ANGELA'S ASHES
Although the film is named after Angela, its main character and narrator
is Frankie. At first played by Joe Breen, Frankie tells us the story of
his family's trials after they moved back to Limerick, Ireland, from New
York in the 1930s. Because his father is from the Protestant northern region,
he is shunned by Angela's Catholic family and community, and therefore is
practically unable to get a job. The trouble is, on the few occasions when
he does find employment, Malachy invariably spends his pay on liquor and
is subsequently fired. But despite his failings, Frank's love for him never
wavers. Ignorance and disease are rampant in the lanes of Limerick during
the period, and the family suffers the loss of a child on more than one
occasion. Frank's life unfolds as he grows to a pre-teen (played by Ciaran
Owens) and then a young adult (Michael Legge), and we are privy to such
life-changing events as his first communion, his first job, his first experience
with love (and sex), his bout with typhus, and the effects of being constantly
surrounded by death and disease.
Despite the generally tragic and depressing nature of the subject matter,
Angela's Ashes is a surprisingly funny film at times. Not only do
we enjoy the subtle talents of veteran writer-director-producer Parker (The
Road To Wellville, Evita), but the script and all three of the
young actors portraying Frankie let us see his occasional sarcastic side
and the developing qualities of observation that will eventually lead him
to become an author. The film contains a recurring voiceover narrative by
the adult Frank which moves the story along and provides a nice orative
counterpoint to the expressive behavior of the actors. The opressive "Limerick
damp," which infects so many children with consumption, is evoked by
the constant rain and filth in the streets; one can almost feel (and smell)
the wet, dingy environment. The strong Catholic sentiment of the community
is illustrated by a crucifix visible in almost every interior scene. Uniformly
good work by a huge supporting cast, which reads like a Dublin phone book,
and beautiful music by John Williams and cinema by Michael Seresin make
it a lovely treatise on the pleasures and pains of being a poor boy in 1930s
Ireland.
There have been a number of excellent films in recent years which have drawn inspiration from the Irish point of view, including the aforementioned Waves, The Boxer, in which Watson also appeared, The Full Monty (which featured Carlyle), and Waking Ned Devine. In a way, they may all make us question the validity of the phrase "luck of the Irish," but Angela's Ashes certainly perpetuates the good fortune afforded the film industry by the turmoil-ridden Emerald Isle. ****½