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'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' set visit
Dave Calhoun catches up with Ken Loach on location in Ireland.
Jul 18 2005
'In your own time, and off you go,' says Ken Loach calmly to two of his actors as another scene rolls on his latest, Irish-set film 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley', ditching the traditional yell of 'Action!' for a gentler, more characteristic approach.
This is Loach's first period tale since 'Land and Freedom' (1995), and there are certainly parallels between this new film and that earlier story of internal struggle among freedom fighters during the Spanish Civil War.
This time, Loach's focus is the lead-up to the Irish Civil War of 1922 and the complexities of Ireland's struggle for independence at a grass-roots level. Once again, the director is showing concern for ordinary people who organise themselves to fight against foreign or oppressive rule.
The film has contemporary significance too. While 'Land and Freedom' reflected the problem of fascist resurgence in mid-'90s Europe, so the occupation of Iraq is surely not irrelevant to this new project.
We're in Bandon, a small town about half an hour outside Cork. Loach and two of his lead actors – Cillian Murphy ('28 Days Later', 'Batman Begins') and Liam Cunningham – are squeezed into a grey, windowless room in the basement of a former town hall.
Today, this dismal and cramped space represents an austere prison cell in County Cork in 1919. Dressed in period gear, Murphy and Cunningham are playing two captured members of Ireland's organised, armed resistance to British rule; they are members of one of the Irish Republican Army's 'flying columns'.
Neither character is a celebrated political figure or legendary military leader as this film is not a grand historical epic driven by well-known personalities and events.
Instead, Loach is exploring this tumultuous period in Irish history via fictional characters: two brothers, Damien (Murphy) and Teddy (Padraig Delaney), and their friend Dan (Cunningham). All three abandon their former lives to help execute a violent underground campaign against British rule.
'It's about the civil war in microcosm,' explains Loach's producer Rebecca O'Brien, a veteran of nine Loach films.
Several other key crew members – such as cinematographer Barry Ackroyd and sound mixer Ray Beckett – have also worked with Loach for years.
'It's not a story like 'Michael Collins', O'Brien continues. 'It's not seeking that sort of biographical accuracy, but rather will express the themes of the period. This is the core of the later Troubles, which is why it's so fascinating to make.'
Loach and his crew have been on location in Cork for five weeks now. Almost the entire cast are from the area, even Cillian Murphy the lead actor, who's better known, has a local pedigree.
The film has lingered long in Loach's mind. O'Brien explains that he first thought of telling the 'Irish story' when he made the inter-war drama series 'Days of Hope' for television in the mid-'70s.
Indeed his long-time screenwriter Jim Allen was working on a script (then titled 'The Stolen Republic') when he died in 1999. Two years ago, Loach's most recent writer, Paul Laverty ('Carla's Song', 'Ae Fond Kiss') took up the baton and has approached the story from scratch with a new script and an intense period of research in Ireland.
Later the same day, Loach fills a local hall with around 70 extras, old and young, all of whom are dressed up for a rousing ceilidh scene which takes place in that brief period of peace and optimism between the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921 and the outbreak of civil war the next year.
A local band – including a singer with a fantastic bird's nest of a white beard – plays traditional Irish party songs and the crowd dances wildly. Photos of heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising – James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett, Padraig Pearse – line the wall and the Irish tricolour flag hangs behind the stage .
Loach gives a quick pep-talk to the crowd: 'It's the summer of 1921, and you're all either members of a flying column or at least Republicans, and so are very enthusiastic about Irish culture. There's a real bar, but please don't go too wild. Still, this is a big film, so we can afford a drink for all of you.'
O'Brien, the producer, rolls her eyes in mock-horror at the words 'big film'. 'It's costing the equivalent of about four-and-a-half Batmobiles,' she later jokes. She then explains how costly it is to ensure the accuracy of the period detail, pointing to a modern phone box that the crew obscured with a horse-and-cart for an earlier scene rather than pay £400 for its temporary removal.
Before the party scene kicks off, Loach comes over for a quick word. 'It's typical, you managed to be here this morning for the only scene in which the word 'socialism' is used,' he grins, referring to an earlier prison-cell conversation between Damien and Dan in which they quote a speech by James Connolly, one of the martyrs of the Easter Rising.
Loach is quite aware of those detractors who criticise him for banging the political drum. 'But why do we shy away from these issues?' asks O'Brien. 'People fear politics. But here we're always trying not to shy away, to lay out the facts in a grown-up way. We don't want to pander to the lowest common denominator. We want to raise discussion.'
To read Dave Calhoun's Cannes review of 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley', click here.
And to read news of the film's Palme d'Or win, click here.
User comments on this story
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- alan bouse said...
- in terms of men who joined who joined the black and tans most were tough great war vetrans who couldnt find work in post war britain it also included many irish members also war vetrans and often the most brutal auxies were broadly simalar but were ex officers and of middle class origin Posted on Jun 28 2006 15:56
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- alan bouse said...
- i saw it the other day good film though i definitly wouldnt say the irish cival was between right and left as the film suggests besides that thumbs up Posted on Jun 28 2006 15:46
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- Karin Tetlow said...
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With eyes covered for perhaps half the movie so as to not see the violence, I surprised myself the next day by remembering so many images reinforced by repetitive action and the formality in following the rules of conduct in war.
Has anyone produced a collection of letters—as in Have you written your letters? Posted on Jun 28 2006 08:25 - Report as inappropriate
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- Alex Smith said...
- Tom, I didn't know any of this and I see that nobody has said that you are wrong. Two points here 1) Is it a good film and an interesting story (is it entertaining)? 2) Is it accurate or should we all watch it knowing that it has been made for a target audience? Posted on Jun 28 2006 06:37
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- Nick Clark said...
- So Tom you've seen the film I take it? Or perhaps you haven’t, and you're just tempted by that tiresome right-wing knee jerk reaction to anyone who dares educate us about the truth surrounding the Irish conflict in the 1920’s? ‘Goodies and Baddies’ eh? So I wasn't aware that those 'simplistic propaganda films' (as you put it) had been dressed up as westerns? Otherwise I would have paid more attention!. Posted on Jun 27 2006 18:05
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- Tom Hayes said...
- I thought that the simplistic and propaganda films depicting goodies and baddies had finished with 50s westerns. A total re-writing of history. It doesn't mention that the Black and Tans were introduced AFTER the IRA had laucnhed a campaign of murdering Irish Cathoilic policemen in cold blood, often off duty and in front of their families. (as they did in more recent times). It also omits the ethnic cleansing of protestants. Poor acting, poor plot. What else from someone who, post Stalin, Mao, pol Pot toes the Marxist line? Posted on Jun 27 2006 16:23
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- Patrick said...
- Car, I think you must be right. The irony, however, is that some of the US Marines are Irish Americans... Posted on Jun 26 2006 12:40
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- c de berry said...
- Another writer to read for real eye witness accounts of that time is Ernie O'Malley. His unsentimental descriptions of the burning of peasants homes seems to be echoed by Loach's courageous and sensitive portrayal of these events in his great film. Posted on Jun 26 2006 05:59
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- Dominic said...
- What historical basis is there for The Black & Tans being released convicts? Yes the tans were brutal but so were the volunteers. I heard the Tan force was raised from demobbed NCO's and other ranks of the British armed forces and some were Irish. I haven't seen the film but does it say that the Tans were convicts? If so I'm sure this is wrong. Posted on Jun 26 2006 05:12
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- dmnc said...
- This film is not just about British occupation of Ireland it also deals with the divisions that it caused amongst the people which we still see to this day. I must say when seeing the film i was very angry to start off with but by the end i was just sad that what ensued meant that we ended up killing each other. Irish History is complex watching a film which makes me angry about what happened does not make me hate British people it merely makes me sad for what the occupation did to the country. Posted on Jun 25 2006 18:24
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- daniel o brien said...
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i am a limerick man in scotlane and went to see this movie at 10.45pm there was just another couple and myself in the cinema..
it was a fantastic movie as my parents told us of many tan stories of the time.
i just hope they may out of it as it looks like a lot of effort was put in..
the only thing that i tho strange was the wrist watches, as i am sure it was mostly pocket watches in those days.. Posted on Jun 25 2006 10:06 - Report as inappropriate
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- pauline said...
- thankyou for making this film the story needed to be told, I am look forwarded to seeing the film. Mr Loach is a brave man and has the thanks of those who respect the truth Posted on Jun 25 2006 09:22
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- padraig o'gallachoir said...
- this is also a melody written by Robert D Joyce 1830-1883,about the rebellion of 1798.It is one of the songs sung in the film,watch out for it when you see it. Posted on Jun 24 2006 16:44
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- car said...
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i saw the film last night.it was brilliant.Cillian and the Dub(train driver) were superb in it. Perhaps it could be argued that some of the auxies were just young clueless men obeying orders,(parallels with many U.S marines signing up without knowing what they are getting themselves in for) the tans however, are rightly showed up for what they were- Convicts, released from the prisons of England to brutally put the fear of God in the Irish people.
Well done Mr Loach. It must be frustrating that these days to be anti-British establishment (or U.S )translates as being anti-British!!! British press should be ashamed for perpetuating such crap.
The film also made me think what a difficult time most of those women&men must have had adjusting to everyday life after such a bloody episode, esp after the civil war, which Loach has somehow managed to examine with a freshness and real honesty(allbeit the strongest anti-treaty arguments were shown with fairly week pro-treaty come backs) Brilliant film though, well done to all involved!!! Posted on Jun 24 2006 16:35 - Report as inappropriate
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- shannon said...
- i went to see the film last night it was deadly and cillian was brilliant in it. Posted on Jun 24 2006 12:24
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