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Wind That Shakes The Barley (The)
R1 - America - Genius Products Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (16th September 2007). |
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The Film
 The film career of Ken Loach is best described as a rollercoaster ride, his work on television in the 1960's led to more prominent work in film including his most well known British film "Kes" (1969), critically acclaimed Loach was set to embark on a successful film career when the 1970's and 80's marked a low point, the films made during that period were largely ignored mainly due to slack distribution and censorship which either left films chopped or even totally degraded as was the case with "The Save the Children Fund Film" (1971) which was commissioned by the charity themselves, the final film was not what the fund expected. They hated it so much they tried to destroy the original negative and the film has never been seen. The 1990's proved a better decade for the British auteur, the comedy "Riff-Raff" (1990) proved successful and in a complete 180 also delivered the thriller "Hidden Agenda" that same year. "Raining Stones" (1993) won the Jury prize at Cannes, "Land and Freedom" (1995) won both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes as well as earning a nomination for Best British Film at the BAFTA Awards and the decade was rounded off with "My Name is Joe" (1998) which won Best Actor at Cannes as well as another nomination for Best British Film at the BAFTA Awards. Loach's career has included a diverse collection of films that include many similar trademarks. His camera is considered an observer and never makes its presence felt, he always uses unknown actors which helps create his sense of realism, plus you'll also find he focuses on salt of the earth working-class people in many of his films as well as an occasional cameo from a three-legged dog. Loach's latest film "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" provides a sympathetic view of the Irish Resistance to British occupation and is set during the Irish War of Independence (1919:1921) and the subsequent Irish Civil War (1922:1923). The film focuses on two brothers, Damien (Cillian Murphy) and Teddy (Padraic Delaney) who become members of the Republicans and take arms against the British, but when the treaty tears them apart the lives are heartbreakingly altered. This film has been widely praised both in Britain and around the world; the film received the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and became the most successful of Loach's films in Britain, earning the largest box office of his films to date also setting a record in Ireland as the highest grossing Irish-made independent film ever. The film features some exceptional acting from the two leads, akin to Loach's style the performances are naturalistic and are driven by emotion and realism and never once feel staged or convoluted. The camera remains an outsider as we take a look into a turbulent time in Irish history, which appears to have been accurately portrayed with the assistance of Historical adviser Professor Donal O'Driscoll, the level of authenticity in many aspects of the production including the mannerisms of the characters allow the viewer to be totally immersed in this period. Matched with Barry Ackroyd's simple yet lush photography that displays Ireland's hauntingly beautiful green surroundings, this provides a poetic juxtaposition between that and the brutal violence that takes place. The film's story is simplistic on paper yet complex to achieve, the brothers find themselves torn apart as they have differing opinions on the treaty with Britain but the film's ending was a little hard to digest (I won't go into specifics as it requires the film's ending to be spoiled), despite being a rather interesting metaphor for being your own worst enemy it felt unnatural, however Loach manages to extract all the melodramatic flare from the scene and seems to get right into the nitty-gritty when it comes to pulling your heartstrings. "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" is an otherwise excellent film that features fine performances, brilliant photography and an also engaging score, the film's story and violence may be hard for some to take but it's never over-the-top or stylized. This film is a must see.
Video
Presented in a widescreen ratio of 1.78:1, this anamorphic transfer is brilliant. The image is sharp and displays detail excellently. I found the colors to be accurate and vivid, especially the lush and vibrant Irish countryside, skin tones are natural and black levels are deep and bold with shadow detail remaining consistent throughout. The print has some film grain but it's never obtrusive, overall the image is clean without any dirt, it's a terrific effort from Genius Products.
Audio
A single English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is included, overall the track is a solid effort, it's not entirely aggressive although the gun fights and occasional explosions from grenades comes off very well and make effective use of the surround channels. Ambient sound is a bit part of this track and the subtle nature of it feels natural, the only problem I had with this track was the dialogue, while it's clear I found it occasionally hard to understand what was being said. This had more to do with the thick Irish accents than any fault with the surround track but I did have to run some subtitles to see what some of the characters were saying. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
First up is a feature-length audio commentary by the film's director Ken Loach and historical advisor Professor Donal O'Driscoll. While O'Driscoll chimes in a few times and his thick accent can be hard to understand at times, but it's really Loach who carries the proceedings, as he discusses various aspects of the production ranging from the script to the casting and the shooting of the film in the cold Irish landscape. He comments on the controversial nature of the film as well as remaining historically accurate. He occasionally shed light on his naturalistic approach to directing and getting the best reactions and emotions out of his cast even if that means giving them the script pages on the day. Despite the fact Loach does impart some interesting information on the production, the track does feature several quiet gaps and the tone and pace is rather slow. It's not the best track I've listened to and it does take some patience getting through it. Following that is "Carry On Ken: A Look At the Work of Ken Loach", a documentary that runs for 49 minutes 6 seconds, this feature is a retrospective look at Loach's career and also covers parts of this childhood and early involvement at the BBC leading up to this first theatrical film. Many of the cast members from his earlier films are included here and interviewed about the films, the man's style and approach to filmmaking as well as a at look at his latest film and winning the Palme d'Or. This feature provides a brilliant insight into the filmmaker's career and his films and is worth checking out. Also included is the film's original theatrical trailer which runs for 2 minutes 16 seconds. Rounding out the extras are a collection of bonus trailers which include: - "Snow Cake" which runs for 2 minutes. - "You Kill Me" which runs for 2 minutes 32 seconds. - "After the Wedding" which runs for 2 minutes 18 seconds. - "Private Fears in Public Places" which runs for 1 minute 55 seconds.
Overall
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