FILM · 1992 · UK
The Crying Game
- Directed by
- Neil Jordan
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Studio
- Palace Pictures, Eurotrustees, Film4 Productions
71 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Irish Republican Army member Fergus forms an unexpected bond with Jody, a kidnapped British soldier in his custody, despite the warnings of fellow IRA members Jude and Maguire. Jody makes Fergus promise he'll visit his girlfriend, Dil, in London, and when Fergus flees to the city, he seeks her out. Hounded by his former IRA colleagues, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic, and surprising, Dil.
71 Interesting Facts About The Crying Game
Interesting Facts (15)
- #001
- #002
Neil Jordan initially considered calling The Crying Game (1992) "The Soldier's Wife." His friend Stanley Kubrick suggested a title change, believing that films with religious or military titles generally put audiences off and often led to financial failure, something Jordan had experienced when The Miracle (1991) and We're No Angels (1989) failed at the box office. Jordan took the new title from a 1960s British pop hit.
- #003
In real life, Stephen Rea was married for 20 years to Dolours Price, an IRA member who took part in a car bombing at the Old Bailey in London in 1973. Price was sentenced to life in prison but served only seven years. Rea and Price divorced in 2003, and Price died in 2013. In an interview published after her death, Price admitted to having played a role in the 1972 abduction of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of 10 and one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of "The Troubles." McConville's disappearance remained a mystery until her body was found buried on a beach in 2003.
- #004
- #005
Channel 4, which initially backed the film, felt the ending made it unbroadcastable. Neil Jordan wrote and shot a completely different ending. When the film was cut with the new ending, everyone agreed it did not work, and the production secured funding to shoot Jordan's original. The alternative ending is included in the bonus materials of some DVD releases.
- #006
When Dil visits Fergus in prison, Fergus has 2,335 days (more than six years) left on his sentence. Assuming Fergus was not convicted of any other crime, he was most likely convicted of manslaughter, since a self-defence argument (for example, that Jude was holding a gun) would have overturned a murder conviction.
- #007
- #008
The opening sequence was shot in Laytown, County Meath, Ireland. The rest was shot in London and in Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England. Much of the London footage was shot in the East End. Dil's flat is in a building overlooking Hoxton Square, with the tube station's exterior on nearby Coronet Street. Fergus's flat and Dil's hair salon are in Spitalfields. The judge is assassinated on Chesham Street in Belgravia, just around the corner from the now-disused Lowndes Arms pub.
- #009
- #010
- #011
- #012
- #013
- #014
- #015
Production Story (33)
- #016
- #017
- #018
Neil Jordan initially considered the title "The Soldier's Wife" for The Crying Game (1992). His friend Stanley Kubrick advised him to change it, saying that film titles with religious or military connotations generally alienate audiences and fail at the box office. Jordan followed this advice after the commercial disappointments he experienced with The Miracle (1991) and We're No Angels (1989). He chose the new title from a 1960s British pop song.
- #019
Producer Stephen Woolley instantly loved Neil Jordan's screenplay, but it met with zero interest in America. The general consensus was that the role of Dil was unplayable, that audiences would not like the mix of sex and terrorism, and that the press would reveal the big surprise. Woolley eventually raised the necessary budget from British, European and Japanese sources; but this time he had to deal with the financial collapse of the production company Palace Pictures. Miramax, which had initially rejected the screenplay, made an offer for US distribution as soon as it saw the finished film and had an Oscar campaign clause written into the contract. The major studios had turned the film down, thinking the surprise development would drive audiences away; yet many people watched the film precisely for that surprise.
- #020
Channel 4, which had supported the film from the start, thought the ending was unairable. Neil Jordan wrote and shot a completely different ending. When the version edited with the new ending did not work, financing was secured to shoot Jordan's original ending. The alternative ending is included among the bonus materials of some DVD releases.
- #021
The Crying Game's budget was so low that the money nearly ran out. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the British film industry was in a slump. At one point in 1991, it was the only feature film shooting anywhere in the United Kingdom for two weeks. Producer Stephen Woolley had a repertory cinema in London called the Scala; when funding problems arose, he borrowed from the Scala to keep the production afloat.
- #022
- #023
The Crying Game is one of the first films co-financed in the United Kingdom through Channel 4's Film Four division to win Oscar® recognition. Since its founding in 1982, Channel 4 had designed some TV films to be released in cinemas before broadcast. For that era, this was a fairly new concept.
- #024
- #025
- #026
The Crying Game won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film and the Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay. It also received Oscar® nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Stephen Rea, Best Supporting Actor for Jaye Davidson and Best Editing. In 1999, it was chosen by the British Film Institute as the 26th greatest British film of all time.
- #027
Jaye Davidson caught the flu during the first weeks of shooting. After examining Davidson in his small caravan, the doctor called to the set came over to director Neil Jordan and asked, "Did you consider that he might be pregnant?" As Jordan and the crew burst into laughter, the truth was explained to the bewildered doctor a few minutes later.
- #028
The film's opening sequence was shot in Laytown in County Meath, Ireland, and the rest in London and at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire. Much of the London action takes place in the East End, particularly in the Hoxton and Spitalfields districts. Dil's flat is in a building overlooking Hoxton Square, while the exterior of the Metro is on nearby Coronet Street. Fergus's flat and Dil's hair salon are in Spitalfields, while the judge assassination scene was shot on Chesham Street in Belgravia, just around the corner from the now-closed Lowndes Arms pub.
- #029
The Crying Game (1992) was the first film in Jaye Davidson's screen career. Finding an actor for the role of Dil was extremely difficult, until director Derek Jarman mentioned Davidson to casting director Susie Figgis. Davidson was discovered at the wrap party for Edward II (1991) and was offered an audition for the role of Dil. By his own admission quite drunk, Davidson initially thought it was a joke; he accepted the role so he could buy a pair of handmade leather riding boots he had seen in Vogue.
- #030
In The Crying Game, Stephen Rea plays a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In real life, Rea was married for 20 years to IRA member Dolours Price, who took part in the 1973 bombing at London's Old Bailey. Price was sentenced to life imprisonment for the action but served only seven years. Rea and Price were married during the film's shoot; they divorced in 2003, and Price died in 2013. In an interview published after her death, Price admitted to having played a role in the 1972 abduction and killing of Jean McConville, a mother of ten, one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of the Troubles.
- #031
- #032
- #033
In the film, Seamus's English employer constantly taunts him with anti-Irish remarks. The parents of Tony Slattery, who plays this character, were first-generation Irish immigrants; the actor, whose full name is Anthony James Declan Slattery, forms an ironic link between this scene and his roots.
- #034
- #035
Neil Jordan initially considered the title "The Soldier's Wife" for The Crying Game (1992). His friend Stanley Kubrick advised him to change it, saying that film titles with religious or military connotations generally put audiences off and failed at the box office. Jordan followed this advice after the commercial disappointments he had with The Miracle (1991) and We're No Angels (1989). He chose the new title from a 1960s British pop song.
- #036
Although producer Stephen Woolley instantly loved Neil Jordan's script, it met with zero interest in America. The general view was that the role of Dil was unplayable, that audiences would not like the mixture of sex and terrorism, and that the press would reveal the big surprise. Woolley eventually raised the necessary budget from British, European and Japanese sources; but this time he had to deal with the financial collapse of the production company Palace Pictures. Miramax, which had initially rejected the script, immediately made an offer for US distribution after seeing the finished film and had an Oscar campaign clause written into the contract. The major studios had turned the film down, thinking the surprise twist would drive audiences away; yet many people watched the film precisely for that surprise.
- #037
Channel 4, which had initially supported the film, thought the ending was unairable. Neil Jordan wrote and shot a completely different ending. When the version edited with the new ending did not work, financing was secured to shoot Jordan's original ending. The alternative ending is included among the bonus materials of some DVD releases.
- #038
The Crying Game's budget was so low that the money nearly ran out. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the British film industry was in a slump. At one point in 1991, this was the only feature film shooting anywhere in the United Kingdom for two weeks. Producer Stephen Woolley owned a repertory cinema in London called the Scala; when funding problems arose, he borrowed from the Scala to keep the production afloat.
- #039
- #040
The Crying Game is one of the first films co-financed in the United Kingdom through Channel 4's Film Four division and to earn Oscar® recognition. Since its founding in 1982, Channel 4 had designed some TV films to be released in cinemas before their broadcast. For the time, this was a fairly new concept.
- #041
- #042
- #043
The Crying Game won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film and the Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay. It also earned Oscar® nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Stephen Rea, Best Supporting Actor for Jaye Davidson and Best Editing. In 1999, the British Film Institute named it the 26th greatest British film of all time.
- #044
- #045
When Dil visits Fergus in prison, Fergus has 2,335 days (more than six years) left on his sentence. Assuming he was not convicted of another crime, he was most likely convicted of manslaughter, since self-defense elements such as Jude having a gun would reduce a murder charge. According to the shooting schedule, he will be released in March or April 1998.
- #046
While Jody is held hostage, he asks Fergus to tell him a story. Fergus's reply, "When I was a child, I thought like a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things," is in fact a quotation from the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13:11. His answer of "Nothing" to Jody's question "What does that mean?" emphasizes how the quotation is detached from its context.
- #047
- #048
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #049
Jaye Davidson caught the flu during the first weeks of shooting. The doctor called to the set examined Davidson in their small caravan and then came over to director Neil Jordan and asked, "Did you consider that he might be pregnant?" As Jordan and the crew burst into laughter, the stunned doctor was told the truth a few minutes later.
- #050
The film's opening sequence was shot in Laytown in County Meath, Ireland, while the rest was shot in London and at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire. Much of the London action takes place in the East End, particularly in the Hoxton and Spitalfields neighborhoods. Dil's flat is in a building overlooking Hoxton Square, while the exterior of the Metro is on nearby Coronet Street. Fergus's flat and Dil's hair salon are in Spitalfields, while the judge assassination scene was shot on Chesham Street in Belgravia, just around the corner from the now-closed Lowndes Arms pub.
Characters & Cast (9)
- #051
Casting director Susie Figgis found casting the role of Dil extremely difficult until she received a tip about Jaye Davidson from director Derek Jarman. The film's casting agents discovered Davidson at the closing party for Edward II (1991) and offered him the chance to audition for the role of Dil. By his own admission, Davidson was very drunk and at first thought it was a joke. He eventually took the role to pay for a pair of handmade leather riding boots he had seen in an issue of Vogue.
- #052
- #053
The Crying Game (1992) was Jaye Davidson's first film in a cinema career. Finding an actor for the role of Dil was extremely difficult, until director Derek Jarman mentioned Davidson to casting director Susie Figgis. Davidson was discovered at the wrap party for the film Edward II (1991) and was offered an audition for the role of Dil. By his own admission quite drunk, Davidson initially thought it was a joke; he accepted the role in order to be able to buy the handmade leather riding boots he had seen in Vogue.
- #054
In The Crying Game, Stephen Rea plays a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In real life, Rea was married for 20 years to IRA member Dolours Price, who took part in the 1973 bombing at London's Old Bailey. Price received a life sentence for the action but served only seven years. Rea and Price were married during the film's shooting; they divorced in 2003, and Price died in 2013. In an interview published after her death, Price admitted to having played a role in the 1972 abduction and killing of Jean McConville, a mother of 10 and one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of the Troubles.
- #055
- #056
- #057
- #058
In the film, Seamus's English employer constantly taunts him with anti-Irish remarks. The parents of Tony Slattery, who plays this character, were first-generation Irish immigrants; the actor, whose full name is Anthony James Declan Slattery, forms an ironic connection between his roots and this scene.
- #059
Deeper Meaning (7)
- #060
- #061
- #062
When Dil visits Fergus in prison, 2,335 days (more than six years) remain until the end of Fergus's sentence. Assuming he was not convicted of another crime, since self-defense elements such as Jude having a gun would reduce a murder charge, he was most likely convicted of manslaughter. According to the shooting schedule, he will be released in March or April 1998.
- #063
While Jody is held hostage, he asks Fergus to tell him a story. Fergus's reply, "When I was a child, I thought like a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things," is in fact a quotation from the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13:11. His saying "Nothing" in response to Jody's question "What does that mean?" emphasizes how the quotation is severed from its context.
- #064
- #065
- #066
Career & Awards (5)
- #067
Producer Stephen Woolley was immediately drawn to Neil Jordan's script but showed no interest in America. The general consensus was that the role of Dil was uncastable, that audiences would not like the mix of sex and terrorism, and that the press would reveal the film's big twist. Woolley eventually managed to raise the necessary funds from British, European and Japanese sources. He then had to contend with the financial collapse of his production company, Palace Pictures. Miramax (which had initially rejected the script) saw the finished product and immediately offered to distribute the film in the US, with a clause in the contract committing them to push it for Oscar consideration.
- #068
This is one of the first films co-financed in the United Kingdom by Channel Four through its Film Four division to earn Oscar® recognition. Since its founding in 1982, Channel Four designed a number of TV films to be released theatrically before broadcast. At the time it was a new concept.
- #069
- #070
- #071
The Crying Game won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. It won the Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing. In 1999, the British Film Institute named it the 26th Greatest British Film of All Time.
Sources & editorial notes
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