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DramaWar

The Wind That Shakes the Barley

- War has cost them their innocence... Freedom will cost them their blood.

In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O'Donovan prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend's farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is killed. Damien joins his brother Teddy in the Irish Republican Army, but political events are soon set in motion that tear the brothers apart.

Release Date : 2006-06-23

Language :EnglishIrishLatin

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Sixteen FilmsMatador PicturesRegent CapitalElement PicturesBIM ProduzioneEMCTornasol MediaFilmstiftung Nordrhein-WestfalenTVEPathe

Production Country : GermanyIrelandItalySpainUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Cillian Murphy

Character Name : Damien

Original Name : Cillian Murphy

Gender : Male

Pádraic Delaney

Character Name : Teddy

Original Name : Pádraic Delaney

Gender : Male

Liam Cunningham

Character Name : Dan

Original Name : Liam Cunningham

Gender : Male

Orla Fitzgerald

Character Name : Sinead

Original Name : Orla Fitzgerald

Gender : Female

Mary O'Riordan

Character Name : Peggy

Original Name : Mary O'Riordan

Gender : Male

Mary Murphy

Character Name : Bernadette

Original Name : Mary Murphy

Gender : Male

Laurence Barry

Character Name : Micheail

Original Name : Laurence Barry

Gender : Male

Damien Kearney

Character Name : Finbar

Original Name : Damien Kearney

Gender : Male

Frank Bourke

Character Name : Leo

Original Name : Frank Bourke

Gender : Male

Myles Horgan

Character Name : Rory

Original Name : Myles Horgan

Gender : Male

Martin Lucey

Character Name : Congo

Original Name : Martin Lucey

Gender : Male

Aidan O'Hare

Character Name : Steady Boy

Original Name : Aidan O'Hare

Gender : Male

Shane Casey

Character Name : Kevin

Original Name : Shane Casey

Gender : Male

John Crean

Character Name : Chris

Original Name : John Crean

Gender : Male

Máirtín de Cógáin

Character Name : Sean

Original Name : Máirtín de Cógáin

Gender : Male

Keith Dunphy

Character Name : Terence

Original Name : Keith Dunphy

Gender : Male

Kieran Hegarty

Character Name : Francis

Original Name : Kieran Hegarty

Gender : Male

Gerard Kearney

Character Name : Donacha

Original Name : Gerard Kearney

Gender : Male

Shane Nott

Character Name : Ned

Original Name : Shane Nott

Gender : Male

Kevin O'Brien

Character Name : Tim

Original Name : Kevin O'Brien

Gender : Male

Gary McCarthy

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Gary McCarthy

Gender : Male

Tim O'Mahon

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Tim O'Mahon

Gender : Male

Graham Browne

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Graham Browne

Gender : Male

Owen Buckley

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Owen Buckley

Gender : Male

Aidan Fitzpatrick

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Aidan Fitzpatrick

Gender : Male

Vince Hannington

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Vince Hannington

Gender : Male

Denis Kelleher

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Denis Kelleher

Gender : Male

Colin McClery

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Colin McClery

Gender : Male

Finbar O'Mahon

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : Finbar O'Mahon

Gender : Male

John Quinlan

Character Name : Volunteer

Original Name : John Quinlan

Gender : Male

Peggy Lynch

Character Name : Singer at Wake

Original Name : Peggy Lynch

Gender : Male

Noel O'Donovan

Character Name : Station Guard

Original Name : Noel O'Donovan

Gender : Male

Peter O'Mahoney

Character Name : Stoker

Original Name : Peter O'Mahoney

Gender : Male

Barry Bourke

Character Name : Policeman

Original Name : Barry Bourke

Gender : Male

Frank O'Sullivan

Character Name : Man in Pub

Original Name : Frank O'Sullivan

Gender : Male

Diarmuid Ó'Dálaigh

Character Name : Man in Pub

Original Name : Diarmuid Ó'Dálaigh

Gender : Male

Corina Gough

Character Name : Woman in Search

Original Name : Corina Gough

Gender : Male

Roger Allam

Character Name : Sir John Hamilton

Original Name : Roger Allam

Gender : Male

Sabrina Barry

Character Name : Julia

Original Name : Sabrina Barry

Gender : Female

William Ruane

Character Name : Johnny Gogan

Original Name : William Ruane

Gender : Male

Danny Riordan

Character Name : Elderly Couple

Original Name : Danny Riordan

Gender : Male

Peg Crowley

Character Name : Elderly Couple

Original Name : Peg Crowley

Gender : Male

Fiona Lawton

Character Name : Lily

Original Name : Fiona Lawton

Gender : Male

Kieran Aherne

Character Name : Sweeney

Original Name : Kieran Aherne

Gender : Male

Clare Dineen

Character Name : Mrs. Rafferty

Original Name : Clare Dineen

Gender : Male

Sean McGinley

Character Name : Father Denis

Original Name : Sean McGinley

Gender : Male

Tomas OhEalaithe

Character Name : Boy on Bike

Original Name : Tomas OhEalaithe

Gender : Male

Nora Lynch

Character Name : Mother of Sick Child

Original Name : Nora Lynch

Gender : Male

Diarmuid Ní Mheachair

Character Name : Sick Child

Original Name : Diarmuid Ní Mheachair

Gender : Male

Denis Conway

Character Name : Priest

Original Name : Denis Conway

Gender : Male

Barry L. Looney

Character Name : Ceilidh Band

Original Name : Barry L. Looney

Gender : Male

Connie O'Connail

Character Name : Ceilidh Band

Original Name : Connie O'Connail

Gender : Male

Aine O'Connor

Character Name : Ceilidh Band

Original Name : Aine O'Connor

Gender : Male

Francis O'Connor

Character Name : Ceilidh Band

Original Name : Francis O'Connor

Gender : Male

Peadr O'Riada

Character Name : Ceilidh Band

Original Name : Peadr O'Riada

Gender : Male

Neil Brand

Character Name : Newsreel Piano Accompanist

Original Name : Neil Brand

Gender : Male

Tom Charnock

Character Name : Sergeant at Cottage

Original Name : Tom Charnock

Gender : Male

Alan Ready

Character Name : Sergeant at Station

Original Name : Alan Ready

Gender : Male

Mark Wakeling

Character Name : Lieutenant

Original Name : Mark Wakeling

Gender : Male

Antony Byrne

Character Name : Interrogator

Original Name : Antony Byrne

Gender : Male

Anthony Mark Streeter

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Anthony Mark Streeter

Gender : Male

Bill Armstrong

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Bill Armstrong

Gender : Male

Christopher Bown

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Christopher Bown

Gender : Male

Mark Bryce

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Mark Bryce

Gender : Male

Alex Dee

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Alex Dee

Gender : Male

Jonny Holmes

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Jonny Holmes

Gender : Male

Allan Huntley

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Allan Huntley

Gender : Male

Bill Hurst

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Bill Hurst

Gender : Male

Daniel Kington

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Daniel Kington

Gender : Male

Jamie Lomas

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Jamie Lomas

Gender : Male

Anthony Martin

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Anthony Martin

Gender : Male

Owen McQuade

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Owen McQuade

Gender : Male

Richard Oldham

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Richard Oldham

Gender : Male

Colin Parry

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Colin Parry

Gender : Male

Scott Peden

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Scott Peden

Gender : Male

Bernie Sweeney

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Bernie Sweeney

Gender : Male

Derek Taylor

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Derek Taylor

Gender : Male

Neil Alan Taylor

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Neil Alan Taylor

Gender : Male

Gregor Wood

Character Name : British Soldier

Original Name : Gregor Wood

Gender : Male

Karl Dawson

Character Name : Volunteer (uncredited)

Original Name : Karl Dawson

Gender : Male

Niall McCarthy

Character Name : Extra (uncredited)

Original Name : Niall McCarthy

Gender : Male

Siobhán McSweeney

Character Name : Julia (uncredited)

Original Name : Siobhán McSweeney

Gender : Female

Seamus Moynihan

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Seamus Moynihan

Gender : Male

Reviews

A

Andres Gomez

@tanty

2021-06-23

Intense drama about Ireland's independence from the UK and the ultimate reasons for the need of freedom.

T

tmdb28039023

@tmdb28039023

2022-09-03

After watching The Wind That Shakes the Barley, I'm tempted to say that Hollywood ruined Cillian Murphy, but the fact is that this drama written by Paul Laverty and directed by Ken Loach doesn’t really establish, for better or worse, a before and after in the career of the Irish actor; it's more a case of a blind squirrel finding a nut — which is still one more nut than most find (plus, Murphy's range is undeniable, being able to convincingly convey both the most abject cowardice and the most selfless heroism, even within the same film, as he does A Quiet Place Part II). The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a group whose main characteristic is separation, especially from itself; Loach deals with the original breakup, resulting in the first two iterations the IRA, drawing a parallel with the story of two brothers who feel compelled to put ideology before family because each is convinced they bleed greener than the other. It is said that history repeats itself; first as a tragedy, then as a farce. TWTStB follows this pattern, except that in the end the farce ends up being even more tragic than the tragedy. The first half of the film takes place during the Irish War of Independence, a guerrilla war waged between 1919 and 1921 between the IRA and the British occupation forces in Ireland (which included Irish Unionists and Protestants, in contrast to Catholic Republicans). The second part takes place during the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) which immediately followed the Anglo-Irish Treaty which resulted in the creation of the Irish Free State. Many of those who fought on both sides of the conflict had been members of the IRA during the War of Independence. The bitter irony is that an English character more or less foretells this when he says: "God save Ireland if ever the [Irish republicans] take control." I'm making it sound like a history class, but TWTStB is far from it; indeed, there is a lesson here, but it is a timeless and universal moral about the fratricidal nature of all wars. Loach and Laverty make their protagonists, Damien (Murphy) and Teddy O'Donovan (Pádraic Delaney) biological brothers to emphasize that all men — Irish and Irish, or even, why not, Irish and English — are brothers and, as As Donne said, "the death of any man diminishes me" because "no man is an island." Now, just because their characters are symbolic archetypes doesn't mean that Murphy and Delaney just stand there holding signs that say "Cain" and "Abel"; the former in particular turns in a performance in which we can find shades of Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia.

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-03-26

Though quite provocative, I was really disappointed with the anti-British simplicity of this drama. It all centres around two brothers - "Teddy" (Pádraic Delaney) and "Damien" (Cillian Murphy) and the increasingly desperate - and violent - tactics they employed to eject the occupiers from their country. The latter man is not an instant convert to these activities. About to travel to the UK to be a doctor, it's the thuggish squaddies' brutality that convinces him to stay and join his local IRA branch to fight fire with fire. His war-weary brother, on the other hand, is gradually appreciating the stale-mate nature of the predicament and when a settlement is reached between Dublin and London for the "Irish Free State" we find that these siblings are no longer quite on the same side and the conflict turns in on itself. It's not that the British behaved well here, they certainly did not - but the film lacks a key British character to put forward their position. The odious position of Empire, sure, but what, also, of the aspirations of those of a great many Unionists who wanted the status quo and who wanted no truck with the (socialist) republicanism being proposed by "Damien" et al. Again, you can see so much of director Ken Loach's own political persuasion here that he makes no attempt to balance or explain the position from the opposing side, and after a while I found it became a bit of a pontificating rant of a film that illustrated well that expression about one man's terrorist being another's freedom fighter. The then all powerful Catholic church has virtually no role at all here. It's beautifully shot and there are plenty of solid and characterful supporting roles, but no - it could have been better had the director been more interested in offering us more of a objective history rather than his own version of history.