My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
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- R
- 1h 37min
- Comedy, Drama
- 04 Apr 1986 (USA)
- Movie
An ambitious Pakistani Briton and his white boyfriend strive for success and hope when they open a glamorous laundromat.
Director:
Writer:
Awards:
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Daniel Day-Lewis | ... |
Johnny
(as Daniel Day Lewis)
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| Richard Graham | ... |
Genghis
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Winston Graham | ... |
Jamaican One
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Dudley Thomas | ... |
Jamaican Two
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| Derrick Branche | ... |
Salim
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| Garry Cooper | ... |
Squatter
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| Gordon Warnecke | ... |
Omar
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| Roshan Seth | ... |
Papa
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| Saeed Jaffrey | ... |
Nasser
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| Shirley Anne Field | ... |
Rachel
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Charu Bala Chokshi | ... |
Bilquis
(as Charu Bala Choksi)
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| Souad Faress | ... |
Cherry
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| Rita Wolf | ... |
Tania
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Persis Maravala | ... |
Nasser's Elder Daughter
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Nisha Kapur | ... |
Nasser's Younger Daughter
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Neil Cunningham | ... |
Englishman
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Walter Donohue | ... |
Dick O'Donnell
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Gurdial Sira | ... |
Zaki
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| Stephen Marcus | ... |
Moose
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Dawn Archibald | ... |
Gang Member One
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Jonathan Moore | ... |
Gang Member Two
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| Gerard Horan | ... |
Telephone Man
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| Ram John Holder | ... |
Poet
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| Bhasker Patel | ... |
Tariq
(as Bhasker)
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| Ayub Khan-Din | ... |
Student
(as Ayub Khan Din)
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Dulice Liecier | ... |
Girl in Disco
(as Dulice Leicier)
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| Badi Uzzaman | ... |
Dealer
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Chris Pitt | ... |
Kid One
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Kerryann White | ... |
Kid Two
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| Colin Campbell | ... |
Madame Butterfly Man
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Hebe Chitnis | ... |
Zaki's Wife
(as Sheila Chitnis)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Persis Khambatta | ... |
(uncredited)
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Directed by
| Stephen Frears | ||
Written by
| Hanif Kureishi | ... | (by) |
Produced by
| Tim Bevan | ... | producer |
| Sarah Radclyffe | ... | producer |
Music by
| Stanley Myers | ... | (as Ludus Tonalis) |
| Hans Zimmer | ... | (as Ludus Tonalis) |
Cinematography by
| Oliver Stapleton | ... | (photographed by) |
Editing by
| Mick Audsley | ||
Editorial Department
| Jason Adams | ... | first assistant editor |
| Chris Cook | ... | second assistant editor |
Casting By
| Debbie McWilliams | ||
Production Design by
| Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski | ... | designer (as Hugo Luczyc Wyhowski) |
Costume Design by
| Lindy Hemming | ||
Makeup Department
| Elaine Carew | ... | makeup artist |
| Wendy Rawson | ... | hairdresser |
Production Management
| Jane Frazer | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Gary Davies | ... | third assistant director |
| Simon Hinkly | ... | first assistant director |
| Waldo Roeg | ... | second assistant director |
Art Department
| Mark Allett | ... | stand-by props |
| Alison Dominitz | ... | assistant art director |
| Alastair Gow | ... | construction |
| Ray Perry Sr. | ... | property master (as Ray Perry Snr) |
| Raymond Perry | ... | stand-by props (as Ray Perry Jnr) |
| Julian Rothenstein | ... | graphics |
| Bob Starrett | ... | painter |
| Robin Thistlewaite | ... | construction |
| Jeanne Vertigan | ... | production buyer |
Sound Department
| Albert Bailey | ... | sound recordist |
| St. Clair Davis | ... | boom operator (as St Clair Davis) |
| Peter Maxwell | ... | dubbing mixer |
| Budge Tremlett | ... | dubbing editor (as 'Budge' Tremlett) |
| Matthew Whiteman | ... | assistant dubbing editor |
| Steve Hancock | ... | sound camera operator (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Jim Dowdall | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Tracey Eddon | ... | stunt performer (as Tracey Eddons) |
| Wayne Michaels | ... | stunt performer |
| Nosher Powell | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Rocky Taylor | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Tip Tipping | ... | stunt performer |
| Bill Weston | ... | stunt coordinator |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Fiona Cunningham-Reid | ... | clapper loader |
| Malcolm Davies | ... | gaffer |
| Martin Duncan | ... | electrician |
| Tony Hair | ... | electrician (as Tony Hare) |
| Anthony James | ... | camera trainee |
| Mike Laye | ... | stills photographer |
| Dave McWhinney | ... | electrician (as Dave McWhinnie) |
| Jamie Monks | ... | second camera grip |
| Jim Monks | ... | camera grip |
| Stephen Keith Roach | ... | focus puller (as Steve Keith-Roach) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Karen Sharpe | ... | wardrobe mistress |
Location Management
| Rebecca O'Brien | ... | location manager |
Music Department
| Stanley Myers | ... | music producer |
| Hans Zimmer | ... | music producer |
Script and Continuity Department
| Penny Eyles | ... | continuity |
Transportation Department
| Harry Vincent | ... | driver: prop |
Additional Crew
| Ronald Bailey | ... | National Film School attachment |
| Jo Brown | ... | National Film School attachment |
| Christopher Bruce | ... | unit runner (as Chris Bruce) |
| Abdul Chowdray | ... | National Film School attachment |
| Bill Craster | ... | production accountant |
| Anuree De Silva | ... | National Film School attachment |
| Sam Garwood | ... | production runner |
| Grainne Marmion | ... | assistant production accountant |
| Charlie McGrigor | ... | unit runner |
| Sarah O'Brien | ... | production assistant |
| Andrew Young | ... | projectionist |
| Tim Dennison | ... | additional floor runner: dailies (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Sydney Levine | ... | acquisition exec for US |
Production Companies
- Working Title Films (for Channel 4)
- SAF Productions (for Channel 4)
- Channel Four Films (for)
Distributors
- Mainline Pictures (1985) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (1986) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Dendy Films (1986) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Filmco Norway (1986) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Hem Films Scandinavia (1986) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Orion Classics (1986) (United States) (theatrical)
- Prooptiki (1986) (Greece) (theatrical)
- Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1986) (Canada) (VHS)
- Karl-Lorimar Home Video (KLV-TV) (1986) (United States) (VHS)
- MCA Home Video (1986) (Canada) (VHS)
- VCL Communications (1986) (West Germany) (VHS)
- Virgin Video (1986) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Faro Films (1987) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Shochiku-Fuji Company (1987) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (1987) (Argentina) (VHS)
- Virgin Vision (1987) (Australia) (video)
- NHK-BS2 (1991) (Japan) (tv)
- Video Collection International (1999) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Video Services Corporation (VSC) (2002) (Canada) (VHS) (reprint)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Homescreen (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Angel Films (2008) (Denmark) (DVD)
- Angel Films (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
- Angel Films (2008) (Iceland) (DVD)
- Angel Films (2008) (Norway) (DVD)
- Angel Films (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2010) (United Arab Emirates) (Middle East, North Africa & Iran)
- Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
- NHK BS Premium (2013) (Japan) (tv)
- The Criterion Collection (2015) (United States) (DVD)
- BFI Video (2017) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- The Criterion Channel (2019) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Mundial Filmes (Brazil) (video)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Constructivist (construction)
- Descriptive Video Works (descriptive video)
- Film Lighting Services (lighting equipment by)
- Frameline Productions (titles)
- Griptruck (camera equipment by)
- Locaters (caterers)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Much of the Pakistani Hussein family has settled in London, striving for the riches promised by Thatcherism. Nasser and his right hand man, Salim, have a number of small businesses and they do whatever they need to make money, even if the activities are illegal. As such, Nasser and his immediate family live more than a comfortable lifestyle, and he flaunts his riches whenever he can. Meanwhile, his brother, alcoholic Ali, once a famous journalist in Pakistan, lives in a seedy flat with his son, Omar. Ali's life in London is not as lucrative in part because of his left leaning politics, which does not mesh with the ideals of Thatcherism. To help his brother, Nasser gives Omar a job doing menial labor. But Omar, with bigger plans, talks Nasser into letting him manage Nasser's run down laundrette. Omar seizes what he sees as an opportunity to make the laundrette a success, and employs an old friend, Johnny - who has been most recently running around with a gang of white punks - to help him. Johnny and Omar have a special relationship, but one that has gone through its ups and downs, the downs fostered by anti-immigration sentiments of white England. Omar and Johnny each have to evaluate if their ideals of success are worth it at all cost. Written by Huggo |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | GBP650,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | This film and A Room with a View (1985) both opened in New York on the same day, March 7, 1986. Both movies featured Daniel Day-Lewis in prominent and very different roles: in A Room with a View, he played a repressed, snobbish Edwardian upperclassman, while in Laundrette, he played a lower-class gay ex-skinhead in love with an ambitious Pakistani businessman in Thatcher's London. When American critics saw Day-Lewis, who was then virtually unknown in the US, in two such different roles on the same day, many (including Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times and Sheila Benson of the LA Times) raved about the talent it must have taken him to play such vastly different characters. In his review of My Beautiful Laundrette, Roger Ebert wrote, "A movie like this lives or dies with its performances, and the actors in 'My Beautiful Laundrette' are a fascinating group of unknowns.... The character of Johnny may cause you to blink if you've just seen the wonderful 'A Room with a View.' He is played by Daniel Day-Lewis, the same actor who, in 'Room,' plays the heroine's affected fiancee, Cecil. Seeing these two performances side by side is an affirmation of the miracle of acting: That one man could play these two opposites is astonishing." See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Hooray for Holyrood (1986). See more » |
| Quotes |
Johnny:
Ain't nothing I can say to make it up to you. There's only things I can do to show you... That I am with you. See more » |