21º Mostra Internacional de Cinema International Perspective
THE VAN

England   

The VanDublin, November 1989. Bimbo Reeves, a baker, has just lost his job. Determined not to accept life as an unemployed person, which means afternoons watching TV and nights out in bars, he buys a van in a very poor state and with few chances of being converted into an acceptable vehicle.

At the start of 1990, with all the excitement generated around the World Cup, Bimbo and his friend Larry go into the fast food business and change the old van into a sales point to sell sandwiches, beverages, and soft drinks.

Business begins well enough with a good number of clients. The two friends are happy and their friendship is closer. Harmony between them, however, diminishes as profits grow. A lack of space to work in, allied to family problems begins to corrode business and the friendship between them. The van becomes a burden to both of them. Unhappy as he is, Bimbo decides on a final sacrifice.

This comedy is based on the book of the same name by writer and script writer Roddy Doyle that completes his trilogy on Barrytown in Dublin consisting of The Commitments and The Snapper.
 

     Director

DIRECTOR: Stephen Frears
SCREENPLAY: Roddy Doyle
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Oliver Stapleton
EDITION: Mick Audsley
MUSIC: Eric Clapton, Richard Hartley
CAST: Colm Meaney, Donal O'Kelly, Caroline Rotwell, Ger Ryan
FESTIVALS: Cannes
PRODUCTION: Deadly Films
31-32 Soho Square - W1V 6AP Londres
Tel: 00 44 171 314-7040
Fax: 00 44 171 304-0031
WORLD SALES: The Sales Company
62 Shaftsbury avenue - W1V 7DE Londres
Tel: 00 44 171 434-9061
Fax: 00 44 171 494-3293
ORIGINAL TITLE:

The Van
   Col., 95 min., 1996

Stephen Frears

Born in 1941, in Leicester, Stephen Frears began his career in cinema as assistant to Karel Reisz, subsequently acting with Albert Finney and Lindsay Anderson. For 12 years he worked for the BBC where he completed 24 productions. In the cinema he directed films such as My Beautiful Laundrette, selection for the 10th São Paulo International Film Festival, Prick Up Your Ears, Sammy and Rose Get Laid, and The Snapper. In Hollywood, he made Dangerous Liaisons. The Drifters, Hero, and Mary Reilly.