since her “disguise” really just makes her stand out like she’s some villain from a 1940s film noir.
When I first saw the movie I remember being really intrigued by and attracted to her, especially with that sexy skirt suit and those black leather gloves she wears for half the movie. I wish I had better pictures below that show off the whole outfit because it’s a knockout! There’s one scene where she’s finishing dressing where she adjusts her wig, smooths down her jacket, puts on her gloves, and puts a small machine gun in a bag before heading out – she just looks so hot! If I had to be killed by a femme fatale, I wouldn’t mind it too much if it were Miranda Richardson!
In any case, the movie holds up well, and again, if by chance you haven’t seen it it’s definitely worth a viewing. I was surprised too at how much of it I remembered since my memory is usually crap when it comes to movies. But when the opening title shot came on with the classic Percy Sledge song, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” I immediately remembered it since it’s such a sublime sequence with the camera slowly tracking past the amusement park. It made me happy just to see and hear it again some thirty years later. The video with that opening shot is down below. And the first picture below is, of course, Jaye Davidson and Stephen Rea and the others are all Miranda Richardson as the femme fatale Jude. Another walk down memory lane!
