What a depressing film! After it was over, I couldn't stand to go to bed so depressed, so I popped in my copy of Camelot to see Richard Harris in something more uplifting. Since we all know how that story turns out, that should give you an idea of just how much of a downer The Field is.
With a beautifully authentic setting, complete with endless streams of mist and fog in every shot, this Irish drama follows the timeless theme of Irishmen and their land. In case you have no Irish blood in your veins, or you missed Gone With the Wind, Irish people really care about their land. Richard Harris takes on the starring role of a tenant farmer whose put his blood and sweat into the land, as have generations of men before him. When the wealthy widow landowner decides to auction the land off, he gets understandably upset. If you don't understand, you're not Irish enough to watch this movie. I guarantee you won't like it, so just pick something else this evening. But if it breaks your heart to see the white-haired, wizened, weathered Irishman about to be kicked off the soil he cultivated his entire life, and was hoping to pass onto his troublemaker son Sean Bean, buckle up and get ready to see a career-best performance.
If you didn't know it was Richard Harris, you'd wonder where Hollywood found an old, Irish farmer who could act so well. When he talks about the land, you feel as though you've seen him working it for decades. When he drags seaweed from the ocean to create high-quality fertilizer, you feel his back pain, and you inhale the fog into your own lungs. Since you do know it's Richard Harris, it's very believable that he still has some spunk left in him. He gets in fistfights, he bullies his son about his weakness, and he hasn't spoken to his wife in years.
I love the scene at the dance, when the local bad girl makes a spectacle of herself and asks who is man enough to join her on the dance floor. Richard sees that his son is tempted to answer, but rather than let Sean ruin himself and gain an embarrassing reputation, he steps forward and dances with her himself. Second to their land, Irishmen love securing good futures for their sons.
I can only imagine the losers' party after the 1990 Academy Awards ceremony. Richard Harris, basically giving a "What does it take to win?" performance, Robert De Niro giving his career-best in Awakenings, Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves, the epic that swept seven Oscars, and Gérard Depardieu for his signature role of Cyrano de Bergerac: all four actors must undoubtedly despise Jeremy Irons. If through the 1960s, you never really liked Richard Harris, you'll completely change your mind when you see him in this heavy drama. Be prepared, though. When you think it can't get any darker, it does. One thing hasn't changed about his style: most of his movies are difficult to watch.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence and an upsetting scene involving animals, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
With a beautifully authentic setting, complete with endless streams of mist and fog in every shot, this Irish drama follows the timeless theme of Irishmen and their land. In case you have no Irish blood in your veins, or you missed Gone With the Wind, Irish people really care about their land. Richard Harris takes on the starring role of a tenant farmer whose put his blood and sweat into the land, as have generations of men before him. When the wealthy widow landowner decides to auction the land off, he gets understandably upset. If you don't understand, you're not Irish enough to watch this movie. I guarantee you won't like it, so just pick something else this evening. But if it breaks your heart to see the white-haired, wizened, weathered Irishman about to be kicked off the soil he cultivated his entire life, and was hoping to pass onto his troublemaker son Sean Bean, buckle up and get ready to see a career-best performance.
If you didn't know it was Richard Harris, you'd wonder where Hollywood found an old, Irish farmer who could act so well. When he talks about the land, you feel as though you've seen him working it for decades. When he drags seaweed from the ocean to create high-quality fertilizer, you feel his back pain, and you inhale the fog into your own lungs. Since you do know it's Richard Harris, it's very believable that he still has some spunk left in him. He gets in fistfights, he bullies his son about his weakness, and he hasn't spoken to his wife in years.
I love the scene at the dance, when the local bad girl makes a spectacle of herself and asks who is man enough to join her on the dance floor. Richard sees that his son is tempted to answer, but rather than let Sean ruin himself and gain an embarrassing reputation, he steps forward and dances with her himself. Second to their land, Irishmen love securing good futures for their sons.
I can only imagine the losers' party after the 1990 Academy Awards ceremony. Richard Harris, basically giving a "What does it take to win?" performance, Robert De Niro giving his career-best in Awakenings, Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves, the epic that swept seven Oscars, and Gérard Depardieu for his signature role of Cyrano de Bergerac: all four actors must undoubtedly despise Jeremy Irons. If through the 1960s, you never really liked Richard Harris, you'll completely change your mind when you see him in this heavy drama. Be prepared, though. When you think it can't get any darker, it does. One thing hasn't changed about his style: most of his movies are difficult to watch.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence and an upsetting scene involving animals, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.