Back To Barrytown

breezy1985

briany wrote: »

An interesting documentary again this week on the least-known of the Barrytown films. Pity we didn't get to hear from Donal o Kelly who played Bimbo, though.

Sadly like the movies it seemed more low budget this week. Was my favourite movie of the 3 as a kid

Skerries

they used to park up "The Van" across the road from my house at night when they were done filming for the day
There were two versions the clean one and the banger one, I should have taken pictures of them at the time

gormdubhgorm

griffin100 wrote: »

I definitely think the movie didn’t reflect the quality of the book. I still think The Van is the best of the the books. The way Roddy Doyle captures the bleakness and despair of Jimmy’s unemployment and his lack of hope is fantastic. It’s also feckin hilarious. The film is ropey enough and nowhere near as good as the other films.

I will have to read 'The Van' book version again. I have completely forgotten any differences between it and the film.

It was definitely interesting that the director (Frears) felt he let Doyle down. The impression I got was he did not realise Doyle wanted a more layered film than like the way 'The Snapper' was set up. Especially when he said Doyle had developed as a writer between the two films.

The Van is still my favourite film of the three though. I must have simple tastes!

gormdubhgorm

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

I will have to read 'The Van' book version again. I have completely forgotten any differences between it and the film.

It was definitely interesting that the director (Frears) felt he let Doyle down. The impression I got was he did not realise Doyle wanted a more layered film than like the way 'The Snapper' was set up. Especially when he said Doyle had developed as a writer between the two films.

The Van is still my favourite film of the three though. I must have simple tastes!

The Van is my favourite of the three to be honest.

I still get perplexed why they ran it into the sea at the end though.

Hangdogroad

Hangdogroad wrote: »

Lol, I remember some priest reading the riot act about that line and it making the papers.

He was probably jealous.

gormdubhgorm

Deleted User wrote: »

The Van is my favourite of the three to be honest.

I still get perplexed why they ran it into the sea at the end though.

I would describe The Van of an Irish version of a 'buddy film journey' that the Americans do except it does not involve guns and car chases. Or some sports event at the end where differences are sorted out in the end.

Just chips, burgers, fish, a van and the World Cup. Oh, and the occasional nappy.

At the ending even on the clip shown yesterday I was thinking. Larry is right Bimbo, don't do it!

Darrenf1969

I watched the all 3 of the series back to barrytown and it got me thinking whatever happened to thw actors Eanna Mac Liam and Donal O' Kelly.

breezy1985

Darrenf1969 wrote: »

I watched the all 3 of the series back to barrytown and it got me thinking whatever happened to thw actors Eanna Mac Liam and Donal O' Kelly.

O'Kelly has one of those character actor heads where I thought I had seen him in loads of stuff but IMDB says I'm wrong. Was great in the previously mentioned Kings though. Looking back at the Van he was the head off of Paul Dano in his younger days

LollipopJimmy

danielle_door wrote: »

Why is 'The Family ' never mentioned when talking about barrytown or the trilogy? Its an excellent addition to them. Charlo was a household name at the time of its showing on TV. But I think someone wants to bury it.

It's completely separate, the trilogy books are all based around the one family, the Rabittes. The Family is based on the book 'The Woman Who Walked Into Doors', very dark.

JP Liz V1

rovers_runner wrote: »

Typical ****in RTE, no plans to show The Van the miserable c*nts.

It's a shame it won't be shown

Glaceon wrote: »

A very different feeling from the producer and director in this one versus The Snapper. Almost sounded like they regretted how it came out.

Yes Doyle almost came across as embarrassed

Mad_maxx

theoneeyedman wrote: »

This.

I read the 3 books at the time, and haven't done so since, but I always remembered The Van as the best book.

The film was poorly made I thought at the time, seemed low budget, TV show quality rather than movie quality. Just caught the end of tonight's show, and it seemed they all regretted making this film at all, all except Roddy perhaps.

the guy who played Meaneys business partner was a poor actor and this let down the movie i thought , i dont think he was even an " actor " or at least was very small time ? , didnt feature at all in the docu

DvB

Donal O' Kelly played Bimbo & he is most definitely an actor.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641525/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2

Mad_maxx

DvB wrote: »

Donal O' Kelly played Bimbo & he is most definitely an actor.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641525/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2

very small time though

breezy1985

Mad_maxx wrote: »

very small time though

Compared to who ?
The vast majority of actors get no further than being solid members of a West End cast or playing "toilet attendant no.4" in some bigger production.

He is no Colm Meaney but he was good in the few things I saw him in

Vologda69

Mad_maxx wrote: »

the guy who played Meaneys business partner was a poor actor and this let down the movie i thought , i dont think he was even an " actor " or at least was very small time ? , didnt feature at all in the docu

Yeah, i agree. Watched it on Kodi box last night. Still got more laughs from The Snapper.

LollipopJimmy

breezy1985 wrote: »

Compared to who ?
The vast majority of actors get no further than being solid members of a West End cast or playing "toilet attendant no.4" in some bigger production.

He is no Colm Meaney but he was good in the few things I saw him in

The Friendly Face in I Went Down...

breezy1985

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

The Friendly Face in I Went Down...

Never seen it but looks like something ide be into

JP Liz V1

Mad_maxx wrote: »

the guy who played Meaneys business partner was a poor actor and this let down the movie i thought , i dont think he was even an " actor " or at least was very small time ? , didnt feature at all in the docu

Bimbo was great, well played by Donal, worked good with Colm as mates

LollipopJimmy

breezy1985 wrote: »

Never seen it but looks like something ide be into

It's actually class

sporina

Have watched the 1st 2 parts.. both v v good.. not a big fan of The Commitments - but ADORE The Snapper.. every line is class.. and every scene.. soo good..

Not seen The Van - gonna watch it before part 3

Are they not showing it on RTE?

I know its on youtube - but its a cam video

Atlantic Dawn

Yes thought The Van would be shown this weekend being a bank holiday weekend. No sign of it on VM1 either.

silliussoddius

velo.2010 wrote: »

Interesting that Stephen Frears noticed the increasing prosperity — however small — of the country when he came back to film 'The Van'. Colm Meaney only briefly touched on it, but the contrast in filming those movies is something I would have like to heard more of.

I remember seeing the trailer of the film when we were brought to see Michael Collins at the time, while in school. There was something anachronistic about it... Italia 90 was only six years previously, but it felt an eternity ago to a young teenager. I thought we were past all that horses in suburban fields malarkey and hoped for something a bit different. I still like the film though.

Doyle's four part 'Family' is worthy of a retrospective. I remember the buzz about it being along the lines of 'The Snapper' and then everybody being shocked by the content of the series. It's his grittiest and most disturbing piece for television or the big screen.

I think it's touched slightly upon in the book, Jimmy goes into the city centre one day and he starts to notice the young wans walking around after their office jobs (but again the book is set in 1990).
I have never seen the film of The Van the whole way through, but I think the book is a bit more melancholy than the others. As others have said, it looks at Jimmy's unemployment, looking after the snapper and there's a scene where one of his sons gives him money for a pint.

LollipopJimmy

silliussoddius wrote: »

I think it's touched slightly upon in the book, Jimmy goes into the city centre one day and he starts to notice the young wans walking around after their office jobs (but again the book is set in 1990).
I have never seen the film of The Van the whole way through, but I think the book is a bit more melancholy than the others. As others have said, it looks at Jimmy's unemployment, looking after the snapper and there's a scene where one of his sons gives him money for a pint.

In the book there's the few kids, the family from the commitments is the same one the whole way through. I remember that part you're talking about, initially he was delighted with the money but then pride kicked in, its very well written

DebDynamite

Does anyone know why the main family is the Rabittes in all 3 books, but in the films there was the Rabittes, the Curleys, and Larry’s family (whatever their surname was!)?

Why not the same family throughout, seeing as Colm Meaney was the dad each time?

silliussoddius

DebDynamite wrote: »

Does anyone know why the main family is the Rabittes in all 3 books, but in the films there was the Rabittes, the Curleys, and Larry’s family (whatever their surname was!)?

Why not the same family throughout, seeing as Colm Meaney was the dad each time?

Different studios, so the character names from The Commitments were basically owned so they had to change for the other two.

LollipopJimmy

silliussoddius wrote: »

Different studios, so the character names from The Commitments were basically owned so they had to change for the other two.

Roddy Doyle wanted to separate them

breezy1985

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Roddy Doyle wanted to separate them

Really ? It was always reported as the above story

LollipopJimmy

breezy1985 wrote: »

Really ? It was always reported as the above story

Could easily be both but I've heard Roddy Doyke speak about it previously

garbanzo

Mad_maxx wrote: »

very small time though

The man played Brainer in Paths To Freedom.
FFS. For this work alone the man deserves an Oscar.