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)
Mi pie izquierdo (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
A bal lábam (Hungary) [hu]
Il mio piede sinistro (Italy) [it]
Kuf Ragli Ha-Smalit (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Mein linker Fuß (West Germany) [de]
Meu Pé Esquerdo (Brazil) [pt]
Min vänstra fot (Sweden) [sv]
Minun elämäni (Finland) [fi]
Moja lewa stopa (Poland) [pl]
My Left Foot (France) [fr]
My left foot: L'histoire de Christy Brown (Canada: French title) [fr]
O Meu Pé Esquerdo (Portugal) [pt]
Piciorul meu stâng (Romania) [ro]
Sol ayagim (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
To aristero mou podi (Greece) [el]

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:

Daniel Day-Lewis insisted on remaining in his wheelchair in between takes.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the beginning of the movie, when Mary Carr gets Christy Brown into the library, the shadow of the boom mic can clearly be seen on a white door.

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 "The Critic: Dr. Jay (#1.10)" (1994)

Don't feel sorry for this character!

Daniel Day-Lewis' almost impossible performance as a man with cerebral palsy earned him a well-deserved Oscar in 1989 for Best Actor over the heavily favoured Tom Cruise in 'Born on the Fourth of July' and Morgan Freeman in 'Driving Miss Daisy'. The Academy was still riding the wave of awarding Dustin Hoffman a second Best Actor prize a year earlier for his performance as a mentally challenged individual in 'Rain Man' and since Day-Lewis' performance was superior to Hoffman's, the Academy had to recognize him. Day-Lewis probably would have won anyway as his performance was hard to ignore and he had never received any acting nominations from the Academy before this film despite turning in great work in such films as 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' and 'My Beautiful Laundrette.'

As Christy Brown, Daniel Day-Lewis makes his character unsympathetic as he doesn't want you to feel sorry for him. He achieved the great success of being an accomplished writer and artist. Director Jim Sheridan directs the film like a series of home movies that millions want to see.

Brenda Fricker won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress as Brown's mother and she is the real moral centre of the film and this film proves that Hollywood is capable of choosing small, lesser known films for Oscar consideration and 'My Left Foot' is a film that is uplifting without being sentimental.