B. Monkey

B. Monkey
B. Monkey
	DVD cover
Directed by	Michael Radford
Screenplay by	Chloe King; Michael Radford; Michael Thomas
Based on	B. Monkey; by Andrew Davies
Produced by	Nik Powell; Colin Vaines; Stephen Woolley
Starring	Asia Argento; Jared Harris; Rupert Everett; Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Cinematography	Ashley Rowe
Edited by	Joëlle Hache
Music by	Luis Enríquez Bacalov; Jennie Muskett
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release dates	6 November 1998 (UK); 10 September 1999 (U.S.);
Running time	92 minutes
Countries	United States; United Kingdom
Languages	English; Italian; French
Box office	$39,371 (USA)

B. Monkey is a British-American 1998 neo-noir crime film directed by Michael Radford. Originally, Michael Caton-Jones was attached to direct the adaptation of the homonymous 1992 book by Andrew Davies, but left over creative differences.

Plot

Alan (Jared Harris) is a schoolteacher in London who also moonlights as a jazz disc jockey for a hospital PA system. One night after work, he goes to a bar and sees Beatrice (Asia Argento) a beautiful woman who is arguing with two men. Alan is immediately captivated by Beatrice and begins to pursue her. What Alan doesn't know is that Beatrice is an infamous thief known to the police as "B. Monkey" (named for her ability to break into anything) and the men she was arguing with were Paul (Rupert Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) a homosexual couple who are her partners in crime. When Alan becomes aware of Beatrice's secret, he tries to lead her into a safer and more honest way of life, even as she lures him into the thrilling existence he's been dreaming of.

Cast

Asia Argento as Beatrice/B. Monkey
Jared Harris as Alan Furnace
Rupert Everett as Paul Neville
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Bruno
Julie T. Wallace as Mrs. Sturge
Ian Hart as Steve Davis
Tim Woodward as Frank Rice
Bryan Pringle as Goodchild

Production

In her autobiography, star Argento said she had an affair with director Radford during filming.^[2] Argento had earlier accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault during the same time period.^[3]

Reception

Film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 60% based on 20 reviews.^[4] Metacritic has the film listed as a 49 out of 100, indicating mixed reviews, based on 10 critics.^[5]

Anita Gates of The New York Times had a mixed review of the film but thought highly of the actors:

The best part of B. Monkey is reveling in the dark side of Rupert Everett. The dissolute Rupert Everett. Rupert Everett, drinking and drugging, destroying his chiseled good looks and recklessly putting his life in danger... which is where the second-best part of B. Monkey comes in: Jared Harris, who is becoming one of the most fascinating actors around.^[6]

Soundtrack

"Billets Doux" performed by Django Reinhardt
"De Camptown Races"
"They Can't Take That Away from Me" performed by Peggy Lee
"Trash" performed by Suede
"Souvenirs" performed by Django Reinhardt
"Love Anybody You Want" performed by Barcode
"Life Goes On and On" performed by 9 Lazy 9
"Two Hearts Entwine"
"Glory Box" performed by Portishead
"Imagination" performed by Chet Baker
"Look Who's Perfect Now" performed by Transistor
"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" performed by Barry White
"Chinese Burn" performed by Curve
"I'm goin round in circles" performed by Jimmy Witherspoon
"Tarantelle del Gargano" performed by La Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare
"D'Amour L'ardent Flamme" performed by The Wiener Volksopernorchester
"Sweet Jane" performed by Cowboy Junkies
"Tupelo Honey" performed by Cassandra Wilson

Creative differences

In October 2017, Michael Caton-Jones revealed that he had chosen Sophie Okonedo, to star. However, the producer, Harvey Weinstein, decided the actress wasn't "fuckable". Caton-Jones and Weinstein discussed the matter heatedly, and Caton-Jones said, "'Don't screw up the casting of this film because you want to get laid', whereupon he went mental." Weinstein then leaked to Variety that Caton-Jones had walked off the movie due to "creative differences". Argento, who replaced Okonedo, was one of three women who in 2017 were reported in The New Yorker to have been raped by Weinstein; she said that she submitted to Weinstein because, "I felt I had to, because I had the movie coming out and I didn't want to anger him."^[7]

References

^ "Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. 10 September 1999. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
^ "Autobiografia di Asia Argento". 26 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
^ "Asia Argento Comes Out Swinging Against Harvey Weinstein | E! News". Eonline.com. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
^ "Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^ rafaelm. "Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
^ Gates, Anita (10 September 1999). "New York Times movie review". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
^ McHenry, Jackson (17 October 2017). "Director Says Harvey Weinstein Recast the Lead in His Film Because the Actress Wasn't 'F*ckable'". Vulture.com.

External links

[1] "Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. 10 September 1999. Retrieved 14 March 2012.

[2] "Autobiografia di Asia Argento". 26 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.

[3] "Asia Argento Comes Out Swinging Against Harvey Weinstein | E! News". Eonline.com. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[4] "Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 March 2023.

[5] rafaelm. "Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 March 2012.

[6] Gates, Anita (10 September 1999). "New York Times movie review". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.

[2017-10-17-7] McHenry, Jackson (17 October 2017). "Director Says Harvey Weinstein Recast the Lead in His Film Because the Actress Wasn't 'F*ckable'". Vulture.com.

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