The Wind that Kissed the Blarney
The Wind that Shakes the Barley full of smart writing, good performances, barley
NICK MCMAHON VOLUNTEER STAFF
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHRISTAL FILMS
An Irishman is beaten and hung for saying his name in Gaelic, instead of English. A child is half-starved because of the high taxes his parents pay. Welcome to Irish society under British oppression, circa 1920.
Damien, played by the dashing, yet magically delicious Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later), is a young medical student about to begin his training in London. Meanwhile, the British “Black and Tan” squads are being sent to Ireland to weaken the Irish spirit, through abuse and murder, preventing them from fighting for their independence. The movie opens with a vicious squad tormenting Damien and a group of his friends.
Directed by: Ken Loach
♥♥♥♥ out of 5
When one lad stands up for himself, he brutally succumbs, inspiring Damien to join the Irish Republican Army (the violent guerilla resistance) with his brother Teddy, an active member. Abandoning his medical studies in London, he takes up arms in pursuit of his new wildly ambitious dream — an independent Ireland.
The photography is breathtaking, almost solely because of the rugged Irish landscape. It saves producers a lot of money to shoot Irish films; the scenery alone can almost carry it — the rolling green hills and rocky mountainsides with the gray, pensive sky as the backdrop. Little change was necessary to create the 1920s look, as many small Irish towns have buildings dating back hundreds of years. The costumes were classy; I was sold by the authentic Donegal tweed hats that are still popular today among older Irish folk and bearded introverts in Osborne Village.
The film’s action sequences are riveting, only to be tainted by the obvious lack of budget. In intense shootouts between the IRA and the Black and Tans, often no bullet holes would appear on the victims, or they would fall on their stomach, hiding the wounds from view, leaving it up to our imagination. This was a disappointment, especially because I thought the recent trend of spouting blood fireworks from gunshot wounds was the new norm (see The Departed).
Keeping in mind that the violence was an integral and controversial side of the IRA’s movement, it was a pity that director Ken Loach (Sweet Sixteen, the Navigators) neglected it. I was expecting the Irish equivalent of Braveheart, with over-the-top battle-sequence realism. Fortunately, like most European films, the strong dialogue-centred script (Paul Laverty, Loach’s frequent collaborator) saves the film.
The dialogue is powerful, but in heated moments it is difficult to follow due to the actors’ thick Irish accents (I’m a disgrace to my father and his homeland). Despite the comprehension difficulties, I appreciate the genuine accents of a talented Irish cast. Thank God they saved the money on vocal coaches for American actors. Brad Pitt sets an embarrassing example in The Devil’s Own.
Fiery debates about the resistance had multiple characters interrupting each other, making it intentionally difficult to make out a word, illustrating the complex strategy that goes into opposing the most powerful country in the world. As one character points out, there were only a few thousand guns in the entire country at the time. Certain characters would even stumble over their lines on occasion, which were left in for added realism. The passion of these men, however, was captured by their eloquence and conviction. Some lines alone are worth the price of admission, like “You’ve wrapped yourself up in the Union Jack — the butcher’s apron.” They perpetuate the notion that Irishman truly do have the “gift of the gab.”
The initial resistance resulted in a peace treaty and partial independence. Many IRA members were still unsatisfied, and the country’s division resulted in a nasty civil war, on which this film touches towards the end. Michael Collins (starring Liam Neeson, directed by Neil Jordan), another critically acclaimed Irish film, deals with a greater span of the war’s history. Nevertheless, The Wind That Shakes the Barley had the potential to be a three-hour epic; it could have seen the war to its end, along with some closure to perhaps the most significant chapter in Irish history.
