Film Review: Black 47

Subject: Review: Black 47
From: Thompson
Date: 10 Oct 18 - 03:54 PM

Excellent Irish-made film Black 47 has lots of traditional music in it, including Stephen Rea singing Little Jimmy Murphy and a haunting version of Mo Ghile Mear.

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: mg
Date: 10 Oct 18 - 07:02 PM

I hope to see it this weekend in honor of my great grandmother, Eliza Crehan, who came here as an orphan probably in 1847. We know nothing about her, but found out she was from County Kerry, which does narrow it down.

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 02:47 AM

Interestingly, according to Wiki, "The screenplay is by P.J. Dillon, Pierce Ryan, Eugene O'Brien and Lance Daly, based on the Irish language short film An Ranger, written and directed by Dillon and Ryan."

The Connemara landscape looks superbly bleak; however, the area where the film was made was very very very heavily populated at the time of the Famine - presumably it would have been impossible for them to build the many thousands of mud bothies that were the main dwelling of the poor there, in a countryside ravaged by grinding landlordism.

I see Frecheville is quoted as saying that learning Irish was difficult for him (he does a creditable job), because it's a language spoken by few people. What he presumably doesn't realise is that the Famine was the reason for this; it wiped out the Irish language, helped by the Catholic Church.

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: mg
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 02:59 AM

I fairly recently found out that my own grandfather and probably grandmother and probably half the town of Clermont Iowa spoke Irish as many immigrated from the Dingle area of Kerry.

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 04:23 AM

Excellent film
Summed up by a reviewer here
"If you want to know why Irish cheered for Croatia in the World Cup, go and see this film"
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 05:07 AM

Black 47 trailer

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: GUEST,Knockroe
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 07:16 AM

Very good film except for: 1. Typical, nowadays, Celticy/Haunty effort at Mo Ghile Mear. Classic song deserved better rendition. So many vastly superior versions around for world audience to enjoy. 2. John Wayne type ending where, the otherwise brilliant, Martin Feeney (Frecheville) manages to nearly kill all the army in barracks on his own! Love the term "potato Western" cited by Stephen Rea in interview to describe film .....

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 08:12 AM

"Haunty effort at Mo Ghile Mear. "
Totally agree - the film industry seldom gets the songs or music right - suppose we'll have to learn to live with it until they get someone in who knows
Jim

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 10:16 AM

Tis true. Lovely song, and presumably used because it's a symbol of resistance, but not really a song I'd associate so much with Connemara (but maybe I'm wrong?)

What else would you have used? Na Connerys?

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 03:24 PM

Though I suppose a Waterford song like The Connerys wouldn't have been known - probablly - in Connemara in the 1840s. What would be contemporary sean-nós in Connemara?

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: GUEST,jamesc
Date: 14 Oct 18 - 02:24 PM

I wonder where I can see this film - I live in Leeds UK

Subject: RE: Film Review: Black 47
From: Thompson
Date: 17 Oct 18 - 02:20 AM

Vue Cinemas - Leeds The Light, according to Google.