Bob Hoskins in East Dulwich

[Charles Martel]

The opening scenes of Bob Hoskins' film Mona Lisa were shot in East Dulwich. Bob Hoskins' character walks down Landells Road, stopping to buy flowers, before reaching his home on Darrell Road, then going on to Robbie Coltrane's garage on Upland Road. The garage is still there, though much else has changed.

[Alex K]

When you think of what has happened to house prices since that was filmed...

Sorry. Never far from minds around here, innit.

M Martel, thanks for the posting (and for the good work in Tours).

[steveo]

Is Robbie still doing motors?

Mine needs a bit of work

[El Pibe]

weren't the pub scenes in the old wishing well?

[Jah Lush]

No. That was Last Orders.

[Otta]

Yep Jah is right. I don't think ED made any further appearences in Mona Lisa after those opening scenes. It was more dark and dingy Kings Cross.

[El Pibe]

that was just me just skim reading the above post.

Anyhow, I thought he was quite a nuanced actor not just a good cockernay!

I miss him :(

[????]

I have a thoery that our very own Ted Max wrote Last Orders

[Jah Lush]

Is he Graham Swift in disguise?

[????]

'has been discussed by myself and SJ......

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Pretty sure they used the Dundee Arms on Cambridge heath road for the last orders pub scene

Pub close to York Hall boxing hall

[Jah Lush]

???? Wrote:

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> 'has been discussed by myself and SJ......

Hmmm... well Swift went to Dulwich College and will be 65 on Sunday. Whaddya reckon?

[Otta]

In that case no, unless he has grandkids. But a spectacularly brilliant TedMax post in the family room a while back showed that he has a very good working knowledge of "In the Night Garden", so he's had kids TV on in recentish years.

[BrandNewGuy]

According to the excellent Transpotine blog, the Last Orders pub scene was filmed in the Larkhall Tavern in Clapham.

http://transpont.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/bob-hoskins-rip-by-river.html

[Otta]

There are a couple of pubs used I think. I always thought the early day time scene was the Wishing Well, but there is a party scene later on which looks too big for the WW.

[Otta]

Otta Wrote:

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> In that case no, unless he has grandkids. But a

> spectacularly brilliant TedMax post in the family

> room a while back showed that he has a very good

> working knowledge of "In the Night Garden", so

> he's had kids TV on in recentish years.

Ted on "Show me show me" (October 2011)

Miss Mouse is a subtle reworking of the ancient certainties of traditional storytelling, one that revolves around the central line, "Don't be frightened Momo, the giant is our friend".

The song moves from the comfort of a tea party to a dystopian vision of random peril, with the children cast first as ineffectual bystanders, and then as actual perceived agents of wrong doing. By placing the children within this Lilliputian setting, the writers transform the infants themselves into monstrous giants, giving them and us new awareness of the giant's usual characterisation; the cast-out who is left alone, despised and feared.

This Swiftian inversion is further re-inforced by the casting of the mouse as the agent of miraculous change and rescue. Miss Mouse repeatedly insists on us acknowledging her presence "it was me", and in doing so demands of the children that they recognise that real change can only be brought about by taking responsibility for ones actions. "Who did it?" "It was me"

The song ends with a revisited tea party, a coda of wisdom for all parties, where the simple act of caring and sharing for each other has taken on new significance.

The song can only be viewed as a heartfelt plea for mutual understanding and as a plea for enlightenment thinking, rather than the fear of, and the placing of faith in, externalised, supernatural forces.

"Don't be frightened Momo, the giant is our friend"

And then there was this

Ted on "In the night garden" (this is genius)

ITNG works best as an exploration of the development of the self.

Upsy Daisy is a pure egotist. She must claim all aspects of Upsiness and Daisyness for herself: "I'm the only Upsy one, I'm the only Daisy too". Iggle Piggle's refrain is more querying, "Yes my name is Iggle Piggle..." but then, as if unsure, he tries out other possibilities "Igglepiggle, niggle, wiggle, diggle". One asserts only she can be called her name, the other wonders what he would be if he were called something else. They are equally bound by our fears of nominative determinism.

The Tombliboos represent our desire for the forbidden other - the self we cannot be. Jesters in the court of Upsy Daisy, their absurdity (Knock on the door/sit on the floor/here is my nose/that's how it goes), menage-a-trois sleeping arrangements and slack trouser elastic clearly indicating the attractive liminality of licensed misrule.

Makka Pakka is what we have been, and will become - yelping absurdities to an uncaring world. Entirely unrealised, he is the negation of self.

The Wottingers and the Pontypines know only that "We" are red, and "They" are blue (or vice versa), defining themselves as what they are not, and ignoring their inherent similarities. (Is there is a purple "Pontinger" buried in an unmarked infant's grave in the Garden?) They represent our doomed struggle with the possibility of a plurality of self. We must be red, or blue. Not both. And never purple.

I wish I could write like that!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Mrs PGC Swift.

No, it doesn't work.

[adonirum]

The community centre (Darrell/CPR) was used as a base for Hoskins, Coltrane and Michael Caine during filming. That mews garage was used as a location many times back in the 70's/80's: The Sweeney; Dempsey and Makepeace; Minder (in a rare departure from West London) to name a few.

[PeckhamRose]

And when staying in Margate for the filming they stayed at the Walpole Bay Hotel, subject of a makeover in some makeover show with Alex Polizzi. Both she and the mad WBH owner were not the best of friends afterwards. I worked there as a kid. Beautiful place, though. Other better hotels in Margate are available, though not quite as Edwardian or close to the beach....