My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

Shane Connaughton (screenplay) &
Jim Sheridan (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

A film about life, laughter, and the occasional miracle.

Plot:

The story of Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy. He learned to paint and write with his only controllable limb - his left foot.

Plot Keywords:

Foot | Christy Brown | Irish | Cerebral Palsy | Courage

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Christy Brown
Brenda Fricker	...	Mrs. Brown
Alison Whelan	...	Sheila
Kirsten Sheridan	...	Sharon
Declan Croghan	...	Tom
Eanna MacLiam	...	Benny
Marie Conmee	...	Sadie
Cyril Cusack	...	Lord Castlewelland
Phelim Drew	...	Brian
Ruth McCabe	...	Mary
Fiona Shaw	...	Dr. Eileen Cole
Ray McAnally	...	Mr. Brown
Pat Laffan	...	Barman (as Patrick Laffan)
Derry Power	...	Customer in Bar
Hugh O'Conor	...	Young Christy Brown
Darren McHugh	...	Young Benny
Owen Sharp	...	Young Tom
Eileen Colgan	...	Nan
Keith O'Conor	...	Young Brian
Tom Hickey	...	Priest
Julie Hale	...	Rachel
Jacinta Whyte	...	Sally
Sarah Cronin	...	Girlfriend
Jean Doyle	...	Woman with Pram
Britta Smith	...	Nurse
Adrian Dunbar	...	Peter
Lucy Vigne Welsh	...	Petra
Daniel Reardon	...	Tony
Conor Lambert	...	Punch & Judy Puppeteer
Martin Dunne	...	Waiter
Charlie Roberts	...	Mourner #1
Jer O'Leary	...	Mourner #2 (as Ger O'Leary)
Mil Fleming	...	Mourner #3
Simon Kelly	...	Liam
Eileen Kohlmann	...	Musicians - Violin
Margaret Lyons	...	Musicians - Piano
Patricia Higgins	...	Musicians - Viola
Hilery O'Donovan	...	Musicians - Cello
Don King	...	Musicians - Double Bass
Jenny Bryne	...	Special Extras
Linda Walker	...	Special Extras
Albert Kavanagh	...	Special Extras
Joe Swan	...	Special Extras
Rita Lowe	...	Special Extras
Gerard Hourigan	...	Special Extras
Dawn Kursinczy	...	Special Extras
Denis O'Leary	...	Child
Lesley Ann Long	...	Child
Caromy Corcoran	...	Child
Cathy Corcoran	...	Child
Lisa Jane Rowland	...	Child
Aisling Murnane	...	Child
Audrey Diffley	...	Child
Oba Seagrave	...	Child
Colm Rowland	...	Child
Owen Sullivan	...	Child
Dean Clifford	...	Child
Sean Rowland	...	Child
Barry Keane	...	Child
Wayne Kearney	...	Child
John Mark Knight	...	Child
Deborah Pierce	...	Child
Barry Lord	...	Child
Tess Sheridan	...	Child
Fiacra Sheridan	...	Child
Eoghan O'Sullivan	...	Child (as Owen O'Sullivan)
Kerry Ellen Lawlor	...	Child
Emily Hodge Barker	...	Child

Directed by
Jim Sheridan

Writing credits
Shane Connaughton		(screenplay) &
Jim Sheridan		(screenplay)
Christy Brown		(book)

Produced by
Paul M. Heller	....	executive producer (as Paul Heller)
Arthur Lappin	....	line producer
Steve Morrison	....	executive producer
Noel Pearson	....	producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Jack Conroy		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
J. Patrick Duffner

Casting by
Nuala Moiselle

Production Design by
Austen Spriggs

Set Decoration by
Shirley Lynch

Costume Design by
Joan Bergin

Makeup Department
Sherry De Burgh	....	makeup trainee
Bernie Dooley	....	trainee hairdresser
Eileen Doyle	....	assistant hair stylist
Anne Dunne	....	hair stylist
Carole Dunne	....	trainee hairdresser (as Carol Dunne)
Ken Jennings	....	makeup artist
Ailbhe Lemass	....	makeup assistant
Maire O'Sullivan	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Mary Alleguen	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kevan Barker	....	first assistant director
David Byrne	....	third assistant director
Brendan Geraghty	....	trainee assistant director
Niamh Ni Ghrainne	....	trainee assistant director (as Niamh Ní Ghrainne)
John McDonald	....	trainee assistant director
Michael Rowland	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Russ Bailey	....	construction manager
Denis Butler	....	stand-by carpenter
Eddie Cunningham	....	carpenter
Paddy Dunne	....	painter
Paul Fleming	....	painter
Mark Geraghty	....	assistant art director
Jimmy Kavanagh	....	drapes
Andrew Lee	....	stagehand (as Andy Lee)
Christy McGinn	....	storyboard artist
Owen Monaghan	....	dressing props
Sunny Mulligan	....	production buyer
Owen Murnane	....	master painter
Tony Nicholson	....	dressing props
Eamonn O'Higgins	....	property master (as Eamon O'Higgins)
Gerry Quigley	....	stand-by stagehand
Dave Rath	....	painter
Phil Searls	....	carpenter
P.J. Smith	....	stand-by props
Derek Wallace	....	stand-by props
Dave Whelan	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Brendan Campbell	....	sound trainee
Ron Davis	....	sound editor
Paul Delaney	....	boom operator
Mike Dowson	....	dubbing mixer
Kieran Horgan	....	sound mixer
Michael Kelliher	....	assistant sound editor
Jenny Lee Wright	....	footsteps artist (as Jenny Lee-Wright)
Brian Saunders	....	dubbing mixer
Liam Saurin	....	post-synch mixer

Special Effects by
Gerry Johnston	....	special effects coordinator
Michael Kearns	....	special effects assistant
Gay O'Reilly	....	special effects assistant

Stunts
Peter Brayham	....	stunt coordinator
Patrick Condren	....	stunts
Steve Dent	....	stunts (as Stephen Dent)
Dave Holland	....	stunts
Jazzer Jeyes	....	stunts
Paul Kelly	....	stunts
Terence Plummer	....	stunts (as Terry Plumber)
Michael Rowland	....	stunts
Alan Walsh	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Butler	....	focus puller
Louis Conroy	....	gaffer
Noel Cullen	....	electrician
Jim Farrell	....	best boy
Jo Gibney	....	clapper loader
Jonathan Hession	....	still photographer
Mick Kearney	....	electrician
Eamon Kelly	....	stand-by rigger
John Murphy	....	grip
Robbie Reilly	....	rigger (as Robert Reilly)
Brian Sheridan	....	generator operator
Des Whelan	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frances Boston	....	wardrobe trainee
Janet O'Leary	....	wardrobe mistress
Ann Stokes	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Jeanne Hurley	....	second assistant film editor
Adrienne Ross	....	first assistant film editor

Music Department
Elmer Bernstein	....	conductor
Kathy Durning	....	music editor
Irene Keogh	....	music coordination assistant
Brian Masterson	....	music recording engineer
Cynthia Millar	....	musician: ondes martenot soloist
Bill Whelan	....	music coordinator

Transportation Department
Colin Duffin	....	driver (as Colm Duffin)
Pat Egan	....	driver
Joe Fagan	....	driver
Tom Fannin	....	driver
Vincent Gallagher	....	driver
Johnny Gilbert	....	driver
John Green	....	driver
Peter Hill	....	driver
Shamie McCabe	....	driver
Colman Sharkey	....	driver
John J. Thompson	....	driver (as Johnny Thompson)
Niall Thompson	....	driver
Denis Tolton	....	driver

Other crew
Jean Bourne	....	continuity
Stephen Bradley	....	assistant to line producer
Patrick Byrne	....	projectionist (as Paddy Byrne)
Pippa Cross	....	production executive: Granada
Maura Dillon	....	stand-in
Brendan Foreman	....	title designer: Graphiconies
Donal Fortune	....	stand-in
Donal Geraghty	....	assistant accountant
Nye Heron	....	assistant to director
James Hickey	....	legal advisor
Gene Lambert	....	special advisor to the production
Gerry Lundberg	....	unit publicist
John Markey	....	stand-in
Susan Marshall	....	unit nurse
John Moore	....	production accountant
Kevin Moriarty	....	production accountant
Niamh Nolan	....	production secretary
Grania O'Shannon	....	location manager
Robert Quinn	....	unit runner

Production Companies

• Ferndale Films
• Granada Television
• Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ)

Distributors

• Miramax Films (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cineplex Odeon Films (1989) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Films (1990) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Alliance Atlantis Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1990) (Canada) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Elephant Films (2007) (France) (all media)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA (1990) (Canada) (VHS)
• Palace Films (UK)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1990) (Argentina) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Mi Casa Multimedia  DVD audio restoration & mastering 5.1
• AP Spence & Co.  auditing (as A P Spence & Co.)
• Cine Electric Ltd.  electrical equipment
• Delta Sound Services  dubbing theatre
• Fuji Ireland Ltd.  film stock supplied by
• Graphicones  title design
• Guinness Mahon and Company  banking services
• Joe Dunton Cameras Ireland Ltd.  camera equipment provided by
• Location Catering Services Ltd.  catering
• Peter Govey Film Opticals  titles
• Screenscene  post-synching
• The Transfer Bay  sound transfers
• Twickenham Film Studios  post-synching
• Ulster Bank Ltd.  banking services
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack
• Westland Studios Dublin  music recorded at

Also Known As:

My Left Foot (UK) (short title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Ireland | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:L | Ireland:12 (video) | Australia:M | France:Unrated | Peru:14 | USA:TV-14 (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:All | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Ferndale Films

Trivia:

According to the "Making of My Left Foot" segment on the Special Edition DVD, Daniel Day-Lewis broke two ribs during filming from assuming the hunched-over position in his wheelchair for weeks of filming. He also would refuse to come out of character. On visits to the set canteen, other people would have to help him with food. On one visit from his English agent, Day-Lewis again refused to come out of character as Christy Brown, and his frustrated agent took off.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mrs. Brown is carrying Christy up the stairs she is carrying two of Christy's shoes in her hand but when he goes down the stairs after his mother falls down he has one shoe on again.

Quotes:

[sarcastically offering congratulations to Eileen, his beloved therapist ]
Christy Brown: Con-gra-tu-la-tions to you and Peter. I'm glad you taught me to speak so I could say that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Mike Myers/Aerosmith (#22.16)" (1997)

Daniel Day-Lewis deserved all of his acting awards...

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS does a remarkable job of playing Christy Brown, the artist who grew up with cerebral palsy but managed to have a productive life, dealing successfully with his handicap and becoming a respected artist and writer.

The film, however, is a very difficult one to review--or even watch. Fortunately, I had the caption feature on to catch every spoken word which would have been impossible if I saw the film in a theater. While I respect it as a brave piece of work dealing with difficult subject matter, I can't say it's the sort of film I'd want to view more than once.

Nevertheless, my attention was held by the story-telling device, a flashback framed by the present, in which we see Christy being honored for his achievements before we see the flashback to his youth and his struggles to communicate with those around him, who certainly gave him loving care.

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS certainly is remarkable as the troubled man who falls in love with a therapist (FIONA SHAW), much to his mother's fear that when the love is not reciprocated his heart will be broken. There's a painfully long scene in a restaurant where he confesses his love to her before others and then goes into a frenzied rage after drinking too much.

BRENDA FRICKER does a brilliant job as the mother taking care of him, his father and a brood of siblings while struggling to keep a roof over their heads until Day-Lewis begins to have success with his work. She complements Day-Lewis' performance as the warm-hearted mother and shares many poignant moments with him.

Richly detailed story of a family that stayed together under the most unusual of circumstances with attention to period detail in every frame of the film. Both Fricker and Day-Lewis won Oscars, but HUGH O'CONOR and RAY McANALLY are also excellent. O'Conor is Christy as a boy and McAnally is the father who spends too much time at the local pub but loves the boy.

Summing up: Elmer Bernstein's music is an added plus factor. Well worthwhile, but definitely not a film for everyone.