Themes: Fish Out of Water, Culture Clash, Nothing Goes Right
Main Cast: Mark Frankel, Janet Suzman, Brian Glover, Connie Booth, David de Keyser
Release Year: 1992
Country: UK
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
A Jewish Londoner embarks on a journey to find himself after learning some shocking news about his past in this eccentric British comedy. As the film begins, Leon (Mark Frankel) is already in a time of transition, having quit his job for moral reasons and assumed a position in his mother's catering firm. His life is thrown into even more disarray when a bizarre coincidence reveals the truth behind his birth: not only was his birth the result of artificial insemination, but a lab mix-up means that his real, biological father is a complete stranger. The confused Leon sets out to find his "real" dad, and unexpectedly discovers that he is descended from a family of Yorkshire pig farmers. Co-directors Vadim Jean and Gary Sinyor move their story in fits and starts, allowing room for countless digressions, from a torrid affair with a outrageous artist (Maryam d'Abo) to the accidental breeding of a rather unique pig. While the film proves uneven, fans of the quirkier varieties of British comedy should find Leon the Pig Farmer's off-beat tone and taste for surrealistic details suitably entertaining. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Maryam D'Abo - Madeleine; Gina Bellman - Lisa; Jean Anderson - Mrs Samuels; Bernard Bresslaw - Rabbi Hartmann; Annette Crosbie - Doctor Johnson; Burt Kwouk - Art Collector; John Woodvine - Vitelli; Rachel Fielding - Blonde; Stephen Greif - Doctor; John Guerrasio - Jimmy's Man; Sean Pertwee - Keith Chadwick; Simon Phillips - Artist; Hana-Maria Pravda - Woman; Vincenzo Ricotta - Elliot Cohen; Virginia Scott - Cynthia; Barry Stanton - Peter; David Graham - The Chef; Clive Panto - Morris; Peter Whitman - Rabbi Jobson; David Ash - Morgan; Stanley Davis - Gutterman; Neil Mullarkey - Waiter; Edward Dentith - Old Man; Thelma Ruby - Mrs Bernstein; Sara Mansfield - Naked Cellist; John Phillips - Trevor
Credit
James Helps - Art Director, Vadim Jean - Director, Gary Sinyor - Director, Paul Brooks - Executive Producer, David A. Hughes - Composer (Music Score), Vadim Jean - Producer, Gary Sinyor - Producer, Michael Normand - Screenwriter, Gary Sinyor - Screenwriter
