But blood for blood without remorse, I’ve takes at
Oulart Hallow
And laid my true love’s clay-cold corpse, Where I
full soon may follow
As ‘round her grave I wonder drear, Noon, night and
morning early
With breaking Heart when e’er I hear, The wind that
shakes the barley.
Very early in this film, we hear this Irish ballad,
about a young rebel who sacrifices his relationship with his sweetheart for
doing his duty towards his country, from which Loach borrowed the title of his
movie. On 26th of May when Blue is the Warmest Colour(2013) was
declared Palme d’Or winner of 2013 Cannes film Festival, I naturally found
myself going through the list of previous winners. One of the winners of the
recent years that caught my attention was Ken Loach’s Irish war drama film The Wind That Shakes the Barley(2006) which takes us through last years of
Irish war of Independence and then Civil war following it in the early ‘20s.
Story follows two brothers Damien O’Donovan and
Teddy O’Donovan. When we see Damien, he is about to leave for London to join
one of the most prestigious hospitals in London. As he is bidding goodbye to
some of the folks from his village, he witnesses some British officers beating
one of his friends, Micheail O’Sullivan, to death because he wouldn’t tell his
name in English. The day he is to leave, he also watched beating the same
officers beating the driver, his assistant and guard of the train he is about
to board because they refuse to let them board. Even though initially
reluctant, because of these two incidences Damien changes his mind and instead
of going to London, joins the local branch of IRA which his brother Teddy
commands.
After undergoing the basic training, their squad
starts hitting the targets like the barracks of local Police or RIC in this
case. Once in a while, they come across Auxiliaries i.e. former British
soldiers deployed in Ireland and try to make as much damage as they can.
However they always make sure never to shoot at any fellow Irishmen even when
RIC, which is full of Irish people, are very cruel and brutish even towards
Women and Children. As British face retaliation, they hit back with equal
force. Both sides keep on attacking each other, shading whole lot of blood and
losing many lives, until finally, higher authorities on both sides agree on the
truce to stop all the bloodshed.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley does not only show their
struggle with British in fighting the war of Independence. Good thing about it
is while they are fighting this war it also focuses on the future implications
of their fight like the direction in which they want Ireland to lead, if they
eventually do succeed in getting the British out of their country. Two of the
film’s best scenes are not when they are out in the fields fighting with their
enemy but when they are trying to work on the course they want to take as Irish
people free of any association with London, as free Republicans responsible for
their own future.
One, when Teddy tries to protect a rich man
convicted in the republican court for swindling poor people out of their money
because that man provides money for buying their guns and ammunition. Second,
when all the local members of their unit decide whether to accept the treaty
offered to them or to keep fighting. Half the members of the party, including
Damien, are of the opinion that whatever treaty is offering isn’t worth them
being content off. Other half, which surprisingly includes Teddy and his deputy
in their unit, zealously supports the decision of their superiors. Soon this
rift goes on increasing dividing the whole country into two, including the two
brothers, and results in the civil war.
While I was in school learning about the Indian
Independence Struggle, we often came across various references to IRA and Irish
was of Independence in general. Not only were both the fights were against the
same enemy, they were going on at roughly the same time as well. This struggle
served as a great source of inspiration especially to the faction of Indian
revolutionaries leaning towards armed struggle. They always fascinated me ever
since then and made me naturally sympathetic of them and of their cause. Movies
like Hunger(2008) have only increased that appetite. This movie goes one
step further in that history lesson.
To the best of my knowledge, it is a fictionalized
story or at least the characters are. But it is based on actual events, on real
circumstances. There were RICs fighting the war for British, there were
Auxiliaries who were former British soldiers and they were deployed in Ireland
to fight against the flying squads like Teddy’s and there was civil war that
swiftly followed the treaty in Ireland. From what I understand Loach was
criticized for getting some of the other finer details wrong. Neither am I
expert to comment on their validity nor do I think that is important enough to dwell
further on.
Only recognizable names to me from the whole cast
were Cilian Murphy in the central role of Daniel and Liam Cunningham as their
associate Dan who stays with Daniel even after civil war breaks out. Padraic
Delaney who plays Teddy did seem familiar until I realized he played George
Boleyn in The Tudors(2007) that I am currently going through on Instant.
Rest of the cast, most notably Orla Fitzgerald, is unknown to me but leaves you
with an impression. On various occasions, characters stutter or talk like their
dialogues are improvised or seem confused as what to do next. But since they
remain in the characters, it gives whole movie an impromptu but naturalistic
favour. Given the amateur status of these soldiers, I think this is a welcome
change.
With the help of brutal but sensible screenplay by
Paul Laverty and by equally restrained directing what Loach does is he makes a
great case for Irish people, their cause. Even though British are the enemy
they are fighting, this movie refrains from portraying them in overtly
villainous ways. It is about the Irish people and it stays about them. As I’ve
credited it before, screenplay of this film remains to be one of the biggest
assets of the film, even in portraying Daniel and Sinead’s love story. Their
arc gives us little more human interest, something to distract from all the
brutalities of war and also serves the purpose of making the end more brutal
but it never takes over the main focus i.e. their cause. Regardless of the
validity of some of the Loach’s claims, this makes The Wind That Shakes the Barley a worthy watch.
Rating(out of 5):
I've been wanting to watch this for years. An Irish film directed by Ken Loach and starring Cillian Murphy that won the Palme d'Or sounds like a great combination. I'm glad you liked it, which gives me another reason to see it. :)
ReplyDeleteI went in with the same attitude. What's not to like? and fortunately, the film delivered. I look forward to your reaction!
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