The Field (1990)

"Bull" McCabe's family has farmed a field for generations, sacrificing endlessly for the sake of the land. And when the widow who owns the field decides to sell the field in a public ... See full summary »

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

John B. Keane (play), Jim Sheridan

Stars:

Richard Harris, Sean Bean, Frances Tomelty

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Harris	...	'Bull' McCabe
Sean Bean	...	Tadgh McCabe
Frances Tomelty	...	Widow
Brenda Fricker	...	Maggie McCabe
John Hurt	...	Bird' O'Donnell
Ruth McCabe	...	Tinker Woman
Jer O'Leary	...	Tinker Girl's Father
Noel O'Donovan	...	Tomás
John Cowley	...	Flanagan
Ronan Wilmot	...	Tinker
Jenny Conroy	...	Katie - The Tinker Girl
Joan Sheehy	...	2nd Tinker Woman
Sean McGinley	...	Father Chris Doran
Malachy McCourt	...	Sergeant
Frank McDonald	...	Quarryman

Storyline

"Bull" McCabe's family has farmed a field for generations, sacrificing endlessly for the sake of the land. And when the widow who owns the field decides to sell the field in a public auction, McCabe knows that he must own it. But while no one in the village would dare bid against him, an American with deep pockets decides that he needs the field to build a highway. The Bull and his son decide to convince the American to give up bidding on the field, but things go horribly wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

field | american | village | widow | land | 

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Taglines:

An unforgettable story of power and passion from the producer and director of My Left Foot.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

A rét

Filming Locations:

Aasleigh Church, Aasleigh, County Galway, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

IEP 5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,414,017 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television, Noel Pearson, Sovereign Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The size of the field is given as 3 acres, 1 rood and 32 perches; in metric measure, this is 1.6 hectares.

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Goofs

In the final sequence when Tadhg gets to the edge of the cliff and turns, a crew members head can be seen at his feet.

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Quotes

"Bull" McCabe: Outsiders? Are these the same outsiders who took the corn from our mouths when the potatoes went rotten in the ditches?

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Oscar Nomination Surprises (1991)

User Reviews

A triumph for Richard Harris!

Spectacular movie. As tough as this movie is, it is completely engrossing. Each character (except that played by Berenger) is just so believable. The Tom Berenger part is just so shallow that it needs better writing or better acting. The cinematography allows you to feel the ambience of the Irish countryside (cool, rainy, overcast, muddy, deep cold lakes). "Bull" is hell bent on getting what he believes are his just rewards for a life of extremely hard work and hardships. It just doesn't work out like Hollywood usually lets it work out (thank goodess!).