Albert Finney is a great actor and I haven't seen enough of his films, I just caught this one by accident and I'm glad I did.
I really like the film its great story and it has a good collection of colourful characters played by brilliant actors.
It was good to see David Kelly playing (Christy Ward) other than the 'cod Irish man', in daft comedies like A man about the house.
It's not that complicated to follow the storyline, one just needs to watch the film.
Alfred Byrne (Albert Finney) is trying to put on a play entitled Salome by Oscar Wilde. He cons the priest into allowing the use of the church hall for rehearsals. Carney the butcher (Michael Gambon) was in the play until he actually started to read the story. He then considered it salacious and tried to get evidence, by convincing Lily Byrne (Brenda Fricker) to help by searching her brother Alfred's room. Carney convinced the priest and parish committee of the plays nature, and they decided to withdraw permission for the halls use, making Albert Byrne unable to put on the play.
Albert Byrne is unwise in his choice of venue for his coming out, and gets duffed up for his pains. Bus Inspector Carson rounds on Byrne saying Robbie Fay (conductor on Byrnes bus) knew Byrne "for what he was, and had left him".
Carney tried to turn Christy Ward and fellow thespians and bus passengers against Alfred Byrne and betray him.
But none of it worked, Byrne's actors decided instead to stand by him. Robbie Fay returned saying that he was transferred. He said he did not care about what Carson had said, that Byrne was his mate. He was interested in the play, he knew who Bosie was (Oscar Wildes friend and infatuation. Byrne had continually called Fay Bosie) and that it didn't matter.
Adele Rice (the star of Byrne's play Salome) decided to leave Dublin for England, with her unborn child. Why? This was not an uncommon situation for pregnant women, especially in the 1960s, to try and escape provincial Ireland, in the hope of starting a new life in England.
It was good to see David Kelly playing (Christy Ward) other than the 'cod Irish man', in daft comedies like A man about the house.
It's not that complicated to follow the storyline, one just needs to watch the film.
Alfred Byrne (Albert Finney) is trying to put on a play entitled Salome by Oscar Wilde. He cons the priest into allowing the use of the church hall for rehearsals. Carney the butcher (Michael Gambon) was in the play until he actually started to read the story. He then considered it salacious and tried to get evidence, by convincing Lily Byrne (Brenda Fricker) to help by searching her brother Alfred's room. Carney convinced the priest and parish committee of the plays nature, and they decided to withdraw permission for the halls use, making Albert Byrne unable to put on the play.
Albert Byrne is unwise in his choice of venue for his coming out, and gets duffed up for his pains. Bus Inspector Carson rounds on Byrne saying Robbie Fay (conductor on Byrnes bus) knew Byrne "for what he was, and had left him".
Carney tried to turn Christy Ward and fellow thespians and bus passengers against Alfred Byrne and betray him.
But none of it worked, Byrne's actors decided instead to stand by him. Robbie Fay returned saying that he was transferred. He said he did not care about what Carson had said, that Byrne was his mate. He was interested in the play, he knew who Bosie was (Oscar Wildes friend and infatuation. Byrne had continually called Fay Bosie) and that it didn't matter.
Adele Rice (the star of Byrne's play Salome) decided to leave Dublin for England, with her unborn child. Why? This was not an uncommon situation for pregnant women, especially in the 1960s, to try and escape provincial Ireland, in the hope of starting a new life in England.