film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare

Subject: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 06:12 AM

This 2003 film is available on BBC iPLayer for two more days. It has a very thin plot about sibling rivalry in a ceilidh band competition, but the sound track and direction is good evoking Ireland in the late 60s. There are interesting performances from Bernard Hill and the delicious Andrea Corr, who somehow won an American best actress award in comedy.

Worth a look if you have the time:

The Boys and Girls from County Clare 2003

Tone

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: severed-head
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 06:49 AM

I watched this on i-Player a couple of days ago. As you say, a weak storyline and some patchy acting (although I thought Andrea Corr was pretty good). Some good snippets of music, but I would have enjoyed it more if they had allowed some complete tunes to play out.
Garry

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,John J
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 02:27 PM

I thought 'The Boys and Girl (there was only one girl!) from County Clare' was good, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

JJ

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 02:31 PM

Screenplay by uillean piper Nick Adams
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: sciencegeek
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 03:01 PM

I got the dvd a few years back... anything with Colm Meaney in it is worth a look. I enjoyed it... a light hearted frolic and it did give a nod to the world of music competition...

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,bigJ
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 05:16 PM

Part-made in the Isle of Man.

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: michaelr
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 07:19 PM

Isle of Man has been the go-to location standing in for Ireland past (e.g. Waking Ned Devine) ...no McMansions, I suppose.

Andrea Corr is a decent player and easy on the eyes, and Colm Meaney is always fun. There are worse filims to waste an hour and a half on.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: michaelr
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 07:34 PM

PS: I believe the original title is The Boys from County Clare, and the US release was clunkily renamed The Boys & Girl from County Clare. Hurray for political correctness!

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 12 Jul 13 - 08:16 PM

"I thought 'The Boys and Girl (there was only one girl!) from County Clare' was good, I thoroughly enjoyed it."

I stand corrected on the title, but I reckon her 'mother' was a pretty decent looking 'girl' too.

Tone

Subject: RE: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: John J
Date: 13 Jul 13 - 05:11 AM

I'll drink to that! Mind you, I'll drink to anything.... :-)

JJ

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 13 Jul 13 - 05:55 AM

Pass that bockle will you?

Tone

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 13 Jul 13 - 05:59 AM

Andrea Corr is a decent player

One could argue about that, the Corrs usually say they don't play traditional music at all (and I would tend to agree with that), but she is certainly not a fiddle player and she mimes the fiddle quite poorly in the movie.


As far as I know the whole 'girl' idea wasn't part of the original script but the studio demanded a love interest so the whole original story (and title which was originally something like 'the Great Ceili Wars') got a bit lost in the process.

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: michaelr
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 12:24 AM

"she mimes the fiddle quite poorly in the movie" Does she? I'm not a fiddle player, so I didn't notice. Andrea plays whistles in The Corrs, no?

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Brakn
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 04:23 AM

I thought she mimed badly, it's Sharon Corr that plays the fiddle.

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 07:34 AM

At the end of the day it's not really relevant what sort of a player she is as she doesn't play a note for the film. She acts, and some would say that's not her strongest point.

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,Sean Laffey
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 01:24 PM

SNIP....At the end of the day it's not really relevant what sort of a player she is as she doesn't play a note for the film. She acts, and some would say that's not her strongest point.

BUT acting is about making it look convincing, she doesn't even attempt to move her fingers in time.. and there is a scene where she is supposed to be playing in a session, which is bad directing, how about if John Wayne couldn't ride a horse or Jackie Chann was clueless at martial arts, would you forgive them "coz they could act?"

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 01:58 PM

Well, that was my point wasn't it?

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 03:59 PM

All the main players were miming. So what. It's a fictional film.

As for her acting ability. Quote from wiki:

"Corr resumed her acting career in 2003 where she was cast as Anne in The Boys from County Clare. The film was not a commercial success, but she won the Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actress in the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and was nominated for Best Actress in the IFTA Awards."

Andrea Corr Wiki Ref

Tone

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 04:23 PM

I know they were miming, in fact I know a number of the people who did play for the recording of the soundtrack. The point really is that some character in the film mimed (=acted) better than others.

As a film it's entertaining enough and the continuous announcements in the background of the competition scenes are often hilarious.

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: GUEST,bigJ
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 05:13 PM

It was nice to see Frank Kelly (Father Jack) as one of the adjudicators. Now there's an actor. Remember the Glen Abbey Show on RTE Radio?

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 15 Jul 13 - 05:24 PM

Yes it was. Problem is I can't see Frank Kelly in anything now without seeing him as Father Jack!

Tone

Subject: RE: film: The Boys and Girls from County Clare
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 18 Jul 13 - 01:41 PM

Was Michelle Pfeiffer (with 3xfs) really singing in The Fabulous Baker Boys?? (Yes, she was.) Did the Bridges bros really play piano? (No they didn't.) And does it really matter? It was still a great film.

Tone