Irish Films I

What is it about Ireland that makes the Irish so artistic? Is it the misty climate, the soft perpetual drizzle, the sulking hills, the green expanses leading to – there you see, I'm doing it now. But the number of “English” poets and dramatists who are really Irish is staggering. And this phenomenon continues into the modern age through the media of film and television, with Irish films and actors continuing to attract international acclaim. As I write,the Irish-Jewish actor Daniel Day-Lewis has just received a BAFTA, and looks set to win yet another Oscar (to add to that of 1993) in the forthcoming Academy Award ceremonies.

The 1997 Irish film I Went Down is arguably Ireland's most successful movie (I quote: A charming and talkatively witty picture, I Went Down has already become Ireland's biggest grossing domestic movie of all time ). This film holds an especial place in my affections, since I may modestly claim to have played a “starring” role in it. The story involves Irish gangsters driving from Dublin to Cork to capture a rival, and bring him back to the Boss in Dublin. Where did I come in? Well, they tie the hostage up in a hotel bedroom and leave him there for the evening, leading to the following hilarious scene (again I quote from the review)

“Other moments, such as a tied up hostage accidentally dropping the remote control -- thus forever leaving the TV on a droll algebra lesson program -- .“

I suppose you have guessed that it is yours truly who is presenting the TV algebra lesson! Of course, I was totally unaware – until the film was broadcast on BBC2 – that they had used my Open University broadcast that way, and was torn between annoyance and amusement. The latter prevailed.

This was my small contribution to Irish cinematographic history.