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:

He's let no outsider take it away.

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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

In order to secure his role, Richard Harris arranged a meeting with director 'Jim Sheridan' and turned up in full costume and in character. Sheridan, who was initially reluctant to cast Harris because of his difficult reputation, decided to cast him based on this meeting.

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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: Go on father, go on. Lock the gates to God's house. Sure they were locked at the time of the Famine too. No priest died the time of the Famine: only poor people like us.

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Connections

Featured in The 63rd Annual Academy Awards (1991)

User Reviews

Richard Harris - Incredible!!!

If you are interested in acting, do yourself a favor - see this movie. Richard Harris' performance is as good as film acting gets. His character, Bull McCabe, is not a man so much as a force of nature. In the opening sequence, he and his son, Tadgh, who is 30ish to Bull's sixty-something, are carrying heavy loads of seaweed from the ocean back to their farm. Bull casually strolls along, seemingly without effort, while Tadgh struggles and stops periodically to rest. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the story. No one in the village ever opposes Bull - it would be futile, as well as unwise. But when the land his family has tended for generations as tenant farmers is purchased by an American bent on developing it, Bull must confront something he cannot defeat with will and sinew - progress.

"The Field" is a study of a very specific time and place, with plot developments that seem lifted straight out of the Old Testament. Sheridan does an excellent job of opening up the story, which was adapted from a stage play. The action takes place all over the village and surrounding areas. The cast is composed of Irish and English actors (except for - ahem - 'The American'), which really gives the film a strong sense of authenticity. Each character has a story, and the gradual unfolding of the various conflicts and secrets builds an ominous sense of impending disaster.

John Hurt gives another in a long line of outstanding performances, but this film belongs to Harris. The only thing that keeps it from becoming an all-time classic is Tom Berenger. We get no sense that he wants the field for any reason other than the script requires him to, and it seems that director Jim Sheridan knew it. When a central character (Berenger) in a film delivers his most important dialogue FACING AWAY FROM THE CAMERA (looking out a window), it is the directorial equivalent of punting. Even so, Berenger is not in enough scenes to ruin the movie. It is just that it could have been so much better if he brought something to the part that could match up with Harris' primal force.