Angela's Ashes
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Angela's Ashes
Plot
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes is an alternately funny and heartbreaking look at growing up in Ireland. Born in Brooklyn, NY, young Frank (Joe Breen) moves at an early age to Limerick, Ireland, with his parents Angela (Emily Watson) and Malachy (Robert Carlyle), who have been unable to support their family in America and are hoping for better prospects in their home country. But things hardly improve once they settle in Limerick; as McCourt puts it, "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. Worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." Illness and death are commonplace in Limerick, and Malachy's drinking and inability to hold a job make matters worse. Angela's Ashes was directed by Alan Parker, who previously looked at Irish life in The Commitments (1991); Laura Jones wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, RoviCast
- Emily Watson - Angela McCourt
- Robert Carlyle - Malachy McCourt
- Joe Breen - Young Frank
- Ciaran Owens - Middle Frank
- Michael Legge - Older Frank
Credit
Fiona Daly - Art Director, Jonathan McKinstry - Art Director, Malcolm Middleton - Supervising Art Director, Kit Golden - Associate Producer, Doochy Moult - Associate Producer, Ros Hubbard - Casting, Juliet Taylor - Casting, John Hubbard - Casting, Morgan O'Sullivan - Co-producer, James Flynn - Co-producer, Consolata Boyle - Costume Designer, Tommy Gormley - First Assistant Director, Dennis Maguire - First Assistant Director, Alan Parker - Director, Gerry Hambling - Editor, Adam Schroeder - Executive Producer, Eric Steel - Executive Producer, David Wimbury - Line Producer, John Williams - Composer (Music Score), Michael Roberts - Camera Operator, Geoffrey Kirkland - Production Designer, Michael Seresin - Cinematographer, David Brown - Producer, Alan Parker - Producer, Scott Rudin - Producer, Jennifer Williams - Set Designer, Ken Weston - Sound/Sound Designer, Eddy Joseph - Sound Editor, Laura Jones - Screenwriter, Alan Parker - Screenwriter, Frank McCourt - Book Author, Laurence O'Toole - Graphic Design| Angela Spivey: Determined (2002 Film), Angela Mooney Dies Again (1997 Film) | |
| Angela: Portrait of a Revolutionary (1971 Film), Angelan Sota (1984 Film) |
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Angela's Ashes
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Angela's Ashes (film)
| Angela's Ashes | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Alan Parker |
| Produced by | David Brown Scott Rudin |
| Screenplay by | Laura Jones |
| Based on | Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt |
| Narrated by | Andrew Bennett |
| Starring | Emily Watson Robert Carlyle Michael Legge Ciaran Owens Joe Breen |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Cinematography | Michael Seresin |
| Editing by | Gerry Hambling |
| Studio | Scott Rudin Productions David Brown Productions Dirty Hands Productions |
| Distributed by | United States Paramount Pictures International Universal Studios |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | United States ‹See Tfd› Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $13,042,112 |
Angela's Ashes is a 1999 Irish-American drama film based on the memoir of the same title by Frank McCourt. It was directed by Alan Parker and starred Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, and Michael Legge (the latter three playing the Young, Middle and Older Frank McCourt respectively).
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Contents
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Plot
Angela's Ashes tells the story of Frank McCourt and his childhood after his family are forced to move from America back to Ireland because of financial difficulties and family problems derived from his father's alcoholism. The film chronicles young McCourt's life in Limerick, Ireland, during his childhood in the 1930s and 1940s, the difficulties that ensued, and finally Frank's way of earning enough money to return to the land of his dreams: America. Michael Legge was praised for his portrayal of the adolescent Frank. In particular, he was said to acquiesce his role as an innocent teenager growing up with typical coming of age rites such as sexuality, maturity and peer pressure in a Catholic Irish setting.
Cast
- Emily Watson as Angela McCourt
- Robert Carlyle as Malachy McCourt
- Devon Murray as Middle Malachy
- Joe Breen as Young Frank
- Ciaran Owens as Middle Frank
- Michael Legge as Older Frank
- Kerry Condon as Theresa Carmondy
- Ronnie Masterson as Grandma Sheehan
- Pauline McLynn as Aunt Aggie
- Liam Carney as Uncle Pa Keating
- Eanna MacLiam as Uncle Pat
- Susan Fitzgerald as Sister Rita
- Eamonn Owens as Quasimodo
- Martin Benson as Christian brother
- Andrew Bennett as Narrator (voice)
- Alan Parker (cameo) as Dr. Campbell
Location
Although set in Limerick, many street scenes were filmed in Cork. For example, the 'fleas in the mattress' scene was filmed at Farren Street, Blackpool, whilst other scenes were shot at Roche's Buildings, Lr John Street, and Barrack Street.[1]
Reception
Angela's Ashes currently holds a 52% 'rotten' rating and the consensus "In spite of its attempts to accurately record Frank McCourt's memoirs, the onscreen adaptation fails to capture any of the drama or humor of his life" on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.[2]
Based on a $25 million budget, the film grossed a domestic total of $13,042,112, making it a box office bomb.[3]
Soundtrack
The film soundtrack was composed and conducted by John Williams, and features songs by Billie Holiday and Sinéad O'Connor.
Despite the film's reception, Williams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2000.
References
- ^ Blackpool Historical Society, Cork
- ^ Angela's Ashes at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=angelasashes.htm
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Angela's Ashes (film) |
- Angela's Ashes at the Internet Movie Database
- Angela's Ashes at AllRovi
- Angela's Ashes at Box Office Mojo
- Angela's Ashes at Rotten Tomatoes
- Angela's Ashes at Metacritic
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Mentioned in
Frank McCourt
(literature)
Angela's Ashes
(1999 Album by Original Soundtrack)
The McCourts of New York
(1999 History Film)
The McCourts of Limerick
(1997 Culture & Society Film)
Historic Pubs of Dublin
(2008 Leisure Arts Film)
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