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By
WAYNE KLEIN
With the re-release of Neil
Jordan's "The Crying Game" on DVD, it's time to
look into the past and take a look at a classic
film that foreshadowed much of the complex
storytelling in that gem of a film. Although "Mona
Lisa" isn't a new release it continues to be as
fresh now as it was twenty years ago. "Mona Lisa"
remains one of Neil Jordan's best movies. Bob
Hoskins plays George a small time thug who took
went to prison to protect his boss Mortwell
(Michael Caine). To reward George for his
sacrifice he gives him a job chauffeuring around
Simone (Cathy Tyson) a high priced call girl that
Mortwell wants to keep under surveillance. Despite
her initial chilly reception, George falls in love
with her. Ultimately she asks him to make a major
sacrifice so she can be free of Mortwell and his
world. It's a price that leads to tragedy and
violence.
A brilliant film noir (yes, I realize that film
noirs aren't supposed to be in color. Who cares?
Let's be liberal about that, shall we since it
fits the bill in every other way), Hoskins earned
an Oscar nomination for his performance and really
he deserved it. His portrayal of George is
complex. While he's a criminal, he's also
surprisingly naive and innocent in his own way and
the code of conduct he follows in his life
reflects much more solid values than that of a
petty crook. Outside of "The Long Friday" and a
few isolated roles Hoskins only demonstrated his
potential as an actor here. Given the right role
(which Hollywood hasn't done thank you very much),
Hoskins can be one of our most brilliant screen
actors. Michael Caine shines in a pivotal but
small role as Mortwell. Caine has never given a
performance as nasty and chillingly evil as he
does here. Cathy Tyson ("The Serpent and the
Rainbow," "Priest") also deserves kudos for her
performance as Simone. Although the surface of her
character is chilly she hints at the depths of
emotion raging beneath the surface of this
sophisticated and sad woman.
The Criterion edition of this looks exceptionally
good with nice color reproduction and a crisp,
sharp picture. It appears that the same master
that was used for the 1996 laserdisc was used
here, though, and it probably should have been
remastered from a new digital transfer. While
presented in its original widescreen format this
isn't an anamorphic transfer as far as I can tell
which is, again, another reason to update this and
create a high definition DVD.
Desperately in need of extras, this edition of
"Mona Lisa" features a Neil Jordan and Bob Hoskins
commentary track that provides a surprising amount
of interesting detail about the making of the
movie. Usually a commentary track with an actor
and director devolve into a lovefest with little
actually uncovered but that's not the case here.
We learn about the difficulty that Jordan had
initially interesting backers in the project and
how pivotal the casting of Michael Caine was to
making this project viable.
The "Special" in "Special Edition" is a relative
term and, while this is a special film, the
treatment that Criterion gives "Mona Lisa" on DVD
cries out for something truly outstanding
considering the price. I realize that part of the
price of this set comes from licensing and the
great care given the transfer but, like the recent
re-release of "The Crying Game," there has to be
some alternate scenes that survived or outtakes
that might have been of interest to fans.
Additionally, why not do a retrospective
documentary or a glimpse back at Jordan's career
as a featurette? Hopefully Criterion (or whomever
picks up the license on this film for DVD release
in the US) will remaster this and add the extras
that this classic film calls for. |
