{"id":93092,"date":"2023-11-09T02:01:32","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T09:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93092"},"modified":"2024-04-25T00:28:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T07:28:11","slug":"moonlighting-1982","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93092","title":{"rendered":"Moonlighting (1982)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I must concentrate on work; I must drive them harder.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Poster-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-93093\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Poster-196x300.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Poster.png 622w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a Polish construction manager (Jeremy Irons) arrives in London with three non-English-speaking co-workers (Eugene Lipinski, Jir\u00ed Stanislav, and Eugeniusz Haczkiewicz) to illegally reconstruct a condo for his boss, he becomes increasingly stressed and paranoid about ensuring the work gets done, even amidst strife in their home country.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Corruption<\/li>\n<li>Immigrants and Immigration<\/li>\n<li>Jerzy Skolimowski Films<\/li>\n<li>Living Nightmare<\/li>\n<li>Ruthless Leaders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, this &#8220;beguiling film (shot and edited in one month&#8217;s time) from Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski&#8221; is at first &#8220;comedic in tone but later it&#8217;s an increasingly bleak and desperate political allegory.&#8221; In describing the spare but powerful story, Peary writes that Irons &#8220;is a married, educated Polish construction worker living in Warsaw&#8221; who, &#8220;because he knows how to speak English,&#8221; is sent by his &#8220;wealthy boss (looking for cheap labor)&#8221; to &#8220;London to turn a dull flat into a snazzy retreat to which the boss can take his mistress.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Shopping.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He &#8220;takes three workers with him&#8221; who he selects &#8220;because they don&#8217;t know English and are stupid [sic], so he figures they&#8217;ll be easy to supervise&#8221; &#8212; and, &#8220;indeed, they do everything he says, including staying inside so no one will know they are working illegally.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-TV.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, &#8220;as their stay goes on, Irons becomes more and more isolated from his men &#8212; becoming their slavedriver and watchdog and the person who rations food and clothing allotments,&#8221; &#8220;keeps all the money the boss has sent them, takes away their source of entertainment and news&#8230;, [and] manipulates them into working more hours by altering his watch.&#8221; Perhaps worst of all, &#8220;he doesn&#8217;t tell them&#8230; when he learns that there has been a military crackdown in Poland and Solidarity has been outlawed,&#8221; given &#8220;he fears they will stop work at the depressing news.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Solidarity.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ironically, &#8220;in effect, [Irons] has deprived them of all their freedoms&#8221;: their &#8220;lives are so oppressive under Irons that they are enduring (on a much less frightening level, of course) what their fellow workers are going through back in Warsaw.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Indeed, this film represents a living nightmare on numerous levels: not only are Irons and his men perceived either as non-entities or nuisances (much like thousands of immigrant workers continue to be all over the world), but there is nobody to keep an eye on (or temper) Irons&#8217; increasing totalitarianism and paranoia. He is so fixated on working for a short-term monetary goal that any ends seem to justify the means &#8212; including repeated bouts of risky shoplifting. Meanwhile, he&#8217;s miserable; this is not a man getting high on his own power so much as someone blindly carrying out orders &#8212; and involving others &#8212; &#8220;as a puppet of the Polish elite.&#8221; By the film&#8217;s appropriately bleak ending, you will truly feel the hopeless injustice of their situation &#8212; which is, precisely, the point. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jeremy Irons as Nowak<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Irons.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tony Pierce Roberts&#8217; cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Cinematography.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Moonlighting-Photo.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Stanley Myers&#8217; score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a uniquely effective film. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0084354\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4806moon.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=12616&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/moonlighting-1\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I must concentrate on work; I must drive them harder.&#8221; Synopsis: When a Polish construction manager (Jeremy Irons) arrives in London with three non-English-speaking co-workers (Eugene Lipinski, Jir\u00ed Stanislav, and Eugeniusz Haczkiewicz) to illegally reconstruct a condo for his boss, he becomes increasingly stressed and paranoid about ensuring the work gets done, even amidst strife in their home country. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Corruption Immigrants and Immigration Jerzy Skolimowski Films Living Nightmare Ruthless Leaders Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93092\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93092"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96131,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93092\/revisions\/96131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}