In the Name of the Father (1993)

A man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. An English lawyer fights to free them.

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

Gerry Conlon (autobiographical book "Proved Innocent"), Terry George (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie

Top Rated Movies #185 | Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alison Crosbie	...	Girl in Pub
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Gerry Conlon
Philip King	...	Guildford Soldier
Emma Thompson	...	Gareth Peirce
Nye Heron	...	IRA Man 1
Anthony Brophy	...	Danny
Frankie McCafferty	...	Tommo
Paul Warriner	...	Soldier
Julian Walsh	...	Soldier
Stuart Wolfenden	...	Soldier (as Stuart Wolvenden)
Jo Connor	...	Bin Lady
Karen Carlisle	...	Female Rioter
Seamus Moran	...	IRA Man 2
Billy Byrne	...	IRA Man 3
Maureen McBride	...	Mother

Storyline

Young Belfastian Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) admits that he was in London at the time of the incident. He also admits that he is not a model citizen, having committed a petty robbery while in London. He does however profess his innocence when it comes to the bombing of the Guildford Pub in London in 1974, the event which killed several people inside. A self-professed non-political person, he and his three co-accused, dubbed the Guildford Four, are thought to be provisional members of the I.R.A. Their self-professed innocence is despite each having signed a statement of guilt which they claim were signed under duress. Their case includes having provable alibis for the time frame of the bombing. And eventually, Joe McAndrew (Don Baker), a known I.R.A. member, admits to the bombing. Dubbed the Maguire Seven, seven others, primarily members of Gerry's extended family including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite), are accused of being accessories to the bombing. Following on the ...

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Plot Keywords:

prison | father son relationship | based on true story | anti irish bias | psychological manipulation | 

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Taglines:

Falsely accused. Wrongly imprisoned. He fought for justice to clear his father's name.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and politically-geneRated violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Features Pete Postlethwaite's only Oscar-nominated performance.

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Goofs

When Paul and Gerry arrive in London, they walk the streets looking for Paddy's house. One street sign says 'Huskisson Street,' which is in Liverpool, not London.

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Quotes

Giuseppe Conlon: I'm going to die.
Gerry Conlon: Don't be saying that.
Giuseppe Conlon: I'm scared.
Gerry Conlon: There's no reason to be scared. You have nothing to be scared about.
Giuseppe Conlon: Don't you be comforting me when I can see the truth staring me in the face. I'm scared I'm gonna die here.
Gerry Conlon: You're not dying alright?
Giuseppe Conlon: Can I not say a thing without you contradicting me? I'm scared to leave your mother behind.
Gerry Conlon: Look, you are not going to die alright? If you do, sure I can look after Ma alright.
Giuseppe Conlon: You think I'd leave Sara in your care?
Gerry Conlon: What do you mean?
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Picture: November 2011 (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Godfather
Composed by Nino Rota
© Famous Music Corporation
By kind permission of Warner Chappell Music Ltd.

User Reviews

Stunning.

Words cannot accurately describe how affecting this movie is.

The story itself is harrowing, but the way in which Day Lewis portrays Gerry Conlon is heartbreaking at times. Several scenes in the film may be hard to take for those with a sensitive nature.

Captures the mood and the time perfectly for someone like me, who is not Irish, lives nowhere near Guildford and wasn't even alive at the time of the pub bombings.

I really wasn't expecting anything special when I sat down to watch this. I could not have been more wrong.

The soundtrack is great without exception too!

A total and utter classic.

Details

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

In the Name of the Father

Filming Locations:

Upper Thames Street, City of London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$109,805, 2 January 1994

Gross USA:

$25,096,862

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,796,862

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hell's Kitchen Films, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1