IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER

Ireland/UK, 2003, 133 minutes, Colour.
Daniel Day Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite, John Lynch, Mark Sheppard, Beatie Edney, Marie Jones, Corin Redgrave, Don Baker, Paterson Joseph.
Directed by Jim Sheridan.

In the Name of the Father is one of several very successful and moving films made by Jim Sheridan during the 1990s. Sheridan had made an impact with his biography of Christy Brown, My Left Foot (1989) for which he was nominated for an Oscar and which won Oscars for Daniel Day Lewis as best actor and Brenda Fricker as best supporting actress. He then went on to make the Oscar-nominated The Field, a bleak story of a family in the west of Ireland in the 1920s. Then came In the Name of the Father which was followed by The Boxer, a tough story of Ireland with Daniel Day Lewis and Emily Watson.

In the 1980s, Jim Sheridan had migrated to New York City with his wife and children. This became the subject of a sweet and somewhat sentimental story, In America, also receiving many Oscar nominations. However, he surprised all his fans with his 2006 film, Get Rich or Die Trying with the rapper, Fifty Cents.

In the Name of the Father has a strong screenplay which was written by Terry George, with whom he had collaborated with other films. George also made after this his own story about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, especially Bobby Sands and The Maze prison, Some Mothers’ Sons. (Terry George also went on to direct the highly successful and incisive Hotel Rwanda.)

The film recreates the period of the 70s, the Troubles in Belfast. It has fine performances by Daniel Day Lewis as the young Gerry Conlon who has to mature through his experiences in jail and his interaction with his father. Pete Postlethwaite received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Giuseppe Conlon, a good man, framed, suffering in prison – but having the possibility of getting to know and understand his son. (It is pointed out that a lot of the details of the film are not entirely accurate, for instance, Giuseppe and Gerry Conlon did not share a cell as shown in the film. It is a kind of Irish mythologising on the part of Sheridan about issues of the Troubles as well as relationships between fathers and sons.)

There is strong support, especially from Emma Thompson as the lawyer Gareth Pierce, who takes up the cause of the Conlons. The strong supporting cast includes John Lynch as Paul Hill and an icy Corin Redgrave as Robert Dixon, the man responsible for the condemnation of the Guildford Four.

1.Acclaim for the film? Awards and nominations? A critique of the British justice system? A portrait of the Troubles in Northern Ireland? Impact for Irish and British audiences? For world audiences?

2.The impact of the film, the re-creation of life during the Troubles in Belfast, ordinary families, the military presence, bombings, pursuits and arrests? Prison sentences? Prison and the details of prison life? The British courts? The Irish reaction, the feelings of the 70s and 80s? The musical score and the Irish overtones?

3.The title, The Lord’s Prayer? The religious dimensions of the film? Giuseppe Conlon and his Catholicism? The importance of the relationship between father and son? The family drama, the father and his imprisonment, his innocence, his crusade, the effect on his son? The irony that Giuseppe and Gerry Conlon did not spend so much time in the same cell? Mythmaking about the relationship between father and son?

4.The background of the IRA, its history? Belfast and the 1970s? The conflicts between the IRA and the British military? The presence of the British troops? The riots, the bombs and shooting, for ordinary people, the effect on the Conlons? Gerry Conlon considered unsuitable for the police and getting a job? His attempts? The significance of the British action in Ireland and of British legislation after the 70s? Unlimited detention, the attitude towards terrorism, interrogations and torture?

5.The presentation of the British authorities, the law, the judge and Louise? The physical and verbal abuse of prisoners, torture? The pressures on the prisoners? Forced confessions? Innocent and ignorant scapegoats? The role of public opinion in the UK, condemnatory of Irish terrorism? Secret files, material not shown to the defence? Official lies? Truth being told but its being ignored? The change of attitude in the 80s, archives being opened, the truth being told, the expose of judicial officials, of the police? The aftermath and the freeing of Gerry Conlon and fellow prisoners?

6.The Guildford Four? The actual bombings and destruction? Public opinion? The need for prosecution? The leads, the arrest of Gerry and the others? The nature of the court case, the confessions and interrogation? The desperate confessions? Fear?

7.Daniel Day Lewis as Gerry Conlon, making something of a heroic figure of someone who in real life was not so heroic? The tearaway teenager, young man? With the gangs, using drugs, petty robbery, petty criminal? His family background? His relationship with his father, his father being strict, the reprimand about cheating at games? A good young man, with bad? The tape, Mrs Pierce? The family scenes, stealing, his showing off? The sniper, the chase, the damage? The role of Sinn Fein? Giuseppe and his reaction to his son’s behaviour, his mother’s concern? Getting him to the United Kingdom, to the wharf? The meeting with Paul Hill? The irresponsible friendship?

8.Gerry and his going to London, his meeting with his aunt, finding flats, accommodation? The range of friends, relationships, the squat? The drugs? Relationships, ambitions? Stealing from the prostitute? The old man? The phone calls?

9.Sleeping in the park, being chased, the arrests? The brutality and the treatment, the protests? Gerry and his being in Ireland, deported to the UK? The reaction to his aunt, her arrest, her children, the detention?

10.The seven days of interrogation, the pressure, the torture?

11.Dixon, his official stance, other authorities? The decisions made, the prejudices, the making of a good impression? Public opinion? Later, the authorities and the law? The winning of the case and his wife? Later and the exposure of the lies? The archives and the loss of protection? The irony of Gareth Pearce and her getting the file?

12.The character of Giuseppe Conlon? Pete Postlethwaite’s performance, sympathy? A good man, trying his best at home, relationship with his wife, children, concern about Gerry? His talk with his son, angers, Gerry thinking that his father never thought he would be good enough? His love for him? The framing of Giuseppe Conlon? His sharing the cell with his son? A chance for each to get to know each other? Gerry, his behaviour in the jail, his coming under the influence of McAndrew? McAndrew? and his being one of the bombers? Gerry and the drugs, becoming more sullen? The importance of the prayer, the image of Calvary? Giuseppe, the crusade? His illness? The cold, Gerry helping? Their being reconciled, Gerry taking up the cause? The arrival of Gareth Pierce? Giuseppe’s death? Gerry vindicating his father? The title?

13.The case, the witnesses, Paul Hill, the various people in the flat, Paddy Armstrong, Carole Richardson? The importance of Annie Maguire and the condemnation of all of them? Their innocence, the hardships in prison? The long time in prison?

14.Gareth Pierce, her legal background, her looking at the evidence in the 1980s, the tape, going to visit Gerry? Her being persuaded of the truth of the case? Her attitude towards Giuseppe? Her research, the archives, interrogations? Dixon? Her building up her case, the presentation of the case? Her finding the file not to be shown to the defence? Charlie Burke’s confirmation for an alibi for Hill and Conlon? The appeal hearing? Her speeches? The stances of the judge? The sentence against the Guildford Four being quashed? Their being freed? Gerry Conlon in the courtroom, his pledge about his father? Clearing his good name?

15.The prison sequences, the detail of life in prisons in the 70s and 80s? The attitudes of the authorities, the warders? The drama of the sequence where McAndrew? was stirring up hate against the warders, the flamethrower and the warder being injured? The irony of Gerry showing compassion and going to his rescue? His disillusionment with McAndrew? The possibilities of some kind of truth, maturing and redemption? The parallels with Giuseppe’s death – and the warders all lighting the candles and throwing them into the snow in memory and tribute to him?

16.The importance of Catholicism for Giuseppe Conlon, the background of the gospels, his being a suffering Christ figure? The impact of his father’s example on Gerry?

17.A successful film in alerting audiences to this aspect of Irish history, of the Troubles, of British attitudes, of injustices and prejudice?