War of the Buttons (1994)

The children of Ballydowse & Carrickdowse engage in battles in which they cut off the buttons, shoe-laces, belts and braces of their captured opponents. This gets their opponents in trouble... See full summary »

Director:

John Roberts

Writers:

Louis Pergaud (novel), Colin Welland (adapted for the screen by)

Stars:

Gregg Fitzgerald, Gerard Kearney, Darragh Naughton

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregg Fitzgerald	...	Fergus
Gerard Kearney	...	Big Con
Darragh Naughton	...	Boffin
Brendan McNamara	...	Tim
Kevin O'Malley	...	Fishy
John Cleere	...	Peter
Anthony Cunningham	...	Little Con
Thomas Kavanagh	...	Riley
Eveanna Ryan	...	Marie
John Crowley	...	Pat
Stuart Dannell-Foran	...	Tich
Danielle Tuite	...	Fionnuala
Helen O'Leary	...	Helen
Yvonne McNamara	...	Maeve
John Coffey	...	Geronimo

Storyline

The children of Ballydowse & Carrickdowse engage in battles in which they cut off the buttons, shoe-laces, belts and braces of their captured opponents. This gets their opponents in trouble with parents. They go to battle in mass groups of dozens, wielding sticks & slingshots. It's a battle of strategic skills for the opposing leaders, Including one scene in which the principal gang uses an ancient war trick to overcome their opponents with successful and itchy results.

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Plot Keywords:

slingshot | garment button | foreign language adaptation | remake of french film | ireland | 

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Taglines:

Most wars last years. This one has to be over by dinner.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK France Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

La guerre des boutons, ça recommence

Filming Locations:

Castletownshend, County Cork, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,930, 29 September 1995, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,712

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enigma Productions, Fujisankei Communication Group, Hugo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Coffey, who plays Geronimo, later became the head coach of the Terenure College SCT.

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Goofs

Near the end of the second skirmish, the Carricks have Tim treed. When a scout tells Geronimo that Fergus is coming, Geronimo orders Brendan and Chick to keep Tim up the tree while the rest of the Carricks hide to trap Fergus. Two slender, blonde boys keep their slingshots trained on Tim (30:02 to 30:11) while the others hide. The third skirmish begins when the Carricks come across Tim sitting alone on top of a large stone arch. Spotting a concealed Bally, Geronimo orders Brendan and Chick to drag Tim down while he and the rest of the Carricks charge the Ballys in hiding behind them. This time, two completely different boys, a heavyset sandy haired boy and a tall brown haired boy run toward Tim (at around 2 mins) while the rest turn and charge the Ballys.

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Quotes

Riley: Long live the King.
Boffin: It's the Queen now, it is, you moron.
Riley: Then God save the Queen.

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Connections

Version of La guerre des gosses (1936)

User Reviews

I wish I was a kid again. Great stuff

One of the great things about being a kid is that you get away with a lot, growing up is an adventure, gangs, silly jokes etc. Okay, maybe you can't get away with it all.

This picture is an adventure for 2 gangs who hate each other, one poor, one rich. Which is good and evil? Actually, the line is blurred, no one is evil, yet no one is good. It's not all adventure, there are dark moments. The film is a joy to watch, it brings back memories for us adults.

The picture's location is stunning, Ireland is such a great place, the countryside and simplicity is brought to life by stunning direction and beautiful photography.

A very good screenplay as well.

The performances are stunning, you believed that the kids were fighting each other, you believed in their emotions, great stuff!

A must watch! Remember to view in widescreen