Main Cast: Bill Campbell, William McNamara, Angus MacFadyen, Gabriel Byrne, Jean Butler
Release Year: 1996
Country: UK
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Many may not know that Ireland maintained its neutrality during World War II, so that any soldiers from that conflict who found themselves on Irish soil had to be kept in captivity until the war's end. For a variety of aeronautical reasons, quite a few Axis and Allied pilots found themselves having to bail out over Ireland. In this film, captives Miles Keogh (Bill Campbell), a Canadian pilot, and Count Rudolph von Stegenbek (Angus Macfadyen), a German pilot, are rivals for the affections of Mattie Guerin (Jean Butler), a local Irish girl. How this rivalry continues is just part of the story of this exciting and romantic film. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
What viewers can learn from The Brylcreem Boys is surprising: (1) the Republic of Ireland maintained a Second World War POW camp housing American, Canadian, British, and German soldiers from downed planes or wrecked boats; (2) Jean Butler, that lithe lass of Riverdance fame, can act--passably, at least; and (3) a low-budget, nonviolent film (except for fisticuffs) can be entertaining. True, two British newspapers, The London Daily Mail and The London Evening Standard, lambasted this film as bosh after it debuted in 1997. So what else is new? Was there ever a time when the British liked anything Irish? Although the production was filmed on the Isle of Man off the northwest coast of England, the POW's were actually held at Curragh Prison, an internment camp near the town of Naas, about 25 miles from Dublin. Generally, the motion picture comes under the heading of "antiwar film" because it depicts, in microcosm, bitter enemies who learn to co-exist. But it contains nice touches of romance, droll humor, and suspense. There is also a nasty Irish taskmaster ever ready to fell malcontents with the butt of his rifle. Apparently, he is the token sadist meant to demonstrate that neutral Irishmen could be just as reprehensible as Axis and Allied bullies. The acting is generally good, including the performances of co-producer Gabriel Byrne as Sean O'Brien, the commandant of the Irish prison; Bill Campbell as Miles Keough, a Canadian pilot and POW; Angus MacFadyen as Count Rudolph von Stegenbek, a German POW and flier who shot down Keough; and Jean Butler as Mattie Guerin, who does a dazzling Irish dance and is ogled by both Keough and Stegenbek. Because the Irish allow their inmates to go to town on passes, they can visit pubs, see horse races, and mingle with the locals. Then the day comes when some inmates plan to leave for good, and the suspense builds. The Brylcreem Boys is not a great film, but it is a good film that entertains while developing a serious theme. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
John Gordon Sinclair - Richard Lewis; Alan Barry - Mr Guerin; Oliver Tobias - Hans Jorg Wolff; Gedeon Burkhard - Krach; Joe McGann - Captain Deegan; Doreen Keogh - Noni; Hal Fowler - Pilot Officer Bunty Winthrop; B.J. Hogg - Sean; Niels Bruno Schmidt - Schmidt; Peter Woodward - Captain Stossel; Anders Jillybo - Larsen; Alistair McLeod - Marshall (navigator); Magnus McLeod - Olenski; Trevor Nelson - Seamus; Chris 'Kit' Ryan - Boy at the races; James Tiernan Ryan - Boy at the races; Marc Sinden - Group Captain White; Hugh Vyvyan - Henshaw; Rupert Wickhan - Preuss; Tim Hayes - Walsh
Credit
Pat Ferns - Associate Producer, Jo Gilbert - Associate Producer, Stephen Margolis - Associate Producer, Jean Butler - Choreography, Gabriel Byrne - Co-producer, Jamie Brown - Co-producer, David Murphy - Costume Designer, Peter Bennett - First Assistant Director, Terence Ryan - Director, Arthur Wooster - Second Unit Director, Emma E. Hickox - Editor, Kristi Prenn - Executive Producer, Mohammed Yusuf - Executive Producer, Richard Hartley - Songwriter, Steve Hardie - Production Designer, Gerry Lively - Cinematographer, Arthur Wooster - Cinematographer, Kay Freeborn - Production Manager, Alan Latham - Producer, Paul Madigan - Producer, Terence Ryan - Producer, Bernie Stampfer - Producer, Barry Reed - Sound/Sound Designer, Jamie Brown - Screenwriter, Terence Ryan - Screenwriter
The Brylcreem Boys is a 1997 film directed and co-written by Terence Ryan about the extraordinary neutrality arrangements pertaining to Ireland during World War II, by the Éamon de Valera government. The title comes from a popular nickname for the RAF during the period.
Dublin made agreements with Berlin and London during the war that any serviceman, on active service, found on Irish soil would be interned for the duration of hostilities. They were interned in adjoining camps, at Naas, County Kildare.
The film is a romantic comedy with a triangle formed by a Canadian pilot, a German pilot, both interned at the camp under extremely flexible arrangements and a local woman.
