Into the West (film)

Last updated

Into the West
Into The West (1993 movie poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mike Newell
Written by Jim Sheridan
David Keating
Produced by Jonathan Cavendish
Tim Palmer
Gabriel Byrne (associate)
Starring
Cinematography Newton Thomas Sigel
Edited by Peter Boyle
Music by Patrick Doyle
Production
companies
Distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors
Release date
  • 11 December 1992 (1992-12-11)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$6 million [1]
Box office£0.7 million (Ireland) [2]

Into the West is a 1992 Irish magical realist [3] film about Irish Travellers written by Jim Sheridan and David Keating, directed by Mike Newell, and stars Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin.

Contents

Plot

Into the West is a film about two young boys, Tito (Conroy) and Ossie (Fitzgerald), whose father "Papa" Reilly (Byrne) was "King of Irish Travellers" until his wife, Mary, died during Ossie's birth. The boys' grandfather (David Kelly) is an old story-telling Traveller, who regales the children with Irish folk-tales and legends. When he is followed by a beautiful white horse called Tír na nÓg (meaning "Land of Eternal Youth" in Irish), from the sea to Dublin, where the boys and their father have now settled down in a grim tower block in Ballymun, the boys are overwhelmed with joy and dreams of becoming cowboys. The horse is stolen from them by corrupt Gardai and is sold as a racehorse. They see Tír na nÓg on TV, and they begin their adventure to get their mystical horse back. They escape the poverty of a north Dublin council estate, and ride "Into the West". Papa Reilly is arrested, and beaten by the corrupt Gardai, until he is released on the orders of the superintendent. He then returns to his halting site, where he is shown no welcome. His friend Kathleen takes him in and from there they go to track the boys. Meanwhile the boys find shelter using traditional traveller methods and move further west as "cowboys". As they travel, they find the Gardai, helicopters and dog packs tracking them. Tír na nÓg always seems to find a way to avoid them. The horse takes them to their mother's grave, where Ossie finds out his mother died giving birth to him. The net closes in on the boys, forcing them to flee to the beach, where they find Papa Reilly, Kathleen and the Barrel maker. The Gardai catch Papa Reilly and the Barrel maker in nets, and Tír na nÓg gallops into the sea, with Ossie still on his back. Papa Reilly breaks free and goes into the sea, where he brings out a lifeless Ossie. After receiving CPR, Ossie comes round. The superintendent calls off the hunt for the boys. After that, Papa Reilly finally burns his Barrel Wagon, and puts his Wife's memory to rest. The boys see Tír na nÓg's image in the flames, and smile.

Cast

Production

Into the West was co-financed by U.S. independent film company Miramax and film-sales outlet Majestic Films International. [1] The script was written by Jim Sheridan, who did not intend to write simply for children, although the film mainly follows two young children on the run with their beautiful, magical white horse. Other themes targeted to adults, are also present: grief, the clash of cultures with differing values, and the use of the police by the rich and powerful to enforce property rights in their favour. [4] Sheridan wrote the script five years before he directed My Left Foot.

Gabriel Byrne said it was one of the best scripts he ever read, and described it at the time as Jim Sheridan's best work to date. Byrne was committed to the work, and commented: Apart from it being a story about Travellers, and the relationship between a father and his two sons, it really was in a way about Ireland.[ citation needed ] Ellen Barkin said that from the first reading she thought it an extraordinary piece of film writing.[ citation needed ]

The film's most memorable scenes,[ tone ] such as the horse in the cinema and the beans exploding, were shot in the small town of Portarlington in County Laois.

Release

In the U.S., Into the West was the first release from the Miramax Family Films label. [1]

Reception

The film has received a mostly positive critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 77% based on reviews from 13 critics. [5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said the "kids will probably love this movie, but adults will get a lot more out of it". [6] Variety Staff said that "Into the West is a likable but modest pic", and that "a major asset throughout is Patrick Doyle's rich, Gaelic-flavoured scoring that carries the movie's emotional line and fairy tale atmosphere". [7] Desson Howe of The Washington Post said that the film is "a charming children's crusade – a rewarding journey for all ages". [8] Rita Kempley of the Washington Post said that "the movie is alternately grim and lyrical", and "though long on ambiance and short on story, it may appeal to the spiritually inclined – and to oater lovers". [9]

Box office

Into the West was the fourth highest-grossing film in Ireland for the year with a gross of £748,080. [2]

Awards

Home video releases

Into the West was released on VHS and LaserDisc format in the US by Touchstone Home Video in 1994. [13] The DVD was released in the US on 4 February 2003 by Miramax Home Entertainment with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. [14]

The VHS was released in Ireland and the UK on 21 September 1993 by Entertainment in Video. [15] It was released on DVD in Ireland and the UK on 17 December 2001 by Entertainment in Video and again on 15 September 2003 by Cinema Club. As of 2020, it is being broadcast on the Criterion Channel in the USA and Canada.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shergar</span> Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse (1978–1983)

Shergar was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom of £2 million was demanded; it was not paid, and negotiations were soon broken off by the thieves. In 1999 a supergrass, formerly in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), stated they stole the horse. The IRA has never admitted any role in the theft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Byrne</span> Irish actor

Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and was listed at number 17 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors in 2020. The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

<i>All Dogs Go to Heaven</i> 1989 animated film directed by Don Bluth

All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and co-directed by Gary Goldman and Dan Kuenster. Set in New Orleans in 1939, it tells the story of Charlie B. Barkin, a German Shepherd that is murdered by his former friend, Carface Carruthers. Charlie escapes from Heaven to return to Earth where his best friend, Itchy Itchiford, still lives, in order to take revenge on Carface. Instead, he ends up befriending a young orphan girl named Anne-Marie. In the process, Charlie learns an important lesson about kindness, friendship and love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Barkin</span> American actress (born 1954)

Ellen Rona Barkin is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film Diner, and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as Tender Mercies (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The Big Easy (1986), Johnny Handsome, and Sea of Love.

<i>The Dead</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by John Huston

The Dead is a 1987 drama film directed by John Huston, written by his son Tony Huston, and starring his daughter Anjelica Huston. It is an adaptation of the short story of the same name by James Joyce, which was first published in 1914 as the last story in Dubliners. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, and West Germany, the film was Huston's last as director, and it was released several months after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oisín</span> Character in Celtic mythology

Oisín, Osian, Ossian, or anglicized as Osheen was regarded in legend as the greatest poet of Ireland, a warrior of the Fianna in the Ossianic or Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is the demigod son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and of Sadhbh, and is the narrator of much of the cycle and composition of the poems are attributed to him.

<i>Dunston Checks In</i> 1996 film

Dunston Checks In is a 1996 Canadian-American children's comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis. The film stars Eric Lloyd, Graham Sack, Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Sam the Orangutan as Dunston. The film received negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $10 million against a budget of $16 million.

Conroy is an Irish surname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Film</span> Film production company

BBC Film is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It was founded on 18 June 1990, and has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including Truly, Madly, Deeply, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Quartet, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Saving Mr. Banks, My Week with Marilyn, Eastern Promises, Match Point, Jane Eyre, In the Loop, An Education, StreetDance 3D, Fish Tank, The History Boys, Nativity!, Iris, Notes on a Scandal, Philomena, Stan & Ollie, Man Up, Billy Elliot and Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naomh Maur CLG</span> Gaelic games club in County Dublin, Ireland

Naomh Maur is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Rush, Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1928.

The 7th Irish Film & Television Awards took place on 20 February 2010 in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin. It was hosted by Victoria Smurfit and honoured Irish film and television released in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal sites of Ireland</span>

The royal sites of Ireland were the seats of the Gaelic kings of Ireland. Medieval sources describe them as the ceremonial capitals of various Irish kingdoms, where kingly inaugurations, assemblies and athletic games were held. Archaeological investigations show that many royal sites were culturally significant for thousands of years before recorded history, and they often include ancient monuments such as Neolithic burial mounds, standing stones, cairns and enclosures.

Ciarán Fitzgerald is an Irish former film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Ossie Reilly in the 1992 film Into the West, which earned him a Young Artist Award. He has also appeared in films, such as, Nothing Personal (1995), Some Mother's Son (1996), The Last of the High Kings (1996), The Boxer (1997), and The General (1998).

Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a 39-year-old French woman, was killed outside her holiday home near Toormore, Goleen, County Cork, Ireland, on the night of 23 December 1996.

The 8th Irish Film & Television Awards were held on 12 February 2011 in the Convention Centre, Dublin.

<i>The Field</i> (1990 film) 1990 film by Jim Sheridan

The Field is a 1990 Irish drama film written and directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Richard Harris, John Hurt, Sean Bean, Brenda Fricker and Tom Berenger. It was adapted from John B. Keane's 1965 play of the same name. The film is set in the early 1930s and was shot almost entirely in the Connemara village of Leenaun.

The 15th Youth in Film Awards ceremony, presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film, television and theatre for the 1992-1993 season, and took place on February 5, 1994, at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rory</span> Name list

Rory is a given name of Gaelic origin. It is an anglicisation of the Irish: Ruairí/Ruaidhrí and Scottish Gaelic: Ruairidh/Ruaraidh and is common to the Irish, Highland Scots and their diasporas. The meaning of the name is "red king", composed of ruadh ("red") and rígh ("king").

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Eller, Claudia (2 September 1993). "Is Miramax Going the Disney Route? Well, Yes and No — Movies: Company known for feisty adult films opens a family division. Indie will use marketing expertise of its parent company" . Los Angeles Times . p. 1. Retrieved 15 July 2023 via ProQuest.
  2. 1 2 "Statistics". Screen International . 26 March 1993. p. 34.
  3. "Irish and African American Cinema:Identifying Others and Performing Identities", p. 179 (Maria Pramaggiore, SUNY Press, 2012)
  4. Brian Koller (25 November 1999) "Into the West (1992) review". epinions.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  5. "Movies/On DVD/Into the West". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  6. Roger Ebert (17 September 1993) "Into the West review". rogerebert.suntimes.com. 17 September 1993. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  7. Variety Staff (Dec 31, 1991) "Into the West (UK-US)". variety.com. 31 December 1991. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  8. Desson Howe (17 September 1993) "'Into the West' review by Desson Howe". washingtonpost.com. 17 September 1993. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  9. Rita Kempley (17 September 1993) "'Into the West Review by Rita Kempley". washingtonpost.com. 17 September 1993. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  10. "Into the West". clevelandfilm.org. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  11. "Young Award Award – Outstanding Family Foreign Film". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  12. "Young Artist Award – Outstanding Youth Actor in a Family Foreign Film". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  13. Into the West [VHS] (1993). ASIN   6303066712.
  14. "Into the West (1993)". dvdconcept.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  15. "Into the West – Where Myth and Magic Walk the Earth VHS (1992)". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2010.

Bibliography