Some Mother's Son (1996)

Based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike in a British prison, in which IRA prisoner Bobby Sands led a protest against the treatment of IRA prisoners as criminals rather than as ... See full summary »

Director:

Terry George

Writers:

Terry George, Jim Sheridan

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan, Aidan Gillen

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Mirren	...	Kathleen Quigley
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Annie Higgins
Aidan Gillen	...	Gerard Quigley
David O'Hara	...	Frank Higgins
John Lynch	...	Bobby Sands
Tom Hollander	...	Farnsworth
Tim Woodward	...	Harrington
Ciarán Hinds	...	Danny Boyle
Geraldine O'Rawe	...	Alice Quigley
Gerard McSorley	...	Fr. Daly
Dan Gordon	...	Inspector McPeake
Grainne Delany	...	Theresa Higgins
Ciarán Fitzgerald	...	Liam Quigley
Robert Lang	...	Government Minister
Stephen Hogan	...	Young Turk

Storyline

Based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike in a British prison, in which IRA prisoner Bobby Sands led a protest against the treatment of IRA prisoners as criminals rather than as prisoners of war. The film focuses on the mothers of two of the strikers, and their struggle to save the lives of their sons.

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Plot Keywords:

british | strike | hunger strike | prisoner of war | british prison | 

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Taglines:

Between love and loyalty... Between life and death... Lies a choice no mother should have to make.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some political violence and suffering

Details

Country:

Ireland USA

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

25 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sons and Warriors

Filming Locations:

Skerries, Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$114,309 (USA) (27 December 1996)

Gross:

$608,032 (USA) (7 February 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Hell's Kitchen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Named after The Kinks' song of the same title.

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Goofs

The film is clearly set in a border seaside fishing village in Ireland. However, Kathleen is clearly seen voting in the Fermanagh-South Tyrone by-election: a completely land-locked constituency.

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Quotes

Farnsworth: We want to make the prisons an asset, not a liability. It is in the prisons that we will break the backs of the IRA.

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Connections

Version of The Rising of the Moon (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Oh! You Beautiful Doll"
Composed by Nat Ayer (as Nat D. Ayer) & A. Seymour Brown (as A. Seymour Brown)

User Reviews

A harrowing and haunting reminder of the Irish hunger strikes

There are some excellent, nuanced performances in this movie, particularly from the two leads, Helen Mirren and Fionnula Flanagan (an underrated character actress best known for her work in "The Others"). But by no means is this easy to watch - and it's best appreciated, whatever your view on the long-standing conflict, if you have some idea of the history first, and the passion that still surrounds Bobby Sands. Tim Pat Coogan's "The Troubles," while a mammoth volume, summarizes the death and destruction that have been visited on all three of the major players - British, Catholic, Protestant.

Interestingly, Helen Mirren also starred in "Cal", another movie about the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland, playing a Protestant widow who falls in love with a Catholic man. In both movies, Mirren's character endures the unthinkable - watching the people she loves best being torn by sectarian violence. Yet in "Cal," Mirren's character is more passive, having things "happen" to her. In "Some Mother's Son", Mirren and Flanagan take action, their passion for their children stirring them to activism, right or wrong.