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A Neil Jordan Reader
Very Good plus. Paperback. No marks or inscriptions. No creasing to covers or to spine. A very clean very tight copy with bright unmarked boards, minor traces of storage and no bumping to corners. 69pp. Script of Neil Jordan's film which won an Oscar for best original screenplay. ISBN 0099327112
- GenresFiction
280 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 14, 2019
Stuffy megamature prose abounds in the first two sections of this reader. The short stories and novella are too "End of the Affair"-ish in a very non-new way. It is too intent on out-Greeneing Mr. Graham Greene. It is nebulous and day-dreamy and captivating to the senses, as the snatches of stories (not full ones, but not sketches either) imply more about the inner realms than the also-crazy outer world.
The stunner here is without a doubt the screenplay for 90's Oscar-winning film neonoir "The Crying Game," which is literally about man's love, devotion & sacrifice for his fellow man. It is all clear-crisp dialogue, & this is the medium in which Jordan really astounds.
The stunner here is without a doubt the screenplay for 90's Oscar-winning film neonoir "The Crying Game," which is literally about man's love, devotion & sacrifice for his fellow man. It is all clear-crisp dialogue, & this is the medium in which Jordan really astounds.
April 14, 2019
If it hadn't been for The Dream of a Beast I would have given this little volume five stars. That novella was too self-consciously weird for my tastes. Yes, I know it is supposed to be surrealistic and blah blah blah, but I just found it difficult to follow and in the end, boring. That said, the short stories that open this collection are excellent, especially "Sand", "Skin", and "Tree", and The Crying Game is...well, if you don't know by now, shame on you!
May 23, 2010
My continuing endeavor to read more Irish literature. I actually picked this book up in a used book shop in New Orleans.
"The Dream of a Beast" was wonderfully, well, dreamy. It was terrible, too, but Jordan is so descriptive - it's no wonder he's become such a sought after screenwriter. And reading "The Crying Game" screenplay was like a kind of revelation - so much of that film I remember being incomprehensible. But then, i saw it a long time ago when i was much younger. I perhaps would have a different reaction to the film were I to see it for the first time now.
"The Dream of a Beast" was wonderfully, well, dreamy. It was terrible, too, but Jordan is so descriptive - it's no wonder he's become such a sought after screenwriter. And reading "The Crying Game" screenplay was like a kind of revelation - so much of that film I remember being incomprehensible. But then, i saw it a long time ago when i was much younger. I perhaps would have a different reaction to the film were I to see it for the first time now.
August 7, 2025
"To fly cleanly, you must learn pure desire, a desire that has no object. Any attachment to things of the world leaves you earthbound once more" (160, from "The Dream of a Beast")
I love Neil Jordan as a filmmaker. Though some of his films range from masterful, to some downright terrible- they are always hold my interest. They are often imaginative with a tinge of dark humor. His work is also all about desire, loss and heartbreak.
His short story collection is wonderful and strange. "Last Rites" is a story of tragic repression. A man commits suicide by slitting his wrists after a dalliance with a handsome Trinidadian man set in a bathhouse.
"Night in Tunisia" is a strange, erotic story of a young man who plays the saxophone to please his dad. In his coming of age, he is attracted to a woman wearing a yellow cardigan, as well as his sister's changing body. It's a story of desire and the questioning of desire tinged with guilt.
"A Love" is about the reunion of two lovers at a funeral and reflect on what went wrong.
"The Dream of a Beast" is a dystopic, Kafkaesque novella that begins in an exercise of sexual lust and eroticism. He is having an affair with a client from his advertising firm who wants him to peddle a perfume with a powerfully musky scent.
The man begins to transform into a beast where a young kid is the only person who accepts him. The boy feeds him cornstalks and they both fly away. It's a strange, gorgeous novella that is reminded me of Mr. Jordan's love of the fantastic and the surreal, exemplified in his films "In the Company of Wolves"- a riff on Red Riding Hood, and "Interview with the Vampire".
And finally….. an oldie but a goodie MASTERPIECE:
"The Crying Game" is one of the most gorgeous and moving screenplays ever written. Illustrated with intersecting themes of The Troubles with that of two connecting love stories about sexuality and fluidity makes the story unforgettable.
The hero of the tale is Fergus: a member of the IRA. Two of his comrades, the vengeful and erotically charged Jude, and cerebral Maguire hatch up a plan to seduce and hold black British soldier Jody hostage outside of Belfast. Fergus then befriends him.
As the two men bond, Jody knows his time is almost up. He asks Fergus to look up his girlfriend Dil should tragedy strike.
Fergus' affair with the mercurial, and soulful Dil was one of the most talked about moments in Queer cinema.
Though there is a moment of transgender panic that Fergus experiences, he realizes how much he loves Dil for who she is. He will do anything to keep her safe. To do this, Fergus has to ward off Jude and Maguire who are out for blood. This is where themes of forgiveness and unconditional love all intersect.
Jordan’s own filmed adaptation is now an iconic Queer classic and won the 1992 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Starring Stephen Rea (as Fergus), Miranda Richardson (as Jude in a devilish performance that drips with eroticism and violent intensity), Adrian Dunbar as Maguire and Jim Broadbent as bartender Col are all a wonderful ensemble of actors that support the love story amidst the violence.
Featuring a star making performance by Jaye Davidson as the enigmatic Dil, and Forest Whitaker as the doomed, empathic Jody- it lives on forever, often discussed with such nuance about the right to love, and that of how sexuality is fluid.
I was a very young kid when I saw this film on TV. Its power drew me in and I have seen it over 10 times during the last 30 years. I finally saw it in the cinema in my middle age and felt as if I saw this gorgeous, darkly funny, violent and wistful film for the first time.
Though Neil Jordan has had many successes after the release of The Crying Game, he has not directed a film as masterful as this.
Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent would go on to other film successes and even earn Oscar nominations, an Oscar for Broadbent in 2001.
Forest Whitaker would become a superstar a decade later through directing iconic films and winning an Oscar for The Last King of Scotland. Ms. Richardson would become one of the most sought after character actresses in both the UK and America.
When you read this script, it's magic. And the film is a haunting experience that will keep replaying like the title song in your head. As Roger Ebert said in his review, keep an open mind. It’s worth it.
Ebert’s 1992 review:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/th...
I love Neil Jordan as a filmmaker. Though some of his films range from masterful, to some downright terrible- they are always hold my interest. They are often imaginative with a tinge of dark humor. His work is also all about desire, loss and heartbreak.
His short story collection is wonderful and strange. "Last Rites" is a story of tragic repression. A man commits suicide by slitting his wrists after a dalliance with a handsome Trinidadian man set in a bathhouse.
"Night in Tunisia" is a strange, erotic story of a young man who plays the saxophone to please his dad. In his coming of age, he is attracted to a woman wearing a yellow cardigan, as well as his sister's changing body. It's a story of desire and the questioning of desire tinged with guilt.
"A Love" is about the reunion of two lovers at a funeral and reflect on what went wrong.
"The Dream of a Beast" is a dystopic, Kafkaesque novella that begins in an exercise of sexual lust and eroticism. He is having an affair with a client from his advertising firm who wants him to peddle a perfume with a powerfully musky scent.
The man begins to transform into a beast where a young kid is the only person who accepts him. The boy feeds him cornstalks and they both fly away. It's a strange, gorgeous novella that is reminded me of Mr. Jordan's love of the fantastic and the surreal, exemplified in his films "In the Company of Wolves"- a riff on Red Riding Hood, and "Interview with the Vampire".
And finally….. an oldie but a goodie MASTERPIECE:
"The Crying Game" is one of the most gorgeous and moving screenplays ever written. Illustrated with intersecting themes of The Troubles with that of two connecting love stories about sexuality and fluidity makes the story unforgettable.
The hero of the tale is Fergus: a member of the IRA. Two of his comrades, the vengeful and erotically charged Jude, and cerebral Maguire hatch up a plan to seduce and hold black British soldier Jody hostage outside of Belfast. Fergus then befriends him.
As the two men bond, Jody knows his time is almost up. He asks Fergus to look up his girlfriend Dil should tragedy strike.
Fergus' affair with the mercurial, and soulful Dil was one of the most talked about moments in Queer cinema.
Though there is a moment of transgender panic that Fergus experiences, he realizes how much he loves Dil for who she is. He will do anything to keep her safe. To do this, Fergus has to ward off Jude and Maguire who are out for blood. This is where themes of forgiveness and unconditional love all intersect.
Jordan’s own filmed adaptation is now an iconic Queer classic and won the 1992 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Starring Stephen Rea (as Fergus), Miranda Richardson (as Jude in a devilish performance that drips with eroticism and violent intensity), Adrian Dunbar as Maguire and Jim Broadbent as bartender Col are all a wonderful ensemble of actors that support the love story amidst the violence.
Featuring a star making performance by Jaye Davidson as the enigmatic Dil, and Forest Whitaker as the doomed, empathic Jody- it lives on forever, often discussed with such nuance about the right to love, and that of how sexuality is fluid.
I was a very young kid when I saw this film on TV. Its power drew me in and I have seen it over 10 times during the last 30 years. I finally saw it in the cinema in my middle age and felt as if I saw this gorgeous, darkly funny, violent and wistful film for the first time.
Though Neil Jordan has had many successes after the release of The Crying Game, he has not directed a film as masterful as this.
Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent would go on to other film successes and even earn Oscar nominations, an Oscar for Broadbent in 2001.
Forest Whitaker would become a superstar a decade later through directing iconic films and winning an Oscar for The Last King of Scotland. Ms. Richardson would become one of the most sought after character actresses in both the UK and America.
When you read this script, it's magic. And the film is a haunting experience that will keep replaying like the title song in your head. As Roger Ebert said in his review, keep an open mind. It’s worth it.
Ebert’s 1992 review:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/th...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews