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"Angela’s
Ashes" is a Depression-era story of an Irish family that
escapes the poverty of Europe by immigrating to America, but they
land in the midst of the American Depression, finding themselves
no better off. After the death of Angela’s fifth child, a baby
girl, they decide to take the journey back to Ireland (the Irish
grass on the other side of the ocean is greener?). They land in
Catholic Ireland only to find that conditions are worse there in
her hometown of Limerick, where it seems to be raining every
moment of every day.
Not
only is it raining, but there seems to be an entire lack of
sympathy or warmth in their homeland. Conservative religious
discipline is the universal doctrine, tongue lashings the bitter
tone, and desperation the reigning condition. Her husband, Malachy
McCourt (Robert Carlyle), from Northern Belfast, is excluded from
every job opening because of his northern accent (and Protestant
affiliation). Shortly after landing they lose two more children to
consumption, fever or plague, and then their lives become even
more desperate. McCourt is unable to keep a job: every time he
finally lands a job, he drinks all his earnings, misses work
because of his drunken, hung-over, next-day state; and then as a
result loses that job.
This
is a coming-of-age movie: the hero of this story is young Franky
McCourt, their oldest son. Frank is played by three actors (Joe
Breen, Ciaren Owens and Michael Legge),
screen-aging from 5 to 15. Franky breaks out of poverty, confronts
the cycle of desperation and even dares to dream of a better life.
He sets goals to escape the hopelessness of Limerick and the wet
Irish apathy.
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top of second column)
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"Angela’s
Ashes" is obviously a movie seeking to portray the best parts of
a great book. The filming of this epic is excellent. Although this
movie is filmed in color, the overall effect and feeling is a
monochrome environment filmed in solemn brown tones. Faces and
expressions are important in this film, and director Alan Parker does
an incredible job of capturing the anguish of desperation, the
expression of fierce anger, the sensation of common joy and the
duplicity of religious indifference among a people who are not
struggling together but rather struggling apart.
The
acting in this film is the finest that can be described. Robert
Carlyle’s portrayal of flawed Malachy McCourt is simply perfect;
Emily Watson is amazing in her depiction of Angela, who is ultimately
moved to do anything to escape the torment, the misery and the depths
of poverty. And Michael Legge was marvelous as he portrayed the elder
Franky, who dreamed of a better future for himself and found the means
to escape, crediting God for his good fortune.
The
plot of this screenplay was mesmerizing, and although everything in
this movie had the pall of sadness and desperation about it, I found
myself watching every moment (after I regained my composure and became
numb to the negativity of this story). BUT….. the fatal flaw of this
movie is that it does not portray the entire book, in which Angela
ultimately dies and Franky returns to Ireland from America to bring
her ashes back with him to his newfound homeland of freedom and
plenty. If Angela never becomes ashes in this movie, why keep the book’s
title???
While
this movie is flawed in its selection of the title, and is quite
depressing in the story it seeks to tell, I am glad that I was able to
see and emotionally share in their tragic lives. This movie is filled
with life (desperate as it is) in the same fashion that "Life is
Beautiful" is filled with life, and for this and the other
positive reasons stated above, well worth watching.
I
award this movie 3½ stars and definitely recommend it.
[midge]
E-mail
your comments to me at midge@lincolndailynews.com.
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