“Remember, scare the shit out of them, but don’t damage them. I want ’em conscious and talkative. And lads, try and be discreet, eh?”
Bob Hoskins voice was dubbed over by a Wolver-hampton actor for fear that the American audience wouldn’t understand his character’s East End accent. After Hoskins threatened to sue Jack Gill and Lion’s Gate (the original producers before selling the rights) the dubbing was removed. George Harrison’s Handmade Films Ltd. bought the film rights from Black Lion for £850,000. After Harrison saw the finished product, he reportedly said that he never would’ve approved such a violent film. Anthony Franciosa was originally cast as Charlie, the Mafia boss visiting from the U.S., but he left after three days filming, claiming to be unhappy with script alterations. The original title was “ The Paddy Factor” but this was changed after fears that it would give away too much of the film’s plot. After considering: “Harold’s Kingdom”, “Havoc” and “Citadel Of Blood” the title: “The Long Good Friday” was finally chosen because of its similarities to Raymond Chandler’s “The Long Goodbye” with an Easter setting. Pierce Brosnan’s role as an IRA assassin was originally completely silent but he improvised one line of dialogue. Even though it appears that Brosnan shares a scene with Bob Hoskins at the end, neither actor was there when the other was being filmed in close-up, so they never actually worked together. At the film’s finale in the back of the car, Hoskins was simply told that the camera would be on him in a close-up for five minutes non-stop. Though well known on the British stage and TV, it was this riveting part that launched Bob Hoskins’ movie career.
