Saturday Night At The Movies
Of butcher boys and green-eyed ladies
By Dennis Hartley
Child of nature, friend of man.
With Saint Patrick’s Day coming up in a few days, I thought I’d help you “get your Irish up” and drive the snakes out of your media room with my Top 10 recommendations…
The Butcher Boy-A real gem from director Neil Jordan, featuring one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen by a child actor (Eamonn Owens is like a midget Brando). Hard to describe, the film is sort of a distant cousin to An Angel at My Table or Heavenly Creatures. The difficult and dark subject matter is handled with judicious compassion. Both heartbreaking and savagely funny, this is worth seeking out.
The Commitments-“Say it leoud. I’m black and I’m prewd!” Pulling together a cast of talented yet unknown actor/musicians to “portray” a group of talented yet unknown musicians was a stroke of genius from director Alan Parker. This “life imitating art imitating life” trick works wonders. In some ways a thematic remake of the director’s own 1980 film Fame, Parker transplants the scenario from New York to Dublin (look fast for a sly reference when a band member sings a parody of the Fame theme). However, these working class Irish kids don’t have the luxury of attending a performing arts academy; there’s an undercurrent of economic downturn, with most band members “on the dole” . The acting chemistry is superb, but it’s the musical performances that really win you over, especially from (then) 16-year old Andrew Strong, who has the soulful pipes of someone who has been drinking a fifth and smoking 2 packs a day for decades. In 2007, cast member Glen Hansard popped up again as the co-star of the surprise low-budget hit, Once, a lovely (if a bit over-praised) character study that would make a good double bill.
The General-Brendan Gleeson explodes onscreen like an Irish Tony Soprano in his turn as real-life gangster Martin Cahill. According to the script, Cahill was a bit of a latter-day Robin Hood figure to some Dubliners (one suspects some degree of artistic romanticism on that count). Regardless, Gleeson makes quite an impression in his first major role. Jon Voight (!) is an unexpected delight as Cahill’s law enforcement nemesis. Written and directed by the eclectic John Boorman, who adapted from the novel by Paul Williams.
In Bruges-OK, full disclosure. In my original review, I gave this 2008 Sundance hit a somewhat lukewarm appraisal. But upon a second viewing, I realized that I had “missed something” the first time around, and have now decided that I actually like this film quite a lot (happens sometimes…nobody’s perfect!). A pair of Irish hit men (Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell) botch a job in London and are exiled to the Belgian city of Bruges, where they are ordered to lay low until their piqued Cockney employer (an over the top Ray Fiennes) dictates their next move. What ensues can be perhaps best described as a tragicomic Boschian nightmare (which will make more sense once you’ve seen it). Written and directed by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, who deftly demonstrates the versatility of the word “fook” (as a noun, an adverb, a super adverb and an adjective).
Into the West-Here’s another sleeper worth seeking out, from one of the more deft (and underappreciated, IMHO) “all-purpose” directors working today, Mike Newell (Dance With a Stranger, Enchanted April, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco, Pushing Tin). At first glance, it falls into the “magical family film” category, but it carries a subtly dark undercurrent with it throughout, which keeps it interesting for the adults in the room. Lovely performances, a magic horse, and one purty pair o’humans (Ellen Barkin and Gabriel Byrne, real-life spouses at the time). What more do you want?
My Left Foot-This was the first (and best) of three rewarding collaborations between writer-director Jim Sheridan and actor Daniel Day-Lewis (1993’s In the Name of the Father and 1997’s The Boxer were to follow). This 1989 biopic about Christy Brown, a severely palsied man who became a renowned author, poet and painter despite daunting physical roadblocks makes for an incredibly moving film. What makes this film unique within its genre is that it avoids the audience-pandering trap of turning its protagonist into the cinematic equivalent of a lovable puppy (see Rainman, I Am Sam); Brown is fearlessly portrayed by Day-Lewis “warts and all” with all his peccadilloes laid bare. As a result, you quickly acclimate to Day-Lewis’ physical tics, and begin to see past them, allowing Brown to emerge as a complex human being, not merely an object of pity. That is a mark of a truly great actor, and Day-Lewis quite deservedly picked up an Oscar. Brenda Fricker also earned her supporting Oscar as Brown’s mother. It’s easy to overlook 13-year old Hugh O’Conor’s contribution as the young Christy, but it is an important one.
Odd Man Out-An absorbing film noir from the great director Carol Reed (The Third Man, The Fallen Idol). James Mason is excellent as a gravely wounded Irish rebel who is on the run from the authorities through the dark and shadowy backstreets of Belfast. Interestingly, the I.R.A. is never referred to directly, but the turmoil borne of Northern Ireland’s “troubles” is most definitely inferred by word and action throughout F.L. Green and R.C. Sherriff’s intelligent screenplay (adapted from Green’s original novel). Unique for its time, it still holds up remarkably well as a “heist gone wrong”/chase thriller with strong political undercurrents. The great cast includes Robert Newton and Cyril Cusack.
The Quiet Man-A John Ford classic. I was never a huge John Wayne fan, but he’s damn near perfect in this role as a down-on-his-luck boxer who leaves America to get in touch with his roots in his native Ireland. The most entertaining (and purloined) donnybrook of all time plus a fiery performance from the gorgeous Maureen O’Hara round things off nicely. Although quite tame by today’s standards, I’ve always thought the romantic scenes between Wayne and O’Hara to be surprisingly tactile and sensuous for the time. The pastoral valleys and rolling hills of the Irish countryside have never looked lovelier onscreen, thanks to Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout’s Oscar-winning cinematography.
The Secret of Roan Inish-John Sayles delivers an engaging fairy tale, devoid of the usual genre clichés. Wistful, haunting and beautifully shot by the great cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who captures the misty desolation of County Donegal’s rugged coastline in a way that frequently recalls Michael Powell’s similarly effective utilization of Scotland’s Shetland Islands for his 1937 classic, The Edge of the World. The seals should have been nominated for a special Oscar for Best Performance by a Sea Mammal.
U2-Rattle and Hum-An outstanding, artfully produced rock doc from director Phil Joanau (State of Grace). They’re a band from Dublin, y’know. P.S.-Fook the Revolution!
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