Review of the Film Adaptation of The Butcher Boy
‘The butcher boy’ was made into a film adaptation in 1997 by Neill Jordan and author of the original book Patrick McCabe. The Novel was highly praised and controversial. Many saw it as the best account of Irish childhood. Its time frame is reminiscent of the
early 1960's. It is about a young boy called Francie Brady who becomes isolated from reality and eventually commit’s the ultimate sin of murder from this isolation he is experiencing. He is the victim of a dysfunctional family and of the effects of modernization in Ireland at this time and we soon realize that he has been raised in an atmosphere of inhumanity. Both Novel and film cover themes such as identity, the effects of modernization and foreign influences, the dysfunctional family, childhood friendship, community gossip and prejudice.
Director Neil Jordan made the film adaptation of McCabe’s ‘The Butcher Boy’ as close to the novel as he could possibly get. This film was a huge success for Neil Jordan and for the future of the Irish film. “The Butcher Boy” covered themes that were relevant to the 1960’s but also keeping with the themes that saturated Irish film in recent years such as the romanticised Ireland which Jordan depicted in a different way. This film showed another way of portraying the small town Irish, away from the stereotypes and romanticism of Ireland. The film does have omissions from the novel but Jordan brought along the general themes and thoughts that so often ran through the novel. Throughout the film we get an insight into Irish society at this breath taking time and its effects in particular the effects of modernisation in Ireland, specifically...
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...ad Bastards’ and once again talks to Our Lady, this does not happen in the novel.
To conclude I would say that the film adaptation of McCabe’s ‘The Butcher Boy’ was a very close one to the original story. As I argued, Jordan brought along the major themes running through the novel and made them work on a cinematic level. This was a major achievement for Jordan as a Director and for the Irish film industry. It was a story of childhood and psychosis rather then a “state of the nation” piece on contemporary Ireland (McLoone pg 216). Jordan attained this in my opinion. He achieved sympathy without making the story overly tragic and sad and miserable. This film was a fantastic version of the novel and I cannot add or subtract any parts to it that would have made it any better so overall it was a huge success as a film adaptation and as a blockbuster.
Anti-Semitism is the hatred and discrimination of those with a Jewish heritage. It is generally connected to the Holocaust, but the book by Helmut Walser Smith, The Butcher’s Tale shows the rise of anti-Semitism from a grassroots effect. Smith uses newspapers, court orders, and written accounts to write the history and growth of anti-Semitism in a small German town. The book focuses on how anti-Semitism was spread by fear mongering, the conflict between classes, and also the role of the government.
Throughout The Butcher’s Tale: Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town, the murder of Ernst Winter in Konitz is very much a reflection of the overall attitudes of many Europeans during the early 20th century. It was clear that once the anti-Semitic attitudes started to become prominent in society, they spiraled out of control and started to take over entire communities. The Jewish people were blamed for crimes they did not commit, were excluded from society, and suffered from acts of violence and hate speech. Wild stories began to be spread all over town and people started to believe everything they heard, even if there was no substance behind it. This caused lots of problems in Germany, as well as Europe in general, since many people got
Many people are intrigued by Kurt Vonnegut’s borderline sci-fi, anti-war book Slaughterhouse-Five, and how it has survived throughout the ages. Kurt Vonnegut is an innovative best selling, award winning author of many book such as; Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse-Five etc.The book Slaughterhouse-Five has no beginning, middle or end past the first chapter so it is very common for Billy Pilgrim to “time bounce” from his childhood, to the war, and to his elderly years and not all in that order. Billy Pilgrim is a man that did not have the greatest luck when it came to being a soldier.For instance “He was a scrawny, untrained private with scraps for a uniform such a creature could walk through war, oblivious yet unscathed, while so many others with more appropriate attire and provisions perish”(Sparknotes Editor). Mr. Vonnegut lived through some of the events portrayed in the book Slaughterhouse-Five such as the American air raid of Dresden, Germany. On February 13-14, 1945 nearly 135,000 Germans were killed from the tragic firebombing of the city of Dresden,Germany. In the book Billy claims to have lived this tragic event several times over. Mr. Vonnegut was a soldier of the 423rd Infantry Regiment, and 106 Infantry Division and earned a Purple Heart for his service after being injured at the Battle of The Bulge (Vonnegut.com). Many soldier in our day and age that fought in WWII and after have suffered from PTSD. An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, with women (10.4%) twice as likely as men (5%) to develop PTSD. About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 54 (5.2 mil...
Frank McCourt’s reputable memoir embodies the great famine occurring in the 1930s of Limerick. During the twentieth century of Ireland, mass starvation, disease and emigration were the causes of numerous deaths. Likewise, food is in high demand in the McCourt family; practically, in every chapter the family is lacking essential meals and nutritious food. However, the McCourt family isn’t th...
I have chosen to review the film Boyhood written by Richard Linklater that took twelve years to film. In the movie Boyhood, it illustrates the life of a boy named Mason Jr. through the many stages of his childhood to adolescence to becoming an adult. The movie follows Mason Jr.’s life through his years of kindergarten, middle school, high school, and to college. Through these milestones in his life encounters society with socialization, culture and norms that are exhibited through his family, friends, and others. With factors of social classes, and gender that influence Mason Jr. as he grows and fits into the society that is formed. From the events and milestones in Boyhood, it is able to show human behaviour in society from our
Comparing Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Twentieth Century Interpretations of Dubliners. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: 1968. Torchiana, Donald T. Backgrounds for Joyce’s Dubliners. Allen & Unwin, Inc. Winchester, Massachusetts: 1986.
In James Joyce’s Dubliners, the theme of escape tends to be a trend when characters are faced with critical decisions. Joyce’s novel presents a bleak and dark view of Ireland; his intentions by writing this novel are to illustrate people’s reasons to flee Ireland. In the stories “Eveline, “Counterparts”, and the “Dead”, characters are faced with autonomous decisions that shape their lives. This forlorn world casts a gloomy shadow over the characters of these stories. These stories are connected by their similar portrayal of Ireland. They clearly represent Joyce’s views on people’s discontent with Ireland.
The bombing of a pub is what we are first presented to in the beginning of this movie. At the same time, we are introduced to a woman in a car listening to a cassette recording of Gerry Conlon talking about his younger years. At this time, he is a political prisoner. While he is talking we are being taken back to his younger years. Gerry used to steal lead sheets from the rooftop of row houses and sell them. While he is holding a pipe, he is mistaken by British soldiers for holding a rifle. A lot happens and he ends up starting a riot.
There is a frequently quoted saying that all good things must come to an end. Such is the case, quite routinely, with author Roald Dahl, whose vast literary works that range from beloved children’s novels such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to chilling short stories such as “Lamb to the Slaughter” incorporate, in some way, a sense of finality. In regards to his short stories, Dahl particularly encompasses this theme as he uses the element of surprise juxtaposed with death to create a realm in which impulsive passion dictates the actions of his characters.
A collection of short stories published in 1907, Dubliners, by James Joyce, revolves around the everyday lives of ordinary citizens in Dublin, Ireland (Freidrich 166). According to Joyce himself, his intention was to "write a chapter of the moral history of [his] country and [he] chose Dublin for the scene because the city seemed to [b]e the centre of paralysis" (Friedrich 166). True to his goal, each of the fifteen stories are tales of disappointment, darkness, captivity, frustration, and flaw. The book is divided into four sections: childhood, adolescence, maturity, and public life (Levin 159). The structure of the book shows that gradually, citizens become trapped in Dublin society (Stone 140). The stories portray Joyce's feeling that Dublin is the epitome of paralysis and all of the citizens are victims (Levin 159). Although each story from Dubliners is a unique and separate depiction, they all have similarities with each other. In addition, because the first three stories -- The Sisters, An Encounter, and Araby parallel each other in many ways, they can be seen as a set in and of themselves. The purpose of this essay is to explore one particular similarity in order to prove that the childhood stories can be seen as specific section of Dubliners. By examining the characters of Father Flynn in The Sisters, Father Butler in An Encounter, and Mangan's sister in Araby, I will demonstrate that the idea of being held captive by religion is felt by the protagonist of each story. In this paper, I argue that because religion played such a significant role in the lives of the middle class, it was something that many citizens felt was suffocating and from which it was impossible to get away. Each of the three childhood stories uses religion to keep the protagonist captive. In The Sisters, Father Flynn plays an important role in making the narrator feel like a prisoner. Mr. Cotter's comment that "… a young lad [should] run about and play with young lads of his own age…" suggests that the narrator has spent a great deal of time with the priest. Even in death, the boy can not free himself from the presence of Father Flynn (Stone 169) as is illustrated in the following passage: "But the grey face still followed me. It murmured; and I understood that it desired to confess something.
... instances where the boys can no longer suppress their darkest urges, they lose all former ties with a civilized lifestyle. Once these ties are sufficiently severed there is nowhere for the boys to turn, other than towards the darkness and savagery within each and every one of them. This darkness can seem thick and impenetrable, however, just a glimpse of civilization and order can lighten the darkness within anyone. William Golding, while realizing this fact, chose to share it with the world by writing this tale. He showed that even the most proper British boys can become savage beasts within a few days, and then return to their old civilized lives once reintroduced by a familiar figure. No one is so far gone that they cannot be saved, and no one is immune to the savagery within.
The film begins in Dublin Ireland in the year 1916, the setting was during the Easter uprising which was a rebellion that was started by a group of Irish nationalists against the British Government that was in Ireland. Within the first few minutes of the film, the leaders of the rebellion were taken by British troops and executed by firing squad. Michael Collins at this time was not in a leadership role and therefore was not as much of a threat. He was however imprisoned along with Harry Boland for their role and after a few months, were released in December. Eamon de Valera, who was one of the leaders and played a significant role in the film, was taken to jail and put into a holding cell awaiting his execution and then Michael Collins and Harry Boland, broke him out of jail. Historically, that did not happen. Valera was sent to jail but was not executed because he was born in America and was released approximately one year later...
Each of the stories in Dubliners consists of a portrait in which Dublin contributes to the dehumanizing experience of modem life. The boy in the story "Araby" is intensely subject to the city's dark, hopeless conformity, and his tragic yearning toward the exotic in the face of drab, ugly reality forms the center of the story.
[1] Tobin, Colm, ed. The Penguin Book of Irish Fiction. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.