Best Irish film ever

PomBear

Probably for it'd be between

Darby O'Gill and the Little People-Entertaining, funny and nostalgic of a simpler time
In the Name of the Father- Very Touching on injustice in our land at a time
Adam and Paul- Moving, quirky(at times) and entertaining
Some Mother Son- Same reasons as In the Name of the Father

what's yours?

Be nice if you gave reasons for your choices. List threads are frowned upon here

PomBear

Deleted User wrote: »

Be nice if you gave reasons for your choices. List threads are frowned upon here

Done

Hank_Jones

For me it's Adam and Paul.
The film basically got junkie scum down to a tee.
Amazing acting and writing.

Followed closely by The Commitments.
Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.
Nuff said.

krudler

The Field, Harris's performance is monumental in it

candy-gal1

The Snapper - Its a snapp-y movie and I er cant think of any other reason
That was A1!
The Van - We just came from a conference roight?! In ya go lads.
Intermission - I could be your soulmate, then again I could just be a thief or somethin................................Whack!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8EGCC9NNvo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgqAQkyTvnI

Dozen Wicked Words

I Went Down. Great cast, great script, decent soundtrack. Classic Irish film, in fact a classic film full stop. Criminal its still not out on DVD.

Handsome Bob

I got good laughs from the likes of The Van and The Snapper, but I just love In Bruges. The dialogue is great and Farrell, Gleeson and Fiennes are all on top form. Great movie with a nice balance of humour and drama.

Meeja Ireland

Hank_Jones wrote: »

For me it's Adam and Paul.
The film basically got junkie scum down to a tee.
Amazing acting and writing.

Followed closely by The Commitments.
Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.
Nuff said.

I agree completely about The Commitments. It's a brilliant film. I thought it got everything right that Adam And Paul got wrong. The actors seemed genuine, and it felt like we were laughing with the characters. In A&P I felt that the actors were outside the characters, asking us to join in mocking them.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

As far as great Irish films go, I think December Bride was excellent. Slow-moving and old-fashioned, but it really caught something about the landscape and the harshness of rural life. I'd say the same about Bob Quinn's Poitín, though I haven't seen it for years.

Brendan Gleeson's performance in The General also had me glued to the screen. I don't always like him, but he nailed that character.

Great thread, OP. I've been meaning to catch up on Irish cinema, and recommendations will help. There's a couple of interesting things in the Dublin Film Festival that I hope to get to - Between The Canals, Promise And Unrest, etc.

dlofnep

In no particular order.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (A realistic look into the untold story of the anti-treaty side of the civil war. It doesn't try to be overly dramatic, and tells a damning story of many families that were divided on the issue).

War of the Buttons (Just a really fun film, reminds me of my childhood. I think it was originally a french story).

Into the West (demonstrates the prejudice that travellers live through, and is a fun and heart-warming film - great acting too).

In the Name of the Father (Just a heartbreaking story, with amazing acting)

Some mother's son (Tells the story of what family members of those who were on hunger strikes went through, rather than focusing solely on the hunger strikers. Heart-breaking film).

Bloody Sunday (While a mockumentary style film, it's still really well made, and gives a good account of one of the most horrid acts against the Irish people in recent times by the British forces).

The Commitments (Funny, Irish - has that replay value)

The Snapper/The Van (Good little sequence of movies these. Funny and very Irish!)

Adam and Paul was amazing acting, but ultimately really depressing.

In Bruges was great too - Colin Farrel's acting was the best of his career IMO.

kraggy

Are we taking "Irish film" to mean Irish actors, director, location etc?

Or are we going to go with the official definition of an Irish film i.e who provided the money and the talent?

Duggy747

dlofnep wrote: »

In no particular order.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (A realistic look into the untold story of the anti-treaty side of the civil war. It doesn't try to be overly dramatic, and tells a damning story of many families that were divided on the issue).

War of the Buttons (Just a really fun film, reminds me of my childhood. I think it was originally a french story).

Into the West (demonstrates the prejudice that travellers live through, and is a fun and heart-warming film - great acting too).

In the Name of the Father (Just a heartbreaking story, with amazing acting)

Some mother's son (Tells the story of what family members of those who were on hunger strikes went through, rather than focusing solely on the hunger strikers. Heart-breaking film).

Bloody Sunday (While a mockumentary style film, it's still really well made, and gives a good account of one of the most horrid acts against the Irish people in recent times by the British forces).

The Commitments (Funny, Irish - has that replay value)

The Snapper/The Van (Good little sequence of movies these. Funny and very Irish!)

Adam and Paul was amazing acting, but ultimately really depressing.

In Bruges was great too - Colin Farrel's acting was the best of his career IMO.

That's pretty much my list bar Adam & Paul, I never warm to the "loveable scum" types to bring out a serious note - which it does, in fairness, but I found it to be a very over-rated film.

Watched Bloody Sunday again not too long back, it's a very good film and probably the only thing I can enjoy James Nesbitt in. I cannot stand that guy, he ruined his credibility for me in The Most Fertile Man In Ireland.

The Commitments captured early 90's Ireland to a tee and is the perfect example of how our Irish humour can be translated over onto film.

I'd also add The Field, My Left Foot & to a lesser extent Michael Collins. The 80's and 90's was a great time for Irish film-making with few exceptions from the last decade.

karma_

The Quiet man?

Not the greatest film ever but one that can be watched every so often. I like in anyway.

recylingbin

Lamb. Haven't seen it for years, mind.
Very well acted and written. Very powerful story.

marwelie

Cal - Its got Helen Mirren naked (almost) in it ;o)
Adam and Paul - I see those kind of lads in Dublin City Centre every day. So convincing that the two actors playing Adam and Paul were almost arrested for loitering on the set. Brilliant dialogue too.
In Bruge - Gleeson and Farrell in top form, easily Farrells best ever performance.
I Went Down - Again great script, great performances and a cracking soundtrack

pickarooney

Several off the above, plus The Butcher Boy -fascinating and seat-squirmy, one of the best performances from a young actor I've ever seen.

tmax

Angelas Ashes was excellent too

I wish they would make a film version of the sequel 'Tis

tailgunner

Disco Pigs

Calling it the best Irish film ever might be a bit of a stretch I suppose, but it's one of my favourites anyway.

liah

Song for a Raggy Boy is one of the better ones I've seen; admittedly my choice pool is small as I wasn't raised on Irish cinema and only really watched my first few in the last two years. Anyway, Raggy Boy is utterly devastating to watch at points and is an absolutely frightening look at how Irish schools used to be run.. but it's still an incredible movie. Just.. hard to watch. Very hard to watch.

Breakfast on Pluto is fantastic, not the kind of film a lot of (or even most) people would like due to the content, but I found the humour brilliant (love the robins!) and Cillian Murphy demonstrates yet again what kind of a range he's got.

The Commitments kind of got ruined for me after I met Andrew Strong in a pub one night so I can't really take it seriously at all when I watch it. Not that it's a serious film, but.. you know what I mean. But prior to that it was definitely up there.

I liked The Garage. Not everyone's cup of tea but Pat Shortt plays the role so well; kind of a stretch from his normal comedies, as the content's fairly depressing.

Also liked Man About Dog, but I think that had more to do with the fact that the lead actor was eye-candy as opposed to being a legitimately good film.

Honestly, the Irish film scene isn't that big but it seems when the Irish make films, they tend to do it right.. I know there's some terrible ones that've come out of Ireland but the majority of the ones at least I can think of are quality.

Ann22

I loved 'Ryan's Daughter':o. 'The Snapper' and 'In The Name of the Father' were great too.

.SONIC.

my favourite has to be war of the buttons!!

its soo realistic as absoloutely every child in ireland fights the rival town over buttons!!!


but it was pretty funny:)

mumbles92

My Left Foot

"Let Christy take it" best line ever

bijapos

The Ballroom of Romance

Rarely ever seen a film where you feel you are IN the film instead of looking at it, things like the crunch of the bike tyres on the road, noises in the pub, the steps on the ballroom floor when it's still empty... never seen an Irish film capture the mood/taste/feel of an era so well.

Adam & Paul a classic too. I've shown it abroad to a lot of people, and they put it up there with Trainspotting. All set in one day... a Ulysees for our times.

Reeni

I think The Van would have to be my favourite. Great actors, a heartwarming story that has you rooting for Bimbo and Larry the whole way through and of course brings back memories of the World Cup (me being allowed to stay up late to watch it ).

thekid9

War of the buttons.. What a film.. the fights were classical Would love to get my hands on a copy of it.

the whole year inn

inside im dancing very good surprised it wasnt mentioned before.

cowboys and angels i think it was,I thought it was good any way!

2040

It mightn't quite count because i don't think it's produced by an irish company, but Hunger is my favourite irish film. I thought it was amazing, cinematography, script, acting was all top notch. Fassbender was superb and that scene with the priest is one of the best i've seen.

I also liked how raw and gritty it was.

Tiddlers

I really like Accelerator though I could be in a minority on that one! It had a great soundtrack and dialogue. The characters were believable too, I thought, as was the portrayal of modern Ireland,north and south.

patwicklow

the 1996 blockbuster micheal collins i sould know i was in it...............

marwelie

Tiddlers wrote: »

I really like Accelerator though I could be in a minority on that one! It had a great soundtrack and dialogue. The characters were believable too, I thought, as was the portrayal of modern Ireland,north and south.

Thats the one with the lad just out of prison who is challenged to a race to Belfast? Couldnt think of the name of it before, but I know exactly the film youre talking about. Excellent movie.

Klingon Hamlet

In Bruges--hilarious at times, horrifying too. Love Gleeson anyway but even Farell impressed me and of course, Fiennes was top notch.

seanybiker

I really enjoyed "I went down", watched it loads of times. The story and acting was good.
My favourite would probably be "crush proof", young cast , great acting and I thought the story was very good. Some scenes in it where priceless.

Mike Litoris

1. The Snapper - So many hilarious moments. Colm Meaney deserved an Oscar for his performance. One little scene kills me every time I watch it.
When the family are watching the tv the son switches over to a programme about Yaught racing and Meaney reels back into the chair saying "would ya look at them gob****es". Reminds me of me da!!

2. Intermission - Irelands comedic answer to Pulp Fiction slightly let down by some terrible casting and acting. Meaney, Farrell and David Wilmot were top notch, the rest we Fair City standard.

3. My Left Foot - Just how good was Daniel Day Lewis in this. Probably the best actor ever. Can we call him Irish??:)

MJ23

Mike Litoris wrote: »

3. My Left Foot - Just how good was Daniel Day Lewis in this. Probably the best actor ever. Can we call him Irish??:)

Just because he lives in wicklow doesnt mean he's irish,

Best irish film ever has to be The Field.
Bull McCabe is one bad mother fu<ker, thats right.

Catari Jaguar

Mike Litoris wrote: »

3. My Left Foot - Just how good was Daniel Day Lewis in this. Probably the best actor ever. Can we call him Irish??:)

He did that whole film as a method actor, he got people to feed him in the canteen and stayed in a wheelchair and communicated as Christy Brown did. My friend's Dad worked for Ardmore studios, and Daniel wasn't so famous then. He though it was excellent that they got someone with special needs to play the part. The last day, Daniel walked over to him to say goodbye and he though it was a miracle that this actor could suddenly walk and talk!!


My favourite Irish film is The Commitments because the jokes just keep coming. I love that sharp Dublin humour. And the soundtrack is amazing! Everytime I watch it I hope that the limo just comes to the show earlier and they don't break up...

Mike Litoris

MJ23 wrote: »

Just because he lives in wicklow doesnt mean he's irish,

How about if he lived in Drumshanbo?

AttackThePoster

MJ23 wrote: »

Just because he lives in wicklow doesnt mean he's irish,

He has Irish citizenship. You lose.

syklops

PomBear wrote: »

Probably for it'd be between

Darby O'Gill and the Little People-Entertaining, funny and nostalgic of a simpler time

Darby O'Gill was the first movie I thought of when I saw this thread. Watched it recently.

The next one I thought of was The Van which I watched the other night. Brilliant comedy, and nostalgic for Italia 90.

I don't think anyone mentioned The General yet. I thought it was a terrific movie. I read the book and it was a fair depiction of what was in the book(now whether the book is all correct is the next question). Gleeson, as always, was likeable in the title role. It was a fairly brutal movie, but a good insight into what goes on on the streets of Dublin.

ObeyGiant

dooferoaks wrote: »

I Went Down. Great cast, great script, decent soundtrack. Classic Irish film, in fact a classic film full stop. Criminal its still not out on DVD.

Isn't it? I bought a copy of a very bare-bones, crappy-transfer (but still completely legit) DVD of this film somewhere a few years ago. I think it was that sketchy DVD/phone place on the quays in Dublin - Templecom?

But yeah, great movie. Did the same thing as In Bruges, but better, more Irish.

Basq

'I Went Down' is (or was) out on R1 DVD AFAIK!

ObeyGiant

basquille wrote: »

'I Went Down' is (or was) out on R1 DVD AFAIK!

Just had a quick look there - my copy is R4, Australian. Weird. I definitely bought it in a brick-and-mortar shop.

Basq

ObeyGiant wrote: »

Just had a quick look there - my copy is R4, Australian. Weird. I definitely bought it in a brick-and-mortar shop.

Yep.. it was definitely available on www.atlanticdvd.com.au at one stage.. as I found a link to it on the IMDB message board for the film but it's since been removed!

JP Liz V1

For me its The Snapper

Ally Dick

I would have to say "Excalibur" (not sure if it counts !)

Ally Dick

I thought "Michael Collins" was excellent. It illuminated a part of our history that my history class in school could never do !

AttackThePoster

Well as a history lesson it's pretty terrible.

But admittedly it's a guilty pleasure of mine.

billymitchell

Does "Hunger" count as an Irish film??

AttackThePoster

More Senegalese imo.

billymitchell

Of course, Senegalese, I was thinking as much!!!
Christ on a bike :rolleyes:

Tchaikovsky

In Bruges probably qualifies under the granny rule or something, so that

Richard Noggin

The Commitments has to be my favourite,closely followed by The General.

Michael Collins is very good to watch but inaccurate.