The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Brother Brother Relationship | Cell Mate | Poverty | Massacre | Train

Awards:

5 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Cillian Murphy	...	Damien
Padraic Delaney	...	Teddy (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)
Keith Dunphy	...	Terence
Kieran Hegarty	...	Francis
Gerard Kearney	...	Donacha
Shane Nott	...	Ned
Kevin O'Brien	...	Tim
Gary McCarthy	...	Volunteer
Tim O'Mahon	...	Volunteer
Graham Browne	...	Volunteer
Owen Buckley	...	Volunteer
Aidan Fitzpatrick	...	Volunteer
Vince Hannington	...	Volunteer
Denis Kelleher	...	Volunteer
Colin McClery	...	Volunteer
Finbar O'Mahon	...	Volunteer
John Quinlan	...	Volunteer
Peggy Lynch	...	Singer at Wake
Noel O'Donovan	...	Station Guard
Peter O'Mahoney	...	Stoker
Barry Bourke	...	Policeman
Frank O'Sullivan	...	Man in Pub
Diarmuid Ó'Dálaigh	...	Man in Pub
Corina Gough	...	Woman in Search
Roger Allam	...	Sir John Hamilton
Sabrina Barry	...	Julia
William Ruane	...	Johnny Gogan
Danny Riordan	...	Elderly Couple
Peg Crowley	...	Elderly Couple
Fiona Lawton	...	Lily
Kieran Aherne	...	Sweeney
Clare Dineen	...	Mrs. Rafferty
Sean McGinley	...	Father Denis
Tomas OhEalaithe	...	Boy on Bike
Nora Lynch	...	Mother of Sick Child
Diarmuid Ní Mheachair	...	Sick Child
Denis Conway	...	Priest
Barry Looney	...	Ceilidh Band
Connie O'Connail	...	Ceilidh Band
Aine O'Connor	...	Ceilidh Band
Francis O'Connor	...	Ceilidh Band
Peadr O'Riada	...	Ceilidh Band
Neil Brand	...	Newsreel Piano Accompanist
Tom Charnock	...	Sergeant at Cottage
Alan Ready	...	Sergeant at Station
Mark Wakeling	...	Lieutenant
Antony Byrne	...	The Interrogator
Tony Streeter	...	British Soldier (as Marcus Anthony)
William Armstrong	...	British Soldier (as Bill Armstrong)
Christopher Bown	...	British Soldier
Mark Bryce	...	British Soldier
Alex Dee	...	British Soldier
Jonny Holmes	...	British Soldier
Allan Huntley	...	British Soldier
Bill Hurst	...	British Soldier
Daniel Kington	...	British Soldier
Jamie Lomas	...	British Soldier
Anthony Martin	...	British Soldier
Owen McQuade	...	British Soldier
Richard Oldham	...	British Soldier
Colin Parry	...	British Soldier
Scott Peden	...	British Soldier
Bernie Sweeney	...	British Soldier
Derek Taylor	...	British Soldier
Neil Alan Taylor	...	British Soldier
Gregor Wood	...	British Soldier
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fergus Burke	...	Theatre attendant
Niall McCarthy	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Ken Loach

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paul Laverty		writer

Produced by
Camilla Bray	....	assistant producer
Ulrich Felsberg	....	executive producer
Andrew Lowe	....	executive producer
Redmond Morris	....	co-producer
Rebecca O'Brien	....	producer
Nigel Thomas	....	executive producer
Paul Trijbits	....	executive producer

Original Music by
George Fenton

Cinematography by
Barry Ackroyd

Film Editing by
Jonathan Morris

Casting by
Oonagh Kearney

Production Design by
Fergus Clegg

Art Direction by
Michael Higgins
Mark Lowry

Costume Design by
Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh

Makeup Department
Orla Carrol	....	hair designer (as Orla Carroll)
Lynn Johnson	....	makeup designer (as Lynn Johnston)
Patricia Kirkman	....	hair assistant
Aisling Nairn	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Carol Moorhead	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dennis Fitzpatrick	....	trainee assistant director
David Gilchrist	....	first assistant director
Kevin O'Leary	....	trainee assistant director
Marie-Celine O'Reilly	....	trainee assistant director (as Marie Celine O'Reilly)
Michael Queen	....	second assistant director
Sonya Supple-Gildea	....	third assistant director
Laura Treacy	....	trainee assistant director
Adrienne Greenhalgh	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Alex Bassett	....	carpenter
Phil Bowen	....	carpenter
Mark Brady	....	carpenter
Jenni Cooney	....	assistant art director
Keith Cullen	....	props
Paul Curren	....	painter
Sam Curren	....	painter
Neville Gaynor	....	painter
Bobby Gee	....	painter
Jimmy Irwin	....	plasterer
Stanley Irwin	....	plasterer (as Stan Irwin)
Dave Kinsella	....	props (as David Kinsella)
Richard Lynch	....	props
James McGetrick	....	props
James McGetrick	....	stand-by props
Eoin O'Brien	....	props
Eleanor O'Leary	....	art department trainee
Kevin Queripyle	....	props
Gerard Richardson	....	carpenter
Alex Robertson	....	carpenter
Danny Sumsion	....	construction manager
Graham Waters	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Julie Ankerson	....	foley artist
Ray Beckett	....	sound
Ben Brazier	....	foley mixer
Kevin Brazier	....	sound
Robert Brazier	....	sound effects editor
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer
Peter Murphy	....	boom operator (as Pete Murphy)
Chris O'Dwyer	....	assistant sound
Ian Tapp	....	additional sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Aidan Byrne	....	special effects technician
Brendan Byrne	....	special effects technician
Kevin Byrne	....	special effects technician
Michael Kearns	....	special effects technician
Jimmy Lumsden	....	special effects technician
Pat Redmond	....	special effects supervisor: Team Effects
Dave Roddham	....	special effects technician
Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Matthew Bristowe	....	digital lab producer: MPC
Gary J. Brown	....	digital effects artist
Begoña Lopez	....	digital lab producer: MPC
David Scott	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Marc Cass	....	stunt coordinator
Marc Cass	....	stunt performer
Dave Fisher	....	stunt performer
Paul Heasman	....	stunt coordinator
Paul Herbert	....	stunt performer
Crispin Layfield	....	stunt performer
Gordon Seed	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Roger Altmann	....	best boy
Joss Barratt	....	still photographer
Noel Cullen	....	electrician
Tony Devlin	....	electrician
Jeremy Gee	....	second camera operator
Jörg Gönner	....	second focus puller (as Jorg Donner)
Eric Greenberg	....	second focus puller
Martin Holland	....	electrician
Carl Hudson	....	focus puller
Romy Kaa	....	clapper loader
Georg Nonnenmacher	....	gaffer
Andrew O'Reilly	....	clapper loader
Rory O'Riordan	....	camera trainee

Casting Department
Kahleen Crawford	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Maire Begley	....	costume trainee
Patch Corcoran	....	costume assistant (as Patricia Corcoran)
Catherine Dalton	....	costume assistant
Valerie Kelly	....	costume assistant
Debbie Millington	....	assistant costume designer
Ger Scully	....	costume supervisor
Morgan Semmens	....	costume assistant (as Morgan Jay Semmens)
Cathy Young	....	costume trainee

Editorial Department
Mark Wright	....	negative cutter

Transportation Department
Ricky Donovan	....	driver
Mervyn Ewing	....	driver
David Houlihan	....	driver
Malte Mann	....	driver
Gavin McGlashan	....	action vehicle coordinator
Deann Mulligan	....	driver
Eamonn Murphy	....	transport coordinator
Shulagh O'Day	....	driver
Michael Phelan	....	transportation coordinator
Michael Phelan	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Patrick Cahill	....	assistant location manager (as Paddy Cahill)
Michelle Carew	....	production team
Miriam Coleman	....	second location manager
Louise Cornally	....	business affairs executive: Element Films
Terry Flemming	....	military advisor
George Foley	....	military advisor
Adrienne Greenhalgh	....	crowd coordinator
Alistair Griggs	....	production team
Dan Harvey	....	military advisor
Mike Hayes	....	production team
Susanna Lenton	....	script supervisor
John McKenna	....	armorer
Cathy Mooney	....	production coordinator
Stephen Morrisey	....	production team
Audie Murphy	....	military advisor
Maria O'Connor	....	location manager
Donal O'Driscoll	....	historical advisor
Seamus Porter	....	assistant location manager
Jane Roche	....	production team
Roger Smith	....	script consultant
Stephen Talbot	....	assistant armorer
Charlotte Walls	....	production team
Alan Walsh	....	military advisor

Production Companies

• BIM Distribuzione
• Bórd Scannán na hÉireann
• EMC Produktion
• Element Films
• Film Coop
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Matador Pictures
• Pathé Distribution
• Regent Capital (in association with)
• Sixteen Films
• TV3 Television Network Ireland
• Tornasol Films S.A.
• UK Film Council

Distributors

• Bir Film (2006) (Turkey) (all media)
• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Bazuca Films (2007) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Christal Films (2006) (Canada) (all media)
• Cinequanon (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Diaphana Films (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (all media)
• IFC First Take (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Pathé Distributors (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Pathé International (2006) (worldwide) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Team FX (special effects)
• Moving Picture Company (MPC) (digital effects)
• Munky (digital effects)

Other Companies

• Bórd Scannán na hÉireann  funding
• Cutting Edge  negative cutting
• Malde & Co.  auditors
• Pinewood Studios  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

Vent se lève, Le (France)
Vento che accarezza l'erba, Il (Italy)
Viento que agita la cebada, El (Spain)

Runtime:

UK:127 min

Country:

Ireland | UK | Germany | Italy | Spain | France

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Sweden:15 | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Chile:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | USA:Not Rated | Germany:12 | France:U (with warning) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Ballyvorney, County Cork, Ireland

Company:

BIM Distribuzione

Trivia:

In the cinema scene, the man at the piano is really playing it. He's 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".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the players are arguing with the referee during the opening hurling game, a modern car can be seen parked in the distance to the left of the referee's head.

Quotes:

Damien: I tried not to get into this war, and did, now I try to get out, and can't.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-03-17)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Oró! Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile

One of Loach's best

The remarkably low rating that this film has so far received (4.1 as of Thursday 8th of June) is indicative of its ability to raise the hackles of people who haven't even seen it. How can it be otherwise when the film has not yet been released? 135 people have voted; have all of these 135 people actually watched the film? Of course not. They're just voting on the basis of their perceptions or assumptions concerning its political agenda. IMDb voters are not alone in this; already Simon Heffer in The Daily Telegraph, Dominic Lawson in The Independent, Ruth Dudley-Edwards in The Daily Mail and Michael Gove in The Times are attacking a film they haven't seen (by their own admission). These attacks are the predictable reaction of empire apologists unable to abide the depiction of the dark and brutal underside of that imperial machine, or the suggestion that anyone on the receiving end of that brutality might be justified in rebelling against it. The title of Dudley-Edward's lazy hack-job says it all, really: 'Why does Ken Loach loathe his country?' Loach is a traitor, and must be punished, the rotter.

It's a pity that this political controversy seems poised to overwhelm discussion of the film, because it's an extremely able piece of cinema and deserves to be seen as such. Barry Ackroyd's cinematography is superb, ably capturing the beauty of the Irish countryside without indulging in it. We are rooted in a locale without being lavished with pretty pictures. The acting is also excellent. The charismatic Cillian Murphy carries the movie, but the support from Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald, Aidan O'Hare and Padraic Delaney is also commendable.

But it's the collaboration between Loach and his scriptwriter Paul Laverty that makes the film something like a masterpiece. The grim progress from the murder of an Irish youth to the growth of an armed I.R.A. campaign, with its attendant violence (shown in stark and horrifying detail) is expertly managed; the only let-up comes not far from the end, after the signing of the 1921 peace treaty. Loach tries to show the brief jubilation and relief that ensues, but in terms of momentum almost drops the ball. The pace is re-established in time for the inexorable tragic denouement, and the film's final emotional impact is considerable. The load is occasionally lightened by the odd touch of Loach's characteristic wry comedy, such as the belligerence of the opening hurling game, the teenage message-boy who loses his message, the melodramatic pianist accompanying the newsreel announcing the momentous news of the creation of the Free State.

One of the most disturbing scenes occurs when a group of I.R.A. men return from a successful battle and discover a farmhouse being attacked and destroyed by a group of British soldiers. The rebels, who have no ammunition left, are forced to look on, concealed in the bushes; they watch powerless as the farmhouse's inhabitants are abused. We watch along with the characters, just as helpless as they are. Why do we watch? Do we want to intervene, to play the hero and save the day? Do we perhaps enjoy it? The trouble with many so-called anti-war films, as Loach has said, is that they outwardly condemn the violence while at the same time encouraging (intentionally or not) a vicarious pleasure in the thrill of it all. We want to take part, we imagine how we would behave in such circumstances (of course, we usually imagine ourselves behaving with impeccable bravery and surviving to fight another day). This scene, rather than placing us in the thick of the action, forces us to occupy the position of impotent bystander. Perhaps this is what being a film-goer is all about: powerless voyeurism. As we watch the country tear itself apart in civil war, manipulated by a devious and callous colonial master, this point becomes all the more pertinent. A quietly devastating film.