The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Winner of the PALME D'OR at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot:

A sympathetic look at Republicans in early 20th century Ireland, and two brothers who are torn apart by anti-Brit rebellion.

Plot Keywords:

Ireland | Truce | Civil War | Independence | Resistance

Awards:

5 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Cillian Murphy	...	Damien
Padraic Delaney	...	Teddy (as Pádraic Delaney)
Liam Cunningham	...	Dan
Orla Fitzgerald	...	Sinead
Mary O'Riordan	...	Peggy (as Mary Riordan)
Mary Murphy	...	Bernadette
Laurence Barry	...	Micheail
Damien Kearney	...	Finbar
Frank Bourke	...	Leo
Myles Horgan	...	Rory
Martin Lucey	...	Congo
Aidan O'Hare	...	Steady Boy
Shane Casey	...	Kevin
John Crean	...	Chris
Máirtín de Cógáin	...	Sean (as Mairtin de Cogain)

Also Known As:

El viento que agita la cebada (Spain)
Il vento che accarezza l'erba (Italy)
Le vent se lève (France)

Runtime:

UK:127 min

Country:

Ireland | UK | Germany | Italy | Spain | France

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | USA:Not Rated | Singapore:NC-16 | Chile:14 | France:U (with warning) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

Ballyvorney, County Cork, Ireland

Company:

BIM Distribuzione

Trivia:

In the cinema scene, the man at the piano is really playing it. He's Neil Brand, one of Britain's leading silent cinema accompanists, who in 2006 featured significantly as a composer and accompanist in the BBC television series "Paul Merton's Silent Clowns".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the players are arguing with the referee during the hurling game, a modern car is parked in the distance, to the left of the referee's head.

Quotes:

Finbar: [the IRA have just gunned down several Black and Tans] Mercenaries! That were paid to come over here to make us crawl, and to wipe us out. We've just sent a message to the British cabinet that will echo and reverbarate around the world! If they bring their savagery over here, we will meet it with a savagery of our own!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-03-17)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Amhráin Na bhFiann

Historically accurate Visually stunning

I saw this film at a private screening and found it difficult yet beautiful to watch. I have a personal history with the subject matter as I come from a family from both sides of the political divide in Ireland. A stigma that exists to this day but is reflected so profoundly with this film. Ken Loach's direction is crisp and perfect. The performances are, each and every one, incredibly believable and achingly visceral in the depiction of the conflicts of civil war. Cillian Murphy is wonderful and quite possibly the best Irish actor ever. Pádraic Delaney as his brother and enemy takes the role and makes it one of the best male performances I've seen. It is rare when a film allows you to understand both sides of a violent divide so clearly. The Wind that Shakes the Barley does this with blinding perfection. This film is a template for what film makers can achieve with a small budget, dedicated performers and a timeless topic.

Some who find this so provocative need to look further into their own loyalties to determine why the truth bothers them so much. Those who feel this to be Republican propaganda, ( and for you Americans I mean Irish Republican ), need, seriously, to investigate their own history. It doesn't surprise me that so many British people know nothing of their countries colonizing tactics in Ireland and elsewhere in the world. Six counties of Ireland still remain under British control. The sacrifices made 80 years ago still resonate today but the Republic of Ireland is now the third richest country in Europe. The question still debated is Was it Worth it? The question we ask is how's Scotland and Wales doing?