Film, images & historical interpretation in the 20th century for those who have a general interest in history that draws on photojournalism as primary evidence, and films based on historical events.
Optional Extra Material: Film - In the Name of the Father
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Dr Emmett SullivanSenior Tutor
History Department, Royal Holloway, University of London
Izzy let's deal with, In the Name of the Father, first.
Can you tell us how you came to choose that topic, and why?
>> The reason I chose it is because I took note
of the fact that it's still highly relevant in contemporary society.
With the turn of 2013, we saw the, the riots
and protests that erupted over the flying of the Union flag
at City Hall in Belfast, just for how the fact that
it's still, you know, a topic of concern between Anglo-Irish relations.
also, I think mentioning it to my mother, who is Irish as well.
I think she's [INAUDIBLE] her opinion, and I didn't really listen to her so much on
her opinion of events because sometimes it might
seem, I wouldn't say IRA sympathizer, but definitely anti-English.
But I guess then that helps constitute modern opinion on events, and yeah.
>> Oh, that's great.
I did, at the beginning of the session of
course, come up with a list of books and film.
So yes, it was on offer-
>> [LAUGH] Yeah.
>> So to speak.
and, and just to elaborate a little bit more on that and why it was like that.
Our Director of Undergraduate Studies and I talked about what I might
do for my independent essay this particular year in terms of supervision.
And I said, well, look now, I'd love to do something with film.
But we both agreed that with if we film itself, we don't necessarily
get as wide a range of academic which is uncommon as we might.
We might have common about the acting, the directing, et cetera, but not
necessarily the historical [UNKNOWN] whereas we've
paired up with representation on another media.
Both if you've done book and film, helps broaden the
canvas so to speak, and also gives us this, this,
contrast between what the author puts down and how the
director interprets it when it comes to actually the film itself.
Okay could you give us a pricing of the, the major themes
in, In the Name of the Father and the events that it depicts.
>> Well, it depicts the miscarriage of justice.
Concerning the case of the Guilty Four who were convicted in 1970s
for the bombing of the public houses in Gilford.
And at the time, there was, obviously a lot of
pressure on the police to find suspects and the perpetrators.
And, unfortunately, this then led to a miscarriage of justice.
It sort of puts forward the idea that to be Irish at the time was actually an act
of crime and there was, it was difficult to disassociate the IRA from the Irish.
So that sort of expands about that opinion existed.
And it also though I'd say from looking at the memoirs on which it's
based and the film, you can see how sort of the Hollywood aspect of the film.
You wouldn't, I wouldn't go as far to say
that miscarriage is, becomes a subplot to the father-son relationship.
But that is definitely a dominant theme within, within the film.
I think the director, Jim Sheridan, said that no one was
interested in the miscarriage of justice, which I don’t think is true.
They're more interested in the developments
of a father and son relationship.
So yeah, it demonstrates, sort of Hollywood aspects that impact it on film.
>> Indeed now, and, and just to, to, to
frame that in, in, in slightly different terms, when
you say the Hollywood aspects, that was to keep
the, you know releasing [UNKNOWN] to keep the audience interested.
>> Yeah.
I guess they can associate with him more so than they can
you know not many people have been charged or convicted of a crime.
[LAUGH] >> You mention the memoir proved innocent.
How much did you use that in your research and preparing for the essay?
>> I had written, I had been, I'd say I'd
used it most to look at the inaccuracies of the film.
>> I guess when it was released the memoirs
in 1990 was past the autobiography of Jerry Conlon.
And it is more reliable it depicts how he was a petty thief in Belfast.
And how he had committed certain crimes before.
Only they weren't obviously of the scope of you know, bombing pubs
related to the IRA, but that lot, a part from that one case where he
is depicted to but, he's depicted bu sorry
he goes into, you know the scene where he goes into [INAUDIBLE] house.
>> Right.
So he, he come, commits [CROSSTALK].
>> Crime.
Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> They.
So [INAUDIBLE].
I think, that shows that they still want
you to be able to sympathize with the protagonist.
So yeah.
I was really, really useful in showing the inaccuracies.
That the film had.
>> Now even Andrew certainly comments that you might study in a particular style.
How did you find reading what was a memoir from someone who yes.
Has spend 15 years unjustly in jail.
But prior to that was largely a petty thief.
Just contrast on the style of the writing [UNKNOWN] compared to
some of the historical material that you might have consulted as well.
>> Yeah.
I couldn't help but feel also looking at the autobiography that a lot of the,
because he really is able to record lots of anecdotes and lots of.
His memory is very clear.
And you can't help but feel that, obviously, lots
of that's been impacted on his time in prison.
And, the obviously bias of what happened
to him.
hm.
>> But also, just in terms of the style of writing.
>> The style of writing.
It's, it's very approachable.
It's very, it's quite colloquial and it's.
I don't think it's trying to dress up what happened.
It's just stating the facts as they were.
>> Okay, in terms of getting across the [INAUDIBLE].
[UNKNOWN] How did you find the book compared to some of the histories
that you've read, or even some of the newspaper reports at the time?
>> I really noticed in the newspaper reports
that bias of both English and Irish, newspapers.
In Ireland they were really wanted to bring home the
fact that they were victims and the victimhood of the Irish.
And it's also, the focused on centuries of poor Anglo-Irish relations.
And obviously in the English newspaper it was calling into question the pillar of
society, or pillars of our society, the
police system, the forensic scientists, the judiciary.
So they were quite defensive in their tone of the newspapers.
And then, in, in light of that they chose to focus on inaccuracies.
I noticed more of the effect of the film that it would have.
>> Okay.
Now, in comparing the, the, the book and the film.
And again, it's the classic, well the film is not as good as the book.
Whatever.
>> Yeah.
>> But in conveying the central theme.
Now you picked up as the injustice
[UNKNOWN] the director which you commented you
wanted to put forward, a human dimension that the audiences could latch on to.
How do you feel that the film represented
Gerry Colonel's experiences in, in a historical context?
>> I think that, yeah, it accurately reflected, his experiences.
Even through just the, the scenes of the interrogation.
And they were just harrowing and I
think that's an accurate depiction of what happened.
And even in the opening scene of the event, you know, the streets of Belfast
with the protests, I think you really notice a pro really in public history that
you can juxtapose music with the imagery to create an accurate reconstruction that
they use Jimmy Hendrix, I can't remember the song it was based on one of the riots.
>> I think they used Voodoo Child.
>> Voodoo Child that was it, yeah, and how it really brought home a sense of the, I
don't know, a pensive brooding tones of the streets of Belfast and
demonstrates sort of an, a probe, you would say, to public history.
>> Now, in your essay you took the film, the book, the events, but then
looked at how it impacted on, contemporary political
movements at the time the film was released.
Could you just fill us in a little bit more on that please?
>> Yeah,
>> There was definitely a fear that it promoted
the IRA, which I don't believe was the case.
Like the villain of the peace who represents the IRA is
not depicted or portrayed in the positive light, But that lost
its fear, and war columnists went as far as to say
that the film would be a cash bonanza for the IRA.
And this is definitely the case.
The fear sort of centered around America, where the film, the, the funding
for the film com was completely, came from the Universal Studios in America.
>> Mm-hm.
>> And, and obviously with the, so many
people in, I think it's one-third of the population?
I don't know if I'm correct.
Can trace their ancestry back to Ireland.
So their sympathies already lie and they just thought
you know, they might build on these preexisting prejudices.
And you know what they thought would actually benefit from the film.
So there was this fear of promoting the IRA.
>> Thank you for going through your essay.
We'll pick up the discussions once we've dealt, done dealt with that.
Okay.
So we'll have a break now.
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