Available at Amazon.com
Director:
Ken Loach
Cast:
Cillian Murphy .Damien
Padraic Delaney .Teddy
Liam Cunningham ..Dan
Orla Fitzgerald .Sindead
Gerard Kearney Donnacha
William Ruane .Gogan
IFC First Take presents The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Written by Paul Laverty. Running time: 127 minutes. Not Rated.
Twas hard the woeful words to frame to break the ties that bound us
But harder still to bear the shame of foreign chains around us.
– lines from the Irish ballad “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” written by Robert Dwyer Joyce
There’s more to Ireland than Colin Farrell and potatoes. Because every few years Hollywood likes to remind us about one Irish entity: the Irish Republican Army. IRA for short, the organization has been well documented through various cinematic interpretations. Harrison Ford played some Patriot Games against the likes of a few IRA renegades. Texas native Tommy Lee Jones exudes an Irish brogue as a bomber in Blown Away. For stronger ties to Ireland, there’s the period films Bloody Sunday and In the Name of the Father.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley, winner of the Palm d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, depicts a time in Irish history I knew little about. Though upon viewing Ken Loach’s masterwork, I was very familiar with the subject matter, only from an American perspective. The Irish War of Independence during the early 1920’s, on the surface it has ties with America’s struggle for independence centuries earlier. Both countries were defiant against English imperialism. Once the English were removed, subsequent civil wars transpired.
The English soldiers — the “Blacks and Tans” as they were called — would impose their will on the men of Ireland, sometimes assembling a group in a line and asking for their names in English. Some men would obey, others would refuse or give their names in Gallic. Such insolence would be a crime against the English. The penalty severe: imprisonment or death.
Cillian Murphy, who has shown he can play a devilishly good villain, is Damien, a man who is about to leave Ireland to study medicine in London. His brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) is a member of the IRA, active in Ireland’s resistance against the English. Prior to boarding a train headed to London, Damien sees the conductor being victimized by Blacks and Tans who also wanted to join the trainload. The violent act is the catalyst that causes Damien to stay behind and take up arms with his brother. Guerilla warfare ensues, and these two brothers and fellow countrymen are able to usurp the paramilitary forces and drive them away.
While victorious, the fallout instigates Loach’s true focus. The director turns his attention on Damien and Teddy. They were major players in the Irish Republican Army, but now with the British removed roles have been changed. Teddy is no longer involved with the IRA, now he’s a soldier in the Irish Free State army, part of an organization to create a new republic. Damien, who was going to be a doctor, remains an active participant in the IRA. The brothers become rivals due to an expeditiously written peace accord between England and Ireland. Teddy preaches peace, but Damien is unyielding in his beliefs that this is not the peace he fought, and sweated, and bled for. Now violence is instigated among the men of Ireland, years after these same men fought alongside one another.
Compared to recent historical films with war as a central theme, Loach’s film is subdued by comparison. The Wind That Shakes the Barley is not boisterous or accompanied by orchestral pounding. It’s about brotherhood, of men who, when they think all is won, are able to point rifles towards their own kin. Shakable some are, resolute are others.
As far as the historical accuracy, Loach tries to not get bogged down on dates and times or characterizations. He said as much during the fifty-minute documentary about his career, a feature special to the DVD. The documentary is helpful in understanding his motivation as a director, especially for someone who knew nothing about the man. Researching the auteur, he is a man who tends to focus on the working culture of his subjects. Damien is a doctor but becomes engaged with his love of country. Teddy loves his country but becomes engaged with a fabricated peace.
Astonishingly, dissatisfaction followed Loach’s win at Cannes. Some English critics were offended of his interpretation of the Irish War for Independence; Loach is an Englishman who is seemingly painting the British soldiers in a not so nice light. Anti-British? Hardly. In times of war, colors are skewered. There’s no black, no white, only the murkiness of grey. Look to the conversion between Damien and Teddy: With Imperialism gone, conflict arose based on class and those who favored democracy to socialism.
In the decades that have followed this war for independence, hundreds like it have occurred over the globe. As such, the validity to Loach’s Palm d’Or acceptance speech seems undeniable. “Maybe if we tell the truth about the past, maybe we tell the truth about the future.”
A/V QUALITY CONTROL
The Wind That Shakes the Barley is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. Both Ken Loach and his photographer (cinematographer) Barry Ackroyd are able to show the beauty of Cork County, Ireland, and contrast that with evil that comes with war. Such serenity, the lands are luscious and green. There are a few inconsistencies with the transfer, specs of dirt in print. While there are scenes of guerilla warfare, don’t expect to have your ears rung with the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. In fact, without the English subtitles (designed for the deaf and hard of hearing) you may have trouble making out what the characters are saying. With whispers and Irish pronunciation, better to watch the film with subtitles on.
SPECIAL FEATURES
With this DVD release we get the theatrical trailer, a commentary with Loach and his historical advisor for the film, professor Donal O’Driscoll. He can be seen briefly in the documentary I’ve already mentioned above, Carry on Ken: A Look at the Work of Director Ken Loach. Of the three supplements, the documentary is the most revealing, especially if you are unfamiliar with the work of Ken Loach. Originally broadcast on Channel 4 in the U.K., this fifty-minute overview of Loach’s filmography features comments from the likes of Peter Mullan, Brian Cox, Robert Carlyle and Cillian Murphy. If The Wind That Shakes the Barley is your first Ken Loach film, this feature may want you want to seek out other works.
The commentary, on the other hand, while benefiting from O’Driscoll involvement is dry. There are few too many spots where the two refrain from talking and let the film play — with such dead air, at least give me a fact track, or something to keep my interest instead of waiting for the next revealing comment.
THE INSIDE PULSE
The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a tough recommendation. It’s an interesting period drama, but those types of films depend heavily on the subject matter. The battle scenes are minuscule compared to the likes of modern war epics. Cillian Murphy gives a strong performance as Damien, and it is through him which we see hardships of war and of brotherhood. Ken Loach’s direction, and the way he allows the scenes to play in an improvised manner, is masterful. Definitely recommended as a rental, and a good way to get acculturated to the history of Ireland’s War of Independence.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley |
|
