Michael Collins (1996)

Michael Collins plays a crucial role in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s, but becomes vilified by those hoping to create a completely independent Irish republic.

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writer:

Neil Jordan

Stars:

Ian Hart, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Hart	...	Joe O'Reilly
Julia Roberts	...	Kitty Kiernan
Richard Ingram	...	British Officer
Liam Neeson	...	Michael Collins
Aidan Quinn	...	Harry Boland
John Kenny	...	Patrick Pearse
Ronan McCairbre	...	Thomas MacDonagh
Jer O'Leary	...	Thomas Clarke (as Ger O'Leary)
Michael Dwyer	...	James Connolly
Martin Murphy	...	Captain Lee-Wilson
Alan Rickman	...	Eamon de Valera
Sean McGinley	...	Smith
Gary Whelan	...	Hoey
Frank O'Sullivan	...	Kavanagh
Stephen Rea	...	Ned Broy

Storyline

Neil Jordan's depiction of the controversial life and death of Michael Collins, the 'Lion of Ireland', who led the IRA against British rule and founded the Irish Free State (Eire) in 1921.

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Plot Keywords:

irish | ireland | irish free state | love | rebel | 

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Taglines:

Ireland, 1916. His dreams inspired hope. His words inspired passion. His courage forged a nation's destiny.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

UK Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

El precio de la libertad

Filming Locations:

Broadstone, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

ITL 1,721,921,000 (Italy) (29 November 1996)

Gross:

$11,030,963 (USA) (28 February 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Geffen Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Ned Broy, played by Stephen Rea in the film, is in fact a composite of the historical figures Ned Broy, who was a double agent in the police, and Dick McKee, who was Commandant of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA and hence a central figure in planning intelligence operations with Collins. Broy survived the war, but McKee was captured the night before the attack on British agents and shot, reputedly whilst attempting to escape. Broy, only a Sergeant in the Dublin Metropolitan Police would be rewarded by being made head of the Irish Free State's new police national force, the Garda. Ironically he would go to great lengths to encourage ex-Royal Irish Constubulary officers to join the new force, giving them preference in recruitment and absorb the Dublin Metropolitan Police as a whole into the new organisation.

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Goofs

There is a speech de Valera makes to a crowd after the treaty with England is signed. He states in his fiery speech that "only pure blood Irish" should be able to participate in the new Republic, but he would have not said this, since he was not pure blood Irish himself.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Joe O'Reilly: [dictating a letter] You've got to think of him the way he was... He was what the times demanded. And life without him seems impossible. But he's dead. And life is possible. He made it possible.

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Crazy Credits

Opening scroll: At the turn of the century Britian was the foremost world power and the British Empire stretched over two-thirds of the globe. Despite the extent of its power its most troublesome colony had always been the one closest to it, Ireland For seven hundred years Britain's rule over Ireland had been resisted by attempts at rebellion and revolution, all of which ended in failure. Then, in 1916, a rebellion began, to be followed by a guerilla war which would change the nature of that rule forever. The mastermind behind that war was Michael Collins. His life and death defined the period, in its triumph, terror and tragedy. This is his story.

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Connections

References Lumière and Company (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Civil War"
Performed by Sinéad O'Connor
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records UK

User Reviews

Historical Biopic Falls Flat

Neil Jordan's historical biopic about Michael Collins, the man who fought for a free Ireland in the early 20th Century, has its heart in the right place, but it just doesn't work. I'm not sure why it doesn't work exactly, because it's got a good central performance from Liam Neeson, an intelligent screenplay and handsome production design. Despite all of those qualities, however, it just sits on the screen like a lead paperweight.

One thing that definitely IS wrong with the film is Julia Roberts, horribly miscast and giving a lame performance. Roberts is far too contemporary an actress ever to be convincing in a period piece, and she's not a good enough actress to fake it.

Grade: C