THE TOP 10 IRISH MOVIES OF ALL TIME
March 16, 2001
St. Patrick's Day! Green beer! Corned beef
and cabbage! Drunks on every corner! A wonderful day to stay inside with your
windows closed, doors locked, and a TV set tuned to one of these tried and true
homages to the Emerald Isle -- or at least to the Emerald
Islanders.
10. In the Name of the Father (1993): Daniel-Day
Lewis is wonderful in this film about a small-time thief from Belfast who
spends 14 years in a British prison for an IRA bombing he didn't do, and the
efforts of a British attorney, played by Emma Thompson, to free him.
9. Waking Ned Devine (1998): Kirk Jones wrote and
directed this charming film that has absolutely nothing to say and no
deep-seated meaning, but does both so well. Simply a fine, entertaining
film.
8.
The Commitments (1991): Can soul music survive
and prosper in Dublin? Alan Parker directed this grand film about "The World's
Hardest Working Band".
7.
Hear My Song (1991): This is a
grand, enjoyable film. Ned Beatty has perhaps his best role as Josef Locke, a
baritone retired in Ireland who is cajoled by Adrian Dunbar to return to
England for one last show -- which may lead to his arrest. Okay, so a lot of it
takes place in England, but the music is grand.
6. Going My Way (1944): This Bing Crosby charmer won
the academy award for Best Picture in 1944. He plays a young priest sent to a
parish presided over by Barry Fitzgerald. A fine and enjoyable
movie.
5. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994): This John Sayles
film isn't for everyone, but it is for me. A lyric tale starring no one you
ever heard of about a young girl to live with her grandparents in a small
fishing village in Donegal, Ireland
4. Miller's Crossing (1990): The third best gangster
movie ever made (guess what are first and second?). This Coen Brothers
masterpiece features Albert Finney as the Irish mob crime lord, Gabriel Byrne
as the Wile E. Coyote-like mobster/peacemaker ("What's the rumpus?") , and John
Tardier at his sniveling best.
3. Odd Man Out (1947): James Mason stars as the
leader of a clandestine Irish organization in this vastly underrated film about
a Belfast holdup gone wrong.
2.
The Informer (1935): Victor
MacLaglen stars in this John Ford film about a destitute Irish rebel in 1922
Dublin who betrays his friend to the British for a 20 pound reward. A little
watched but extremely powerful film.
1. The Quiet Man (1952): John Wayne and Maureen
O'Hara star with Victor MacLaglen in this well-acted, beautifully made, film
about a troubled man trying to return to his roots and a peaceful life. Ireland
never looked prettier.
A leaf short of a clover (in alphabetical
order)