My Beautiful Laundrette

My Beautiful Laundrette

(1985)

Directed by: Stephen Frears
Writer: Hanif Kureishi
Genre: Drama

Synopsis:

My Beautiful Laundrette is set within the Asian community in London, during the Thatcher years, and displays those values, of money but 'anybody can make it.' Omar gains the running of his Uncle Nasser's laundrette. He is helped by his friend Johnny who is an outsider, white but not entirely accepted by either the white or Asian Londoners. There are many memorable characters: Tania, Omar's cousin whom he might marry. Salim the manager of Nasser's garage and sometime drug importer. Rachel, Nasser's white mistriss, who like Johnny seems to be another outsider. The interaction of these people gives a comic insight into their world and makes a very refreshing film.

Cast:

Saeed Jaffrey .... Nasser
Roshan Seth .... Papa
Daniel Day-Lewis.... Johnny
Gordon Warnecke .... Omar
Derrick Branche .... Salim
Rita Wolf .... Tania
Souad Faress .... Cherry
Richard Graham .... Genghis
Shirley Anne Field.. Rachel
Winston Graham .... Jamaican One
Charu Bala Chokshi.. Bilquis (as Charu Bala Choksi)
Dudley Thomas .... Jamaican Two
Garry Cooper .... Squatter

Runtime: 97 min
Country: UK
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: Mono

As terrific as Daniel Day-Lewis is in this film it really belongs to actor Gordon Warnecke as Omar. Watching his character change and also keep secrets at the same time is very complex and he handles it smoothly. This film really isn't about any one thing in particular but it does a great job of showing us how difficult things are in Britain between not only the races but the rich and poor classes as well. And oh yeah, the two characters are gay. Excellent character development on all sides. Rita Wolf as Tania stands out as well. Film ends on an ambiguous note letting the viewer soak in what they had just seen. Film is very powerful even without trying to say anything.

Upon its release in 1985, My Beautiful Laundrette was met with respectable praise and much critical acclaim. It won writer Hanif Kureishi a New York Film Critics Circle award and even received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It was also the first time many of us encountered the name Daniel Day-Lewis.

My Beautiful Laundrette is a film that addresses a variety of issues including inter-racial relationships, infidelity, arranged marriages, racial tension, and homosexuality. Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is a young Pakistani who lives with his widowed father (Roshan Seth) in London. It is an oppressive environment with little to offer the people that live there. Despite unemployment, petty crime and race-hatred being common place, Omar's Uncle Nasser (Saeed Jeffrey) is something of a successful businessman with a family, a mistress, and a firm belief in Thatcher's Britain. He recognises that as bad as things may seem, by comparison, Britain is the land of opportunity.

Omar is offered the chance to run his uncle's laundrette, which has thus far proved more of a burden than a bonus. Omar has a vision for both the laundrette and himself. He employs his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), an ex-National Front member who has resorted to petty thuggery to get by. Johnny realises this may be his only chance to get out of the rut he is in, and it soon becomes apparent that their relationship is based on more than just running the laundrette.

Johnny's former gang mates are less than impressed that he is now working for "Those Pakis" and are a constant threat to this new opportunity. They also serve as a reminder of who he was and the man he no longer wishes to be. Meanwhile, Omar is having problems of his own. His family are doing their best to find him a bride, or at the very least are pushing him to find his own. Cousin Tania has made her availability well known and has made Omar several 'offers'.

Adding to the tension is Omar's cousin, Salim (Derrick Branche), a morally challenged criminal with various business 'interests'. Salim is jealous of Omar's entrepreneurial skills and the only family member to have worked out that Johnny and Omar are more than just business partners. However, he is caught in a catch-22 situation, for Omar is well aware of his cousin's illegal business dealings.

My Beautiful Laundrette is well written, well directed, with strong performances all round. There are no easy answers for the major players and none are offered. There is a constant air of expectation throughout the film, and while you will find yourself hoping that it all works out well for Omar and Johnny, you can never be sure that it will

Gordon Warnecke

Actor - filmography
(2000s) (1990s) (1980s)
Exitz (2006) .... Mushtaq
"The Bill"
- Hidden Agenda (2001) TV Episode .... Vaz Sian
- Back to Basics (1999) TV Episode .... Mr. Kapur
- Swan Song (1995) TV Episode .... Jimmy Crabtree
"Brookside" (1982) TV Series .... Dil Palmar (1995)
"Love Hurts"
Cold Comfort (1993) TV Episode .... Customs Officer
"Virtual Murder"
A Torch for Silverado (1992) TV Episode .... Dr. Harry
A Fatal Inversion (1992) (TV) .... Shiva Manjusri

London Kills Me (1991) .... Mr. G's Assistant
The Pleasure Principle (1991) .... Policeman
"Only Fools and Horses"
The Sky's the Limit (1990) TV Episode .... Henry

"Birds of a Feather"
- Cheat! (1989) TV Episode .... Ranjith
- Shift (1989) TV Episode .... Ranjith
Giovane Toscanini, Il (1988) .... Paulo
... aka Toscanini (France)
... aka Young Toscanini (USA)
"Doctor Who" .. aka Dr. Who
- Mindwarp (1986) TV Episode .... Tusa
"Boon" .... Hanif Kurtha (receptionist) (1986)
- Full Circle (1986) TV Episode .... Hanif Kurtha
- Grand Expectations (1986) TV Episode .... Hanif Kurtha
- Billy the Kid (1986) TV Episode .... Hanif Kurtha
- Jack of All Tradesmen (1986) TV Episode .... Hanif Kurtha
- For Whom the Chimes Toll (1986) TV Episode .... Hanif Kurtha
(5 more)
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) .... Omar

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Michael Blake Day Lewis
Nació el: 29 de abril de 1957
Lugar: Greenwich, Londres
Su padre:Cecil Day Lewis, Poeta Irlandés
Su abuelo materno: Michael Balcon, director de los Estudios Studios Ealing.
Su padre murió cuando Daniel tenía 15 años
Estudió en la Sevenoaks School, en Kent.
1969 Daniel Day Lewis estudió Arte Dramático en la Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
1971 Debutó en el cine en la cinta de John Schlesinger “Un dimanche comme les autres”
1982 Interpretó un pequeño papel en teatro en sur Another Country y en el cine en la película Gandhi.
1984 Roger Donaldson le ofreció un papel secundario en Bounty
1985 Protagonizó la cinta My beautiful Laundrette, gran éxito para Daniel Day Lewis
1989 Interpretó el papel de un pintor discapacitado en la cinta Mi Pie Izquierdo, gracias a lo que ganó el Oscar al Mejor Actor y el premio al mejor actor del London Critics Circle Film Awards, el premio al Mejor actor en los BAFTA Film Awards y también el de la National Society of Film Critics
Rehusó realizar el papel interpretado por Tom Hanks en Philadelphia y el de Tom Cruise en Entrevista con el Vampiro.
1995 Nació su hijo Gabriel-Kane de su union con Isabelle Adjani
1996 Se casó con la cineasta Rebecca Miller, hija del escritor Arthur Miller.
1998 Nacimiento de su hijo, con Rebecca Miller. Es nominado al Golden Globe a la mejor interpretación por la cinta The Boxer
1999 Trabajó como aprendíz en Florencia
2002 Daniel Day Lewis regresó al cine en la película Pandillas de Nueva York, de Martin Scorsese, en la que encarna al lider del grupo de los Americanos
2003 Es nominado al Oscar al Mejor Actor por su participación en la cinta Gangs of New York.

Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis was born in London, England, the second child of Cecil Day-Lewis (Poet Laureate of England) and his second wife Jill Balcon. His maternal grandfather was Sir Michael Balcon an important figure in the history of British cinema, head of the famous Ealing Studios. His older sister Lydia Tamasin is a documentary film maker. Daniel was educated at Sevenoaks School in Kent, which he despised, and the more progressive Bedales in Petersfield, which he adored. He studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic School. Daniel made his film debut in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), but then acted on stage with the Bristol Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare Companies and did not appear on screen again until 1982 when he landed his first adult role, a bit part in Gandhi (1982). He also appeared on British TV that year in "Frost in May" and "How Many Miles to Babylon?".
Notable theatrical performances include "Another, Country" (1982-83) "Dracula" (1984), and the "Futurists" (1986). His first major supporting role in a feature film was in Bounty, The (1984), quickly followed by My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and Room with a View, A (1986). The latter two films opened in New York on the same day, offering audiences and critics evidence of his remarkable range and establishing him as a major talent. The New York Film Critics named him the "Best Supporting Actor" for those performances. In 1986 he appeared on stage in Richard Eyre's "Futurists" and on television in Eyre's production of "The Insurance Man". He also had a small role in a British/French film Nanou (1986). In 1987 he assumed leading man status in Philip Kaufman's Unbearable Lightness of Being, The (1988), followed by a comedic role in the unsuccessful Stars and Bars (1988).

His brilliant performance as Christy Brown in Jim Sheridan's My Left Foot (1989) won him numerous awards, including The Academy Award for best actor. He returned to the stage to work again with Richard Eyre, as Hamlet at the National Theater, but was forced to leave the production close to the end of its run suffering from exhaustion, and has not appeared on stage since. He took a hiatus from film as well until 1992 when he stared in Last of the Mohicans, The (1992), a film which met with mixed reviews but was a great success at the box office.

He worked with American director Martin Scorsese in Age of Innocence, The (1993) in 1994. Subsequently, he teamed again with Ireland's Jim Sheridan to star in In the Name of the Father (1993), a critically acclaimed performance which earned him another Academy Award nomination. His next project was the role of John Proctor in 'Arthur Miller''s play Crucible, The (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner.