Introduction
North Ireland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom in the northeastern part of Ireland. It is distinct from the rest of Ireland because historically the people there have been predominantly protestant while the rest of Ireland was predominantly Catholic. The religious difference plus the fact that the British crown has always had a considerable interest in asserting its “rights” over the neighboring island are the key contributors to the schism between the two-part of Ireland. The Ulstermen who dominate the Unionist faction consider themselves British while the Nationalists consider themselves Irish. This difference in ethnopolitical views has made Ireland, especially North Ireland a troubled land. Roman Catholic Nationalists and Protestant Unionists have continued to battle each other for control for the better part of the 20th Century. After the Irish Civil War that ran from 1922-23, there was an era of relative peace in what was known as the Irish Free State only to see a resurgence of violence in 1966 to 1998 an era now known as “The Troubles” Thanks to the efforts spearheaded by Tony Blair the “Good Friday Agreement” or the Belfast Agreement in 1998 ended the armed conflict. The worst of “The Troubles” are over but the inter-generational conflict will leave its scars for years to come.
This paper will be about the republic of Ireland and its representations in the media. Prior to the “Good Friday Agreement” agreement North Ireland was stereotyped in media as a violent war-zone where Unionist and Nationalist paramilitaries clashed constantly in defense of their goals. “The Devil’s Own” and “Some Mother’s Son” are two movies that adequately chronicle the cycles of violence that were common during “The Troubles” era. To better understand “The Troubles” it is wise to review a movie that is set even older than the two “Michael Collins” is set in the Irish Civil War of 1922 – 23. It is wise to review it because knowing how the Irish of the previous generation, fathers or grandfathers to the patriots, or anarchists depending on one’s point of view, who fought in “The Troubles” suffered can be the key to understanding the sheer grit of the IRA and UVA in their wars. “Micheal Collins” will also give a wider perspective and answer the question of why the divergent factions in North Ireland are so bent on their goals.
The Devil’s Own
In the Devil’s own, Harrison Ford is an American police officer who plays a good Samaritan to a visitor from Ireland. He is unaware that the visitor Frankie McGuire (played by Brad Pitt) was an eyewitness to the murder of his father by Unionist paramilitaries and is a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Traumatized by his experiences, Frankie is bent on getting revenge for what he saw and has been on a killing spree. As a matter of fact, the reason Frankie fled to the United States is that he is a fugitive from justice and is escaping culpability for murdering a group of British soldiers in broad daylight. PIRA sympathizers help him reach the USA where he intends to acquire arms for shipment to the PIRA. The main conflict in this story is the crisis that Tom suffers when he learns that Rory is a PIRA member because he is torn between his IRA sympathies and his desire to do justice as a cop
Both Ford’s and Pitt’s characters are well developed throughout the film. It is worth noting how the camera angles and lighting are used to emphasize the fact that Brad Pitt is easy on the eyes. Ford’s motivation comes from his desire to trust Pitt’s character and presume regularity. He is a scarred and cynical cop. For Pitt he is an IRA member bent on getting satisfaction for the murder of his father at the hands of the British he is a second-generation “Troubles” fighter with an excellent track record of kills.
Overall “The Devil’s Own” is a bit of a disappointment because it hardly covers any of the major themes of ‘The Troubles”. Instead it merely dwells on the violent nature, or at least the media-alleged violent nature, of the Irish. However the movie displays showcases two unwelcome aspects of “The Troubles”. First, there is the intergenerational nature of the struggle which has led to an endless cycle of violence where the sons of the fallen grow up to avenge their fathers. Second, due to the fact that the fighting has been going on for so long, the organizations involved have become deeply entrenched and have branched out too far-reaching connections.
The fighting has been going on for a good three decades. The sons of the original fighters have grown to full adulthood and are now ready to take up arms for the advancement of their respective sides. Brad Pitt’s character is a profound example of this. Traumatized by his father’s demise at the hands of the Unionists, he seeks to avenge him and does so by killing as many Unionists and British as he can. The result is more fatalities and possibly more children who will grow up with a desire for revenge. To some, such as Pitt’s character “The Troubles” is akin to a holy war and salvation can only be obtained by spilling the blood of the enemy.
The thirty years of fighting have resulted in the creation of various partisan groups outside the alleged “war zone”. For example, the judge give aid to Pitt and allowed him to enter America. This result is more accurate with respect to the Nationalist party and this is a direct result of the thirty years of conflict and the strong filial ties Irishmen feel for their fellow Irish. Their racial bond is powerful enough to veto such conventional considerations like the law. Again, the example of the judge has some basis in truth. Although they might never have set foot in Ireland in their entire lives many of these people feel strong sympathy for the plight of the Irish and some may be willing to lend a more active hand.
Ultimately, the Devil’s own presents an unflattering view of Ireland. People who see the movie will hardly learn anything about Ireland only that Frankie is a violent cold-blooded murderer. In response or as the reason for his inhumane development, the British in Ireland are also draconian and cruel in their treatment of life. But then little is to be expected of the film since it is essentially a character-driven script that banks on the two Oscar-worthy artists and little else.
Some Mother’s Son
“Some Mother’s Son” is the story of the Belfast hunger strikes. To contextualize it, In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the Prime Minister and one of her stated aims was to eliminate the Irish Republican Army using three principles: Isolation, Criminalization, and Demoralization. IRA would be treated as criminals, not soldiers. In response to the 1981 IRA prisoner, Bobby Sands begins a hunger strike which would gain him fame. Sands made five demands on the government, the most important of which was to give IRA prisoners proper recognition as prisoners of war and not common criminals and therefore privileged to wear their own clothes instead of prison clothes. Sands became a member of parliament but died due to his protest after 66 days of starvation. Other’s followed suit and 10 more IRA prisoners died.
It is against this backdrop that Terry George makes his movie. It is a tale of sacrifice and family relationships. The movie is about a mother being forced to confront the possibility that her son will die for convictions that she does not believe in and that in the end, it could be up to her to choose life or death for him.
The movie does a good job of presenting the varied arguments for Irish independence and union with England sympathies through the relationship between an estranged father and son whose personal differences fall away as they unite in a shared political struggle. In this movie, the two irredeemably entrenched sides are represented by the connection between the loving mother (Helen Mirren) and estranged son (Aidan Gillen) and how their political differences fall away in the face of personal crisis. Both plots of this movie were inspired by real people, the twenty-one men, imprisoned for IRA-directed terrorism, who went on a hunger strike in 1981 to demand recognition as political rather than criminal prisoners. 10 men were killed before a truce could be agreed upon.
Even better, in order to prevent the movie from degenerating into political discourse, it presents the drama of the hunger strike as the moral dilemma of a mother. Should she support her son’s desire to die for his cause or intervene to save his life?
In short, “Some Mother’s Son” is an excellent story of how the IRA has endured despite efforts to crush their rebellion and the terrible measures implemented to try to suppress them. The movie will put the audience in touch with the human aspect of “the Troubles” and why the people are so bent on holding on to their convictions. It also presents a fine lesson of how to resist tyranny when all other means are deprived.
With respect to the technical aspects of filming the movie’s production values is top-notch. There is an honest-to-goodness sense of time and place here. From the streets of Belfast to the tight confines of the Long Kesh prison. The cinematographer succeeds in the difficult task of capturing the film’s personal moments with the same level of efficiency as the more epic scenes. The musical score by Bill Whelan is commendable as well. All these are secondary however if not for the engaging and deeply personal scope of its core story.
For those with an interest in the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland, Some Mother’s Son makes an excellent companion piece to Neil Jordan’s Michael Collins. Irrespective of ones political leanings, this picture by Terry George is still worth seeing because it has a very high degree of intelligence and emotional depth. Also note worthy is Helen Mirren and her academy award winning performance.
Michael Collins
Michael Collins is an excellent piece on Irish history and tells of the title character’s struggles during the Irish Civil War. Its story begins at the end of the Easter Rising, Michael Collins surrenders to the British Army along with his compatriots. Upon his release, Collins decides to run for the illegal First Dail. He is not well received, when he gives a campaign speech he is beaten near death by the Royal Irish Constabulary. Collins is forewarned that the British intended to arrest de Valera and the Dail. While the bold de Valera orders his people not to flee and comforts them with the knowledge that if they are arrested all of Ireland will rise up to demand their release the opposite occurs. Those that are arrested are imprisoned in England and no one protests their incarceration.
With its leadership in chains, Michael Collins is now the undisputed commander of the IRA. Under his leadership the IRA starts launching raids on government barracks to obtain weapons. He declares that all Irish who collaborate with the British will be killed without benefit of trial. Aided by spies he is able to assassinate the Cairo Gang effectively destroying the British intelligence network in Ireland. In the ensuing chaos Michael Collins is able to travel to England and liberate de Valera from jail.
Instead of gratitude, de Valera tries to down play Collins taking his able lieutenant Boland with him to the U.S. to help him raise funds and curry support from United States President Woodrow Wilson. The plan backfires when he is forced to return without any tangible results. The IRA is defeated in an ill-fated assault on the Dublin customs house but instead of complete annihilation, the British surprise them with a ceasefire.
Collins is sent to negotiate with the British for a treaty that would eventually be their downfall. De Valera continues his tirades against him claiming Collins is trying to usurp his authority eventually their disagreement results in them parting ways. When the Dail approves the treaty a plebiscite is held in which Collins is campaigning for the treaty while de Valera rallies support against the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The treaty is approved by the Irish people but it becomes a catalyst for a civil war. Despite being the victor in the treaty campaigns Collins feels obliged to reach out to the besieged de Valera and his floundering anti-Treaty IRA. His efforts are met with treachery and he is assassinated during a peace conference.
At its heart, Michael Collins is the story of the civil war and many of the unsettled conflicts that would percolate and eventually boil over once more into what will be known as “the Troubles”. The compromises in post-civil war Ireland would lay the ground for continued conflicts. For example the separation of Protestant North Ireland from the rest of Ireland would ultimately lead to more fighting as the two “states” have been forcibly separated. A warning though that movie does distort certain historical facts under the guise of “Dramatic License”. For example, the movie tacitly indicates that de Valera was behind the assassination of Michael Collins although there is no historical proof of this. Thus, Michael Collins is an excellent history movie but must be absorbed with caution lest the distortions become facts to the audience.
Production wise, the movie is expertly directed and well acted. It is an excellent opus on the birth pangs of the torn and troubled state of Ireland. At the same time it is a tale of the rise and fall of one Michael Collins. In this case the era is not only defined by the character but the character is also definitive of the era. The tale of Micheal Collins can not be told without first talking about the genesis of the IRA and the rise of support for Sein Fein. Better yet the treatment of characters and circumstance is very even-handed fair without being spineless for lacking a stand.
Conclusion
From the character driven “The Devil’s Own”, the dramatic “Some Woman’s Son” to the powerful and evocative “Michael Collins” this paper has covered a wide range of movies set in Ireland. Each is a slice of Irish history; Michael Collins is the rise of the man and the birth pangs of an infant nation. “Some Woman’s Son” is about the most brutal part of “the Troubles” while “The Devil’s Own” is at the tail end of “the Troubles” just before the “Good Friday Agreement” would put an end to the violence. The evocative stories of Ireland’s birth as a nation can only be made clearer and more resonant by good production values. Interest in the history behind “Some Woman’s Son” and “Michael Collins” alone can already sustain interest in them. But in order to further themselves they must be expertly directed with musical scores to match the dramatic realities that they represent. The long pause between the end of the civil war and the start of “the Troubles” is just a lull before the storm. The Irish demand their freedom and fill fight dearly for it. Enter “The Devil’s Own” it is not without a story to tell. Brad Pitt’s character there is just the latest in a long line of patriots fighting with conviction for a dream. Although in his case his patriotism is marred by his desire for revenge. None of the movies perfectly captures the soul of Irish history but to view would be a good start.
Works Cited
Pakula, Alan. (Movie) The Devil’s Own 1997.
Taylor Charles, The Dreamboat and the Stiff (1997). Web.
Schwarzbaum, Lisa. AS BELFAST FASTS (1996). Web.
Michael Collins. Web.