Red sent ol' Father Geek a pretty comprehensive look at the Irish point of view of ANGELA'S ASHES, interesting stuff...
I thought I'd drop you a line concerning the new Alan Parker film 'Angela's Ashes' based on the international bestseller by Frank McCourt. As I am from Ireland I thought your readers might appreciate an Irish viewpoint on this movie and a bit of information on the source material. If you're interested, the first couple of paragraphs of this report concerns the book, its author and Irish reaction to both (to set the scene, you understand) so if you want to read about the film only scroll down a bit.
For those who have not read the book it is an autobiographical account of McCourt's miserable Irish Catholic childhood in the city of Limerick during the 1930s and 40s. A miserable Irish Catholic childhood obviously includes several routine experiences, all of which are present and correct : an alcoholic father, a long-suffering mother, abject poverty, the death of several siblings and embarrassing Communion and confession stories. These anecdotes could have been used to garner an easy sympathy vote but to his credit McCourt stays away from this angle and just tells his story very matter-of-factly. The book is undeniably involving, partly because McCourt writes well and peppers the depressing tale with wry observations. It has been a huge international bestseller, particularly in the US, where McCourt lives and hangs out with several bigwigs. So, this rags to riches story of a humble Irishman thrust into the limelight has endeared him forever to the people of Ireland? Well, no. In Ireland, McCourt has drew much criticism from Limerick people for his unflattering (and allegedly unfair) depiction of their hometown, while others have claimed (with some justification) that he exaggerated and made up events in his childhood to make a more dramatic story. Personally, even if he did paint the story up a little, I found it refreshing that he didn't conform to the 'Ah, we were poor - but we were happy' mentality. McCourt's experience was 'we were poor - and we were bloody miserable' an altogether more realistic view. However, it is easy to see why McCourt does not endear himself to the Irish people. In interviews he comes across as insincere and a bit false. His attitude seems to be 'you should all admire me because I lived through this hell and survived'. The simple fact is many Irish people lived in similar poverty, yet didn't feel the need to broadcast it to the world. But enough of this idle chit-chat - ont ot the movie itself!
FOR THE SCROLLERS : FILM BIT!!!!
Anyway, the main point to be made is that this miserable childhood story is ultimately very grim and depressing. Hence, making a film version could be a bit risky. Not that grim source material inevitably results in a bad film, but it does make it a harder sell to audiences. So Alan Parker took on a difficult project when he decided to film this book. Could he render the film more palatable to your average Friday night cinema-goer while remaining faithful to the essence of McCourt's experiences? Well, Parker has made a pretty good attempt at filming Angela's Ashes. It has opened strongly here in Ireland to fairly good reviews in general and is likely to stay at the top of the box-office for a while. On the Oscar front, despite being a worthy contender, it is likely to fall short in most categories and I feel it won't get that many nominations.There are many good things to recommend it, although it is ultimately not as affecting as it could have been.
On the plus side, it's very faithful to the book and the recreation of 1930s Limerick is hugely impressive. Filmed on location in Limerick, the filmmakers got a little abuse from residents unhappy with McCourts book, but I think even they were impressed with the finished product. As always, Ireland is shown to have almost perpetual rainfall (Parker claims he spent 3 months with wet socks) and although there are a few Oirish stereotypes thrown in (Uncle Pat), it's a fair portrayal of the country at the time. In particular, the view of America as the Land of Opportunity is well realised through images of the Stature of Liberty and Hollywood films and the film accurately portrays the dreams of countless Irish people who left these shores.
Also impressive is the acting which is excellent throughout. Emily Watson plays her role well as the long-suffering mother Angela, but to be honest she looks just a bit too healthy to be a desperate woman in the depths of poverty. Better is Robert Carlyle's performance as Frank's alcoholic, feckless, irresponsible father Malachy who deserves little respect from the audience and yet Carlyle manages to evoke a little sympathy as we glimpse Malachy's shame and frustration at his inability to hold on to a job and treat his family better. Both actors also deserve credit for mastering their Irish accents. However, the film is basically about Frank McCourt and both Watson and Carlyle wisely take a back seat to the three Irish lads who play Frank at various stages of his childhood. Joe Breen (young Frank), Ciaran Owens (middle Frank) and Michael Legge (older Frank) all turn in accomplished performances of a young boy growing up. The transition between each stage is skilfully handled and believable and the three lads complement each other perfectly. Parker again proves himself to be adept at directing children and deserves much credit for the performances of all the kids in the film. (Bit of trivia - the small role of 'Quasimodo' is played by none other than the Butcher Boy himself Eamonn Owens - brother of Ciaran who plays middle Frank) Also worth a mention is the score which is excellent, the one category where i won't be surprised if it gains an Oscar nomination next month.
However the film suffers from a couple of things. It's hard to criticise good direction but the beautiful photography doesn't really fit the mood of the story. The book is a raw account of poverty and desperation, yet Parker films it as if it were a loving tribute to Ireland's rolling hills and majestic River Shannon. Hence, a potentially distressing image of a undernourished urchin running through the rain becomes a rather artistic image of childish exuberance. Likewise, the slums of Limerick become a little less disgusting when filmed in such a beautiful manner, and it's a pity that Parker didn't go for a little more realism (although that could have really sent the audience looking for the razor blades). Also the film lacks any real sense of anticipation. We know Frank survives and escapes to America as the adult Frank provides a voiceover throughout the film. This reduces the film to a mere succession of trials and tribulations that Frank endures before his eventual flight. And finally, although it pains me to say this, the story could benefit from some sentimentalism. The film is told in a very matter-of-fact manner (like the book) but it means that it is strangely unmoving. This is obviously a deliberate move by Parker and commendably faithful to the source material but a few more genuinely moving moments could have elevated the story to greater heights. To give him credit, Parker has tried to balance the grim moments with light-heartedness and injects some much needed humour to the story getting good comic mileage out of Frank's first confession, first communion and first sexual experiences. But, perhaps inevitably, the overall sense of hardship prevails and the film is ultimately depressing. A worthy effort, then, but in the end a bit underachieving.
Until we meet again
Slante
Red
