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The lesson of The Long Good Friday

25 February 2009

On the 30th anniversary of the release of Britain’s best gangster movie, Hardeep Singh Kohli celebrates its eerie prescience

‘We’re a leading European state and I believe that this is the decade that London will become Europe’s capital, having cleared away the outdated, we’ve got mile after mile, acre after acre of land for our future prosperity... so it’s important that the right people mastermind the new London...’

And the near-prophetic nature of the film extends beyond its politics, beyond its desire for change. There are also echoes of Godfather Part III; Shand, albeit with Mafia money, is trying to elevate himself out of gangsterdom into the realms of respectable business. Little does he know that once a gangster, always a gangster. Barrie Keeffe’s screenplay has East-Ender Shand coupled with Helen Mirren’s upper-middle-class Victoria (even a regal name). The ambition and aspiration of Harry Shand is even apparent in his love life. This class difference is at the very heart of the film and in many ways prefaces the Conservatives’ attempts to break down class barriers and allow the working classes to gain prosperity. The film also manages to have a go at the special relationship between the Americans and the English. ‘The Yanks love snobbery. They really feel they’ve arrived in England if the upper class treats ’em like s***.’

Viewed again in the harsh grey light of today, The Long Good Friday has a lot to teach us. Grand plans are great but we have been guilty of overstretching ourselves, de-regulating ourselves into financial oblivion. We levered our entire society against the hope that the money markets, a collection of self-interested individuals, would see us good. They didn’t. And now, like the gangland bosses in the film, our society has been hung upside down from a meat hook.

‘We’ve all had it sweet. I’ve done every single one of you favours in the past — I’ve put money in all your pockets. I’ve treated you well, even when you was out of order, right? Well now there’s been an eruption. Its like f***ing Belfast on a bad night.’

Art imitating life?

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David Short

February 26th, 2009 2:07pm Report this comment

"On the 30th anniversary of the release of Britain’s best gangster movie, Hardeep Singh Kohli celebrates its eerie prescience"

What's to 'celebrate'? Or is it just the newly sloppy Spectator misusing the word?

The article is a lot of tripe, too, overstretching to complete incredibility the Thatcherite comparison.

For the Spectator to publish some rubbish likening Thatcherism, which is a by-word for hard, honest work, paying your taxes, doing your duty, balancing the books, with theft, murder and gangsterism, is truly shocking.

And Shand wouldn't have liked Singh very much, I fear, so the latter's admiration is one-way.

David Short

February 26th, 2009 9:14pm Report this comment

PS "It seems rather apt that The Long Good Friday celebrate its 30th anniversary this year...

"Harry Shand is the standard-bearer of Thatcherism, but before Thatcherism even existed, before Lady Margaret even had her hand on the tiller of power"

Wrong, wrong....TLGF was released in November 1980, not 1979, and Mrs T had been PM for over 18 months.

And why no mention of the Provisional IRA, the true villains of this film.

I thought the Spectator 'did' politics.

And by the way, many other people would vote Get Carter as superior in the British gangster movie stakes.

At least there was some acting involved for Michael Caine. Hoskins has been playing the same stereotypical Cockney ever since, when he's not doing Tesco commercials.

Matt Ripley

February 27th, 2009 1:51am Report this comment

The Long Good Friday was made before Thatcher was elected, and released thereafter. If it did nothing else it launched the career of Helen Mirren, not to mention gave us East End scum something to aspire to.

David Short

February 27th, 2009 9:13am Report this comment

It was made in 1979, but after Thatcher was elected in May.

ian skidmore

February 27th, 2009 10:32am Report this comment

what complete rubbish

Stephen Shammer

February 27th, 2009 12:04pm Report this comment

"it launched the career of Helen Mirren...."

Didn't I see her - all of her -as Lady Macbeth with the RSC in 1974?

And in the cinema Age of Consent, Savage Messiah and
O Lucky Man! all came before LGF.

Chris Holmes

February 27th, 2009 10:49pm Report this comment

The Long, And Not Very Good, 30-Year-Old Film Review.

Hardeep imitating Art

Julian Hurstfield

February 28th, 2009 5:55pm Report this comment

That was a dreadful article, dreadfully written, about a brilliant film, which could hardly 'echo' the not yet made Godfather3.
It may be worth adding that Shand's remarks after his savage visit to Brixton prefigure the riots, and that the film had distribution difficulties (till George Harrison's Handmade Films came along) since it protrayed a triumphant IRA

Keith

March 1st, 2009 6:43am Report this comment

Hardeep, if you are going to pretend you know what you are talking about you've got to get the buzzwords right. It is leveraged, not levered.

A. MacAulay

March 1st, 2009 6:49pm Report this comment

"If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise." But why should we be required to read our way through the process? Please give Mr Singh a commission he is up to.

Marc O'Polo

March 2nd, 2009 6:29am Report this comment

Excellent article. Comparisons perhaps a little stretched but a thoroughly good piece. It is a great film.
David Short:"..likening Thatcherism, which is a by-word for hard, honest work, paying your taxes, doing your duty, balancing the books, with theft, murder and gangsterism, is truly shocking." "Truly shocking"?! Keep yer 'air, on!

J W

March 2nd, 2009 9:42am Report this comment

Matt Ripley;

" ..not to mention gave us East End scum something to aspire to."

I dare you to travel down White Chapel Rd and say that to the East Enders there.... er, in Bangla probably as that's the native tongue there.

The UK Rocks man!

David Short

March 2nd, 2009 11:49pm Report this comment

marc o'polo, tell us why it is an 'excellent article', or are you just a Spectator staff stooge trying to rebuff the readers? You're outvoted, I think.

And let's not forget it was not released 30 years ago! Sloppy article.

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