English filmmaker John Michael McDonagh

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http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/screenwriter/2014/09/15/john-michael-mcdonagh-denies-calvary-is-an-irish-film/

John Michael McDonagh has made some fairly disparaging remarks about Irish films recently. I must say I'm quite surprised by this. I can understand the type of Irish films that he'd like to distance himself from - there are a few Roddy Doyle adaptations that while we love, they are very local, we're in on the joke, you need to be Irish to get them type films. However, I would have put the guard firmly in this category as well.

For a country of our size I think we have produced a lot of excellent films over the last quarter of a century - My Left foot, all the Lenny Abrahamson ones, Jim Sheridan and Neil Jordan made a couple as well. I'm surprised that he would be willing to belittle these in what seems like an effort to make him seem more international or more Hollywood.

I actually really liked Calvary, but there's a different thread for discussing that.

e_e

The director of The Guard bemoaning a lack of intelligence in Irish film makers seems like a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black to me.

The Pooka

Hmm, well, I think few could deny there are several longstanding issues with the Irish film industry generally, but this nonetheless seems astonishingly bad form; biting the hand that feeds you and all that. I thought Calvary was all over the place myself, and certainly wouldn't call it either "technically accomplished" or "high quality" - but even leaving all that aside, I stuggle to see how you couldn't classify it as an 'Irish' film?? The whole thing provides an interesting mirror to the Fr. Ted situtation, in a way; both were productions about priests with explicitly strong Irish associations, but whereas one set of creators have gone to great lengths to get people to indeed count it as Irish, this guy's taking pains to ensure the opposite!

Incidentally, I've found both of the McDonagh brothers to come off as quite standoffish in interviews - but if either of them's earned the right to a bit of an ego, it certainly wouldn't be John Michael...

humanji

I've only read snippets of what he's said, and I kind of get bits of what he means. He doesn't want his film to be thought of as some quaint Irish film, but rather one that happened to be filmed in Ireland.

The problem here is that he's made an Irish film with Irish stereotypes about Irish issues that would need a hell of a rewrite to be set in any other country.

I do believe he's 100% correct in saying that Irish people are wary of going to see Irish films. Unless there's big names behind it, it's very hard to win the Irish public over. It's a once bitten, twice shy type of thing, I think. There's been an awful lot of bad Irish films compared to the relatively few excellent ones.

FortuneChip

I don't get it at all.
Both The Guard & Calvary were critically acclaimed. And the Guard seems to be widely liked in Ireland.
I fully regarded both as Irish movies, and I imagine I'm not alone, so therefore has he not avoided the stigma associated with Irish movies?

prospect

In my mind, when I categorise a movie by its nationality, it refers to its theme, not where it was filmed.

So you could have a movie made in Ireland that isn't 'Irish'.
Similarly, you could have a movie filmed elsewhere that is 'Irish'.

I love a lot of movies, and even though a lot of what happens is uniquely linked to the country in which the film is shot, I don't necessarily categorise the production under that Nationality.

I have never thought to myself, "Reservoir Dogs, now that was a good American film", or "Layer Cake, great English movie". They are just a "good movies".

e_e

I do think McDonagh has at least a kernel of a point though. Many Irish films are too concerned with appearing intelligent and putting on a good front instead of engaging with their ideas and making something that'll truly stand the test of time. Our industry is way too reliant on sticking a bunch of awards from random film festivals on the poster rather than providing a good film in its own right. There's a real conservatism to this country's film industry that is so uninspiring. Even from a place like Iran we get some truly radical pieces of film making some of which being flat out masterpieces so there's no excuse really why our film making standards are so limp. I struggle to think of a single Irish film that I'd call a favorite.

Lukehandypants

I liked calvary and thought the guard was the most overrated rubbish I have ever seen. Both films are filled with oirish stereotypes.

The main thing that irks me is that he got 1.7 million to make those films from the Irish film board and then those films go on to win an ifta for best Irish film. Then he turns around and says that they ain't Irish films even though they have Irish money invested in them and have very Irish stories particularly calvary, which has one of its central ideas is about the church abusing kids.
So I think he should give back his ifta and the 1.7million euro he conned the film board out of.

DrumSteve

There have been plenty of great Irish films, My left foot being a prime example.

But I do kinda get his point in that it is a film that just happened to be made here rather than an "Irish" film. I don't neccessarily agree with him though.

Intermission is another great Irish film.

Banjaxed82

His comments could have been about any country, every one of which makes their fair share of turkeys.

Of course we see other film industries in a more positive light because only the better foreign films make it to our screens.

To me Calvary is grossly over rated and his comments are definitely of the kettle/pot variety.

e_e

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

His comments could have been about any country, every one of which makes their fair share of turkeys.

Of course we see other film industries in a more positive light because only the better foreign films make it to our screens.

But even then the best of foreign cinema eclipses even the greatest films that have been made on this here island.

I could probably name the number of great Irish films I've seen on one hand.

AnonoBoy

e_e wrote: »

I could probably name the number of great Irish films I've seen on one hand.

And would either of JM McDonagh's films be among them?

The lad is in a glass house pelting stones all around him.

I think he's still annoyed that his younger brother is far more talented and successful than he is.

Goodshape

AnonoBoy wrote: »

And would either of JM McDonagh's films be among them?.

They absolutely would be in my opinion. In particular Calvary.

I guess it's a pity that he chooses to try and escape the "Irish film" handle, rather than embracing it and perhaps leading by example, but... that's his prerogative I suppose. Not the first time I've heard of him being controversially outspoken.

He's also not wrong about the perception of Irish cinema – at least – in Ireland. We tend not to give our own much of a chance. Just need to look at the reception Calvary gets on these boards for an example of that. Even The Guard seems to be getting a bashing in this thread. Massive critical successes everywhere else, mind, but I guess just too "up themselves" for the Irish.


For what it's worth, I'd rate Frank and Calvary – both English/Irish co-productions – among the very best films I've seen in the last 12 months.

Banjaxed82

AnonoBoy wrote: »

And would either of JM McDonagh's films be among them?

Definitely not.

Calvary for me was evidence that McDonagh does not possess the visual sensibilities required to tell a story on film. It's a script that needed FAR more directorial flair than was on offer.

Minus Brendan Gleeson, both his films are decent, well made productions, but not to be fawned over by any stretch of the imagination.

e_e

AnonoBoy wrote: »

And would either of JM McDonagh's films be among them?

No. The Guard was a mediocre Tarantino-lite comedy that was overrated beyond belief and Calvary while a meatier and more interesting film was tonally all over the place and poorly paced. I think Gleeson just about saved them both though.

fwiw Garage is my favorite Irish film.

AnonoBoy

Goodshape wrote: »

Even The Guard seems to be getting a bashing in this thread. Massive critical successes everywhere else, mind, but I guess just too "up themselves" for the Irish.

What are you talking about? The Guard was a massive commercial success in Ireland.

Some people didn't like it (me amongst them) but you couldn't say that the Irish in general don't like his films.

duckworth

He's just a bit of a knob, that's all - and a controversiallist. I've read other interviews with him where he makes outlandish statements like this.

I think he's right that Irish films historically have not been very good - but I don't think his films are anywhere near Neil Jordan's or Lenny Abrahamson's best stuff.

Calvary was almost very good - but he just doesn't have the skill to pull it off yet.

The Strawman Argument

Not gonna bother reading the article but I think Ireland overall does deserve a bit of a bashing in this respect. Just because the country's small enough doesn't really excuse that there hasn't been much in the way of interesting output throughout our history. Scotland has similar enough of a population and feels like it has crafted a much more interesting world of films than Ireland with people like Lynne Ramsay, Bill Douglas and even Bill Forsyth (although I guess how closely it ties in with northern England could be a big part of why there, BBC supporting things like Play For Today and all that ...a lot of big Scottish films by non-Scottish filmmakers too, no clue if that's just Ireland failing to advertise itself as a bleak little island well enough ...one of the best Irish catholic misery films was directed by a Scot though, wasn't it?).

Also, the fact McDonagh hasn't actually managed any better* doesn't mean he can't complain either, one of the things I liked about Calvary is that it seemed like he was trying to do something ambitious enough (he was nowhere near good enough to pull it off, but still). If I was a filmmaker, I could probably be pretty easily perturbed by the notion that people are going to try and peg my film into one of about 4 different camps just because it's Irish.

Lenny Abrahamson's damn good, agree with e_e on Garage (absolute gem, it's shocking that people don't even try to tap into the stasis and bleakness of that whole region more imo) and he seems to be someone who's both capable and willing to challenge himself. Neil Jordan obviously made some peaches ages ago and I'm always a bit unwilling to completely dismiss him.

Man, my mind's sprawling all over the place in this post, sorry if it's incoherent.

* two films that've basically depended entirely on Brendan Gleason being a fantastic actor, getting rave reviews internationally due to how he never gets a lead role in anything elsewhere

bnt

From my perspective, I just wish Irish films didn't try so hard to be "Irish". The ones I've seen were "small" films, parochial in scope. I couldn't imagine them playing in France the way French films play here.