Irish National Cinema

by Ruth Barton

From the international successes of Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan, to the smaller productions of the new generation of Irish filmmakers, this book explores questions of nationalism, gender identities, the representation of the Troubles and of Irish history as well as cinema's response to the so-called Celtic Tiger and its aftermath. Irish National Cinema argues that in order to understand the unique position of filmmaking in Ireland and the inheritance on which contemporary filmmakers draw, definitions of the Irish culture and identity must take into account the so-called Irish diaspora and engage with its cinema. An invaluable resource for students of world cinema.

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2004

Reviews

[leni swagger]

It gives you enough background information on the Irish Film Industry (or rather the lack of it) to somewhat get a better understanding, but overall it just falls flat on delving deeper into the matter. Very superifical.

[Mike Bourke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a great account of the trends and tropes of Irish cinema from the silent era to the Celtic Tiger years (the book was published in 2004). It is informative on not only indigenous Irish cinema but also Irish films made by American and British directors and shows how the work of John Ford in "The Quiet Man" was as influential as any indigenous Irish film in constructing the identity (for better or worse) of Irish cinema. It details the difficulties of establishing an Irish cinema under the strict censorship of Church and State and the cultural isolation of Ireland in the post-war era certainly did not help matters either. The book also highlights the less well-known work of John Comerford, Cathal Black and other Irish directors of the 70s who made more experimental work and deconstructed Irishness in their films. What lets the book down for me is that there is no mention of the adaptations of Roddy Doyle's novels such as "The Commitments" and "The Van". "The Snapper" is mentioned but is snootily dismissed as 'paternalistic' or 'patriarchal.' I think its incredible that someone would not even mention "The Commitments" in a book about Irish cinema, it was a landmark film undoubtedly and its a huge oversight on the part of the writer to ignore it.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

very readable history of irish cinema - pity its out of print