Sweety Barrett (1998) The Tale of Sweety Barrett (original title)

Director:

Stephen Bradley

Writer:

Stephen Bradley (writer)

Release Date:

20 March 2000 (Iceland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Brendan O'Carroll	...	Rissolli
Brendan Gleeson	...	Sweety Barrett
Tony Rohr	...	Flick Hennessy
Andrew Scott	...	Danny
Agnes Bernelle	...	Mrs. Walsh
Frankie McCafferty	...	Arthur Meany
Kevin Flood	...	Fisherman
Lynda Steadman	...	Anne King
Dylan Murphy	...	Conor King
Liam Cunningham	...	Detective Bone
Dawn Bradfield	...	Mary the Waitress
Cillian Murphy	...	Pat the Barman
Dean Griffin	...	Hey-Horse Kid
Raymond Kean	...	Uniform One
Mikel Murfi	...	Uniform Two
Andy Serkis	...	Leo King
Paraic Breathnach	...	Cannolly (as Päraic Breathnach)

Directed by
Stephen Bradley

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Stephen Bradley		writer

Produced by
Friðrik Þór Friðriksson	....	co-producer (as Fridrik Thór Fridriksson)
Ed Guiney	....	producer
Gareth Jones	....	executive producer
Jan Roldanus	....	co-producer
Peter Rommel	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Stephen McKeon

Cinematography by
Thomas Mauch

Film Editing by
Dermot Diskin

Production Design by
Nathan Crowley
Paki Smith

Costume Design by
Lorna Marie Mugan

Makeup Department
Muriel Bell	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Dara McClatchie	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Agnew	....	first assistant director
Karen Richards	....	second assistant director
Dermot Whelan	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Olivia Barratier	....	poster designer
Graeme Bird	....	art department assistant
Lindsay Campbell	....	art department trainee
Julie Ochipinti	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Róbert Bjarnason	....	sound editor
Kieran Curtin	....	trainee sound
John Fitzgerald	....	adr mixer
Kjartan Kjartansson	....	supervising sound editor
Steven McLoughlin	....	sound trainee

Stunts
Eamon A. Kelly	....	stunts
Philippe Zone	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Darryl Byrne	....	clapper loader: dailies
Donal Caulfield	....	focus puller: additional camera
Wendy Dixon	....	still photographer
Anthony D. Guzman	....	best electric
Michael Hain	....	assistant camera
Davie Mayes	....	generator operator
James McGuire	....	gaffer
Pat Miller	....	electrician
Eoin O'Hagan	....	best boy

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jessica O'Leary	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Kevin Townend	....	score orchestrator

Other crew
Andrew Lowe	....	production accountant
John McKenna	....	armorer
Lisa Parker	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Icelandic Film (as Icelandic Film Corporation)
• Temple Films

Distributors

• HandMade Films

Other Companies

• Eurimages Council of Europe  funding
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Sylvia Wheeler Film Services  negative cutting

Also Known As:

"The Tale of Sweety Barrett" - Ireland (original title)

Runtime:

Canada:92 min | Argentina:95 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Ireland | Iceland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Iceland:10

Filming Locations:

Balbriggan, Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Icelandic Film

Trivia:

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson was originally considered as director.

Soundtrack:

Baby Won't You Please Come Home

Miserable attempt at Irish _Slingblade_

I should qualify my remarks by saying that the person sitting nearest me (that's "nearest" as opposed to "next to" or "beside") cried profusely at the film's denouement. This tale of a recently unemployed circus worker who gets involved with some poteen smugglers (poteen, in the unlikely event of this movie getting an international release, is an illegal liquor) left me wanting to cry only for the hour and a half of my life I had wasted. It's clear form the start of the film that Sweety, played competently by Brendan Gleeson, is a Gentle giant, and anyone who's seen _Slingblade_ or any other gentle giant movies know what eventually happens to them, especially when it's so clear who the bad guys are. If I had to think of something good to say about this film, it's that it deals with Irish crime without referring to the IRA, but this could also be said of _I Went Down_ also starring Gleeson, as well as including some wit and irony. With its emphasis on the sordid and moribund, it aspires to the profundity of Italian neo-realism but ends up looking more like a tacky British TV movie. How this film can headline at Irish multiplexes when witty, intelligent films like _Separation Anxiety_ and _Pete's Meteor_ await a release is a secret film distributors will probably keep under their cloven hooves.