The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

A sympathetic look at Republicans in early 20th century Ireland, and two brothers who are torn apart by anti-Brit rebellion.

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty

Stars:

Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham

5 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cillian Murphy	...	Damien O'Donovan
Padraic Delaney	...	Teddy O'Sullivan (as Pádraic Delaney)
Liam Cunningham	...	Dan
Orla Fitzgerald	...	Sinead
Mary O'Riordan	...	Peggy (as Mary Riordan)
Mary Murphy	...	Bernadette
Laurence Barry	...	Micheail
Damien Kearney	...	Finbar
Frank Bourke	...	Leo
Myles Horgan	...	Rory
Martin Lucey	...	Congo
Aidan O'Hare	...	Steady Boy
Shane Casey	...	Kevin
John Crean	...	Chris
Máirtín de Cógáin	...	Sean (as Mairtin de Cogain)

Storyline

In 1920, rural Ireland is the permanent battlefield of republican rebels against the British troops and their well-paid, local collaborator militia, a recipe for mutual cruelty. Medical graduate Damien O'Donovan always gave priority to his socialist ideals and simply helping people in need. Just when he's leaving Ireland to work in a highly reputed London hospital, witnessing gross abuse of commoners changes his mind. he returns and joins the local IRA brigade, commanded by his brother Teddy, and adopts the merciless logic of civil war, while Teddy mellows by experiencing first-hand endless suffering. When IRA leaders negotiate an autonomous Free State under the British crown, Teddy defends the pragmatic best possible deal at this stage. Damien however joins the large seceding faction which holds nothing less then a socialist republic will do. The result is another civil war, bloodily opposing former Irish comrades in arms, even the brothers.

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Plot Keywords:

ireland | independence | freedom fighter | resistance | treaty | 

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Taglines:

Winner of the PALME D'OR at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Bim Distribuzione [it]

Country:

Ireland UK Germany Italy Spain France Belgium Switzerland

Language:

English Irish Latin

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

El viento que acaricia el prado

Filming Locations:

Ballyvorney, County Cork, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$76,190 (USA) (16 March 2007)

Gross:

$1,829,142 (USA) (6 July 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sixteen Films, Matador Pictures, Regent Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the cinema scene, the man at the piano is Neil Brand, one of Britain's leading silent cinema accompanists, who in 2006 featured significantly as a composer and accompanist in the BBC television series "Paul Merton's Silent Clowns".

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Goofs

When the players are arguing with the referee during the hurling game, a modern car is parked in the distance, to the left of the referee's head.

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Quotes

Damien: It's easy to know what you are against, but quite another to know what you are for.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 17 March 2007 (2007)

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Soundtracks

"The Doon Reel"
Traditional
Arranged by the performers

User Reviews

Was it worth it?

"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" is a fantastic film, and extremely apt given the current socio-economic climate in Ireland. We seem to be losing part of our heritage everyday, once again slave to foreign influences (both sides of the water) and willing to lose sight of our past to embrace the future. I left the cinema in Navan, Co Meath, wondering to myself "are we really as free as we think we are?". We have the highest debt ratio per capita of any country in the EU, a cost of living that is spiraling ridiculously out of control and criminals that make the Manson family look like the Partridge family. So what did we fight for in the rising of 1916, the War of Independence and the Civil War? To be more like the British? The day of real patriotism is gone, it has been replaced by cash hungry capitalists willing to sell out in the name of progress. Back to the film! This was probably the first "war film" that I have seen that did not over step the mark in terms of taking sides. It was extremely objective and a credit to Ken Loach for the accuracy of his research and the depiction of the times. I would liken it, in some ways, to Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" as it was really devoid of any sustained periods of levity and stayed constantly true to its theme, unconcerned by commercial considerations. A masterpiece of film making and a credit to the superb cast, particularly Murphy and Cunningham. Film of the Decade so far