Song of Granite (2017) User Reviews

Very different view of an Irish singer

[JohnHatt8 · 7/10 · 13 October 2020]

This is certainly not a normal documentary, nor is it merely a collection of songs. It presents a good sense of Joe Heaney's life by re-enacting parts of his life with a little documentary footage. I would have preferred a bit of narration to clarify what was happening and more of the enjoyable old Irish songs. However, I found the odd background music annoying.

Mesmerizing view of Irish culture

[beverlymcgrath · 9/10 · 12 October 2020]

I stumbled into this film quite accidentally. From the opening scenes, I was completely immersed in a wonderfully silent world that explored the quotidian life of an Irish rural community. The awakening of a poetic soul is beautifully suggested through images of a stultifying Catholic education and the tender support of the singer's father. Abruptly, the film is thrust into New York where the poet resides, we learn, after singing at New Port for a festival around the time of a resurgence of folk music in America-The Clancy Brothers are referenced. Irish culture has been monetized and trivialized, but this film celebrates the deep roots in mythic traditions that underpin the beauty of a life almost incomprehensible to our world.

Loved it

[sureshsampath-77010 · 9/10 · 23 March 2020]

You can hear the waves and almost feel the turf fire burning when you get a glimpse into Joe Heaney's childhood memories and get a feel for the culture and place where his songs came from. Sure it's not a narrative documentary. It'll give you a feel for joe heaney's world though if you wanted a glimpse into the probable life of a old style Irish singer

A Painfully Disappointing Film

[mikyb21 · 4/10 · 18 August 2018]

I was really looking forward to watching this film. I love Irish folk music. I enjoy indie and art house films. I really wanted to enjoy this film.

Sadly, I have to say that I found it to be a poorly made film. It didn't quite know whether it was a biopic or a documentary as it was primarily reenactments, but randomly tossed in documentary footage.

There is absolutely no information given to help the viewer understand when or where the film was taking place, or who the characters were. If you didn't have a passing knowledge of Heaney's life, you would be absolutely lost. I found myself guessing everything.

It was just a disjointed series of long boring shots with a musical performance tossed in now and then. No story. No proper dialogue. It really came off as a pretentious college film project. Purposely arty, but without any compelling content.

And while the cinematography was very striking at times, it was just not enough to carry a feature length project. I generally hate when a reviewer calls a film "boring", but I can honestly say that this about the most boring film I've ever watched. I never thought it was possible to make Irish folk boring :-)

Very disappointed.

Amazing

[patrike1916 · 10/10 · 25 October 2020]

This film is such a breath of fresh air. The cinematography, the acting, the singing it all comes together so well, Pat Collins cast and crew deserve high praise. My only complaint is that I am just now aware of its existence and that I didn't have the pleasure of seeing this movie projected. Beautiful!

Boring...

[puklaw-621-430070 · 1/10 · 7 August 2018]

I read quite a few of the reviews and they all praised the movie but it was not for m e. I thought it was long and drawn out. I didn't like the music and I could not wait till the movie was over.