Saorsa
1st February 2008, 03:07
Last night I finally got around to watching the Ken Loach film, The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Made in 2006, the film tells the story of two brothers Damien and Teddy O'Donovan, with Damien being the main character. Beiginning in 1920, it traces the hiusrtory of the Irish national liberation struggle against the British occupation, and also the Irish Civil War that follows it, with the two brothers who once fought side by side against the British now finding themselves on opposite sides of the barricades, with one brother supporting the (sell-out) peace treaty that created the Irish Free State within the framework of both the British Empire and the capitalist system, and the other brother vowing to fight on forever until Ireland and it's people are totally free, both from British imperialism and from capitalist exploitation.
The movie is profoundly moving and gripping right until the end, and I can guarantee that it will live with you for a very long time, as well as turning you into a staunch supporter of the Irish liberation struggle (if you aren't already). It's got very good performances from it's actors, and includes Ken Loach's trademark scenes of debate between opposing viewpoints, in this case over both the ratification of the peace treaty with Britain and over a rich merchant who is bankrolling the IRA's treatment of a poor old woman.
It's the first Ken Loach film I've seen, but it's convinced me that I have to get out there and see his others, particularly Land and Freedom (about the Spanish Civil War). If you haven't seen it already, go out and rent or buy a copy of it. You won't be disappointed.
The movie is profoundly moving and gripping right until the end, and I can guarantee that it will live with you for a very long time, as well as turning you into a staunch supporter of the Irish liberation struggle (if you aren't already). It's got very good performances from it's actors, and includes Ken Loach's trademark scenes of debate between opposing viewpoints, in this case over both the ratification of the peace treaty with Britain and over a rich merchant who is bankrolling the IRA's treatment of a poor old woman.
It's the first Ken Loach film I've seen, but it's convinced me that I have to get out there and see his others, particularly Land and Freedom (about the Spanish Civil War). If you haven't seen it already, go out and rent or buy a copy of it. You won't be disappointed.