JOE’S PALACE

UK, 2007, 110 minutes. Colour.
Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry- Jones, Kelly Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Clive Russell.
Directed by Stephen Poliakoff.

Joe’s Palace is a London story – which gradually extends itself to the UK and to UK international relationships and heritage. It was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, a distinctive writer who has written many plays as well as directed films, especially for television. These include The Lost Prince.

Joe’s Palace is the story of a young man of mixed race who leaves school, gets a job looking after a mansion in London. His mother works as a cleaner. She is very happy that he has a job. He goes home to live with her – but eventually is given a room in the house by its owner. The owner is a billionaire, Elliot Graham, played with distinction by Michael Gambon. He does not like the house, lives across the street, but maintains it out of a sense of duty to his father. However, he is tormented by mysteries about his father’s acquisition of wealth and employs a number of investigators. At the end of the film, the woman who works at the delicatessen (Rebecca Hall) who takes on the job of looking through his papers, discovers the truth about his father which drives him towards suicide.

The film shows the detail of Joe looking after the house, his conscientiousness, his liking his job, his liking people – especially the parliamentarian who brings his mistress and uses a room in the mansion. He becomes very attached to the woman (Kelly Reilly) and is concerned when the politician (Rupert Penry -Jones) brings another woman to the house.

The film shows the growing friendship between Elliot Graham and Joe, the older man relying on him, the young man pleased to be doing messages for the older man, sharing meals with him, becoming his confidant. This becomes very important as the older man becomes somewhat unhinged, especially when invited to participate in a photo of the richest men in the UK. When he discovers the truth, he becomes suicidal as he visits the castle that his father gave him when he was young. Joe is able to save the man from suicide – and the film ends quietly, Joe receiving a lot of good advice, and a small picnic with Tina and Elliot.

1. A London story, a UK story, UK history, UK wealth? Responsibilities and guilt?

2. The house, the exteriors, the details of the interiors, upstairs and downstairs, the furnishings, Elliot maintaining it? The street? Elliot’s house, its interiors, his collection of gifts from people (and his offering Joe a choice)? The special items that were treasures (and sending Joe to the Antique Roadshow television program with Michael Aspel to have them evaluated)? The streets, the contrast with Joe’s house overlooking the railway and the station? Offices and galleries? The parks? The castle and its grounds? The musical score?

3. Stephen Poliakoff, his career, his interest in British history and society?

4. The portrait of Joe, his age, laconic, leaving school, intelligent but limited? His mother’s love for him, his father’s absence but visiting twice a year? Getting the job, his pride at his work, seeing him at home, at work, liking the job, doing work diligently? Getting the desk? Keeping the door, refusing people’s entry? The rules? Mrs Hopkins and her supervision? Elliot Graham and his visit, talking with Joe? Richard and Charlotte, Richard’s visit, his credentials, the tour and persuading Joe to let Charlotte see the house? The friendship with Richard and Charlotte? His waiting on them, biscuits and tea? Making the bed? Doing messages for Elliot? Going to Richard and the parliamentarians? Delivering messages to board meetings? His buying the meats at the deli, the friendship with Tina? The meals with Elliot, lobster? At home? Sharing the meat, the cheese? The further responsibility, getting his room? His delight in his room? His relationship with the security guard – and later finding him drunk? Going out, the walk, the beggar in the street, bringing him home, the man pulling the knife, Elliot rescuing him? Going with Elliot to the park, seeing Tina and the dancing? Tina’s job? Charlotte and her visit, separating from Richard, her anger, sitting upstairs by herself? Richard and the lift, bringing the other woman, Joe ousting them? Later meeting Richard and his advice from the car? Elliot, the solution to his problems? Joe asking him to go to castle, rowing, seeing the gun, preventing the suicide? Ringing Charlotte? Charlotte’s visit, the walk in the park and her advice? The pleasing ending?

5. Elliot Graham, Michael Gambon’s presence and performance, as a man in himself, his age, being in the army when young, his wealth, his dislike of the house, decisive and not decisive, the investigations, being plagued by premonitions of guilt? Giving Joe the job? Buying the meat, eating with Joe, the cheese? His going to the photo opportunity and the Tourette outburst? His permitting Richard and Charlotte to use the house? Looking out the window? Talking with Joe, sending him to the Antique Roadshow? Confiding in him? The film show, the old films and his past and his father’s past? Tina, giving her the job, her investigations, the results? Going to the castle, telling Joe the truth, the flashbacks? The gun, Joe preventing him killing himself? His telling Joe the truth? The end?

6. Richard and his story, ambitious, his father as a signalman, his confidence, marrying, in parliament, in the cabinet, showing Joe the cabinet cases in the car? Joe letting him in, the tour, with Charlotte, later giving Joe the lift home? The relationship with Charlotte? The close-ups of lovemaking? The tension, the break, the new woman, Joe ousting them, the final scene with Joe at the car?

7. Charlotte, with Richard, her being nice to Joe, Joe attracted to her, her scenes with Richard, the ending of the relationship, her story, her marriage and children, Joe’s phone call to her at home, the visits by herself, upstairs, Elliot seeing her through the window, his coming to help her, her outburst against him? Her final advice to Joe?

8. Tina, at the shop, her friendship with Joe, not wanting to visit the house, dancing, accepting Elliot’s job, her going through the papers, discovering the truth? The happy ending?

9. Mrs Hopkins, the job, the staff, the cleaning of the house?

10. Joe’s mother, her life? Going to Spain?

11. The revelation of the truth, the flashbacks, Elliot and his suspicions? The episode in the Berlin park, the humiliation of the Jews, crawling naked, the women stranded in the trees, having to tweet and cuckoo? His father’s diary entry about things done differently there than in England? The shock to Elliot?

12. The exploration of guilt, memory, responsibility – resolution, Elliot becoming decisive, putting his money to work for good causes and for reparation?