Crying Game, The

*This guide accompanies a lecture on film audiences and reception theory.

  1. What have you heard about The Crying Game from the media, friends, film reviews, etc.? Was there one specific aspect of the film that was commented on? If so, what?
  2. How well does this U.S. poster (right) depict the storyline of and/or characters in The Crying Game? Who is this character on the poster, and does she play a primary role in the film?
  3. “The Crying Game” lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/boy+george/the+crying+game_20023224.html. At what times do you hear this song during the film? What do you think the lyrics mean in relation to the film’s plot? How do they coincide? Who sings this song? Does it seem fitting that this particular artist sings it? Why, or why not?
  4. Where does Jody urinate at the beginning of the film? Finally, where is Jude as Jody is relieving himself?
  5. When Jody is detained by Fergus, he also has to urinate. Where is Fergus at this point, and what is he asked to do?
  6. As Fergus is feeding Jody, Jody asks Fergus to remove the black hood “because [he’s] kind. It’s in [his] nature.” List two reasons up to this point we might see Fergus as kind. Does he remain kind throughout?
  7. As Fergus and Dil prepare to make love, Fergus–and we–learn something about Dil. What is Fergus’s reaction to this “secret”?
  8. What is/was your initial reaction to the same? Explain.
  9. Has the film prepared you in any way for this “revelation scene”? Think about how the male anatomy (particularly in relation to urination) has been handled up to this point. Has it been discussed, blatantly revealed?
  10. With your answer to #7 in mind, explain how the audience of The Crying Game has been lulled into a false sense of conventional expectations regarding the male anatomy.
  11. How does The Crying Game ask audiences to sympathize with the relationship of a transvestite and a heterosexual man?
  12. In what way(s) does the film seem to promote racial harmony?
  13. How does the film represent women?
  14. Hollywood (as well as society) often represents blacks and gays as oversexed and exotic. How might some audiences read this stereotype into The Crying Game? How does this response differ from your answer in #11?