Once (the movie)

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 12:34 PM

The Commitments and The Snapper are two of three novels written as a trilogy by Roddy Doyle; hat the third one is The Van. All three were made into movies, and all featured the actor Colm Meaney as a comically beleagured father. I don't think he plays the same individual character in each story, but he's defintitely the same type of character. (His role is relatively minor in The Commitments, significantly more prominent in the other two.)

The stories constitute a "trilogy" because they're all set in the same community in North Dublin. Only The Commitments has anything to do with music. The Snapper is about an unwed pregnant teenager who is reluctant to name the father of her baby, and The Van is about two unemployed middle-aged fellows who go into business operating a mobile catering van, selling fish & chips, burgers, etc. I love the way they pronouce "boar-gers," which undoubtedly sounds entirely natural and unremarkable to Dubliners, but which is different enough from the US pronunciation to just amuse the hell out of me...

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: Gulliver
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 11:54 AM

The real follower-upper to the Commitments was the Snapper. Very different but very good too.

I busked in Grafton Street myself years ago--it didn't get me into any movies though!

Don

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 10:28 AM

The Commitments is easily enough available in the States ~ shouldn't be a problem in Canada, certainly not in a big city like Toronto. It's a wonderful film, not to be missed.

If you can't find it any other way, sign up with Netflix ~ they'll take care of you.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: black walnut
Date: 31 Jul 08 - 09:23 AM

I must watch The Committments. I hope I can find it over here (Toronto).
~b.w.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 04:36 PM

Anonther member, irishenglish, just made the same observation in the older thread (currently active). He says something along the lines of "I know it's not the case [that The Guy in Once is actually Outspan Foster of The Commitments several years later] but I like to think of it that way."

Well, even if the fictional characters are supposed to be wholly separate, the actual person inhabiting them as an actor is the same person, and although his real life undoubtedly differs from thosed of the two fictional characters in many ways, both characters have manmy basic characteristics in common with the real-life Glen ~ including busking on Grafton Street and elsewhere in Dublin...

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 12:22 AM

Its funny, but I just watched the Committments again. And there was Glen Hansard as the Guitar player in the band. The last shot of him in the movie of him show what happened after the band broke up shows him busking on the streets of Dublin.   Fast Forward to "Once" and what is he doing? Still busking.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 05:37 AM

Quokka

No - that's what I thought at first. As Gulliver says, the SuperSearch just doesn't see everything, for whatever reason.

Regards

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: quokka
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 08:45 PM

Is the Supersearch case-sensitive? I've just noticed that the other thread has 'ONCE' in upper case, don't know if this would make a difference? It shouldn't do, but anyway, just a thought. BTW, I love this movie more every time I see it!!!
Cheers,
Quokka

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 08:01 PM

Thanks Gulliver - like most cats, Mudcat needs multiple ways of skinning....

Regards

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: Gulliver
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 07:17 PM

Martin, Poppagator, the Search function is still not working--it won't pick up threads posted after 2005 (I think that's the year). This problem has been mentioned literally dozens of times, but there still doesn't seem to be a solution in sight. That's why the Filter function should be used for more recent threads, or use Google and enter site:www.mudcat.org + search term.

Don

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 06:48 PM

Poppagator -- there are plenty of manufacturers who send out their guitars without pickguards, particularly ones they consider to be fingerstyle instruments. My Lowden O10 came without one; I had to install it myself.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: Mr Happy
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 10:46 AM

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 10:15 AM

He, he! Mind you - it was less than enthusiastic about "Irish", also!

Regards

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 10:13 AM

Evidently the SS feels that once was not enough.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:54 AM

Poppagator

I found it by using the thread filter. Not sure why the SuperSearch misses it.

Regards

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:46 AM

Just for fun, I just typed "Once" into the Forum, Search box and got no results ~ even after this discussion had begun and had pointed out that the thread(s) on this subjct couldn't be found. It/they apparently still are not readily searched out.

(Was there only one such thread? Or maybe two which may have been combined? I know that there was plenty of discussion, revived several times as members got their chances to see it, upon theatrical release in different counries, then when the DVD came out, and yet again upon winning the Academy Award for best song.)

What's up? Does someone need to attach a keyword to the thread, or what?

Great movie, anyway.

This may be considered thread-creep, but I have to bring it up. Seeing this film (or seeing Glen Hansard with his guitar in any context) always makes me wonder why Takamine didn't install pickguards on their Martin-D-model clones during a certain period of time. I assume that Glen's trusty old instrument was built shortly after Takamine lost that lawsuit; I understand their having to redesign the headstock and the script typeface of their logo, but they certainly could have retained the pickguard! CF Martin certainly couldn't have claimed an exclusive copyright on that very basic feature.

Spruce and other topwoods are extremely soft and fragile; that's why virtually ALL steel-string acoustic guitars (and flamenco guitars, too) are made with pickguards. Classical guitars don't have 'em only because it is expected that they will not be assaulted with picks. When a person(like Willy Nelson) bangs on a nylon-string guitar with a flatpick, an extra soundhole is sure to develop. The same thing happened to Glen's Tak, but that's a steel-stringer that could have been expected to be played with picks, and ceratinly should have been built with a pickguard.

It sounds absolutely great, however, ragged hole in the front or not...

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: black walnut
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:45 AM

When it rains it pours....I just found out that "The Swell Season" - i.e. the 2 main characters in the movie Once - are going to be performing at Massey Hall Toronto September 20!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: black walnut
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:23 AM

You see, Gulliver....well, yes....of COURSE my memory is gone! I'm over 50!!! But what happened is that we were listening to CD of the soundtrack in the car yesterday and I thought I'd look up the Mudcat threads on this (because I couldn't remember if there was or if I'd posted anything). And then I searched for Once and nothing came up. And I figure that if Joe Offer couldn't find anything than I am in the clear.

:-)

~b.w.

P.S. Lately there's been buzz amongst folk musicians about this movie again. Finally some people over here (Canada) are watching it who hadn't seen the movie when it first came out - and they are urging others to see it - and they are urging others to see it....and so it goes.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: Gulliver
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 09:58 PM

Black walnut, is your memory gone? You posted at least 7 times to the thread on this movie last year.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 07:24 PM

Here it is!

Regards

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:55 PM

I thought it was a rather sweet, low-key romantic movie, in which not much happens, but it reflects the newly multicultural Ireland of today just as 'The Commitments' reflected the Dublin of its day.

It was shot over a few weekends for a few hundred thousand euros.

It features songs by the two leading actors, who are an item in real life - one of my daughters was in a restaurant in Dublin a few months ago, and they came in, he with the guitar case in his hand, as if they had just stepped out of the movie. My daughter wanted to go over and say how much she had enjoyed it, but then decided to leave them unmolested. Lyrical songs maainly with guitar and piano accompaniment, as I recall it. At the time I saw it, there was no soundtrack CD available, but another of my daughters was able to download a bunch of tracks and make me a CD. Search for Glen(n?) Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: Declan
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:49 PM

Joe

There have been a couple of threads (or at least one) about this film. I'll try and revive the one I contributed to before.

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:37 PM

I thought for sure we'd have a thread bout the movie, Once, but I couldn't find any. I found lots of threads about concertinas and concerts, but none about Once.

The IMDB (Internet Movie Database) says that the 2006 movie Once is "A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story."

Now, you may ask, are they folk music buskers, despicable singer/songwriter buskers, or what?

Anyhow, I'd like to hear more about the movie.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Once (the movie)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:34 PM

DIY?
i.e. Once I had a Ball of Twine?

Regards

Subject: RE: Once
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:27 PM

PS, what movie?

Subject: RE: Once
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:26 PM

Once I had a ball of thyme

Subject: Once
From: black walnut
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 06:23 PM

I searched for "Once" here in the Forum and didn't come up with ANYthing. That can't be possible?! Is there a mudthread or mudthreads on this movie?

~b.w.