The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Winner of the PALME D'OR at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot:

A sympathetic look at Republicans in early 20th century Ireland, and two brothers who are torn apart by anti-Brit rebellion.

Plot Keywords:

Ireland | Truce | Independence | Civil War | Resistance

Awards:

5 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Cillian Murphy	...	Damien
Padraic Delaney	...	Teddy (as Pádraic Delaney)
Liam Cunningham	...	Dan
Orla Fitzgerald	...	Sinead
Mary O'Riordan	...	Peggy (as Mary Riordan)
Mary Murphy	...	Bernadette
Laurence Barry	...	Micheail
Damien Kearney	...	Finbar
Frank Bourke	...	Leo
Myles Horgan	...	Rory
Martin Lucey	...	Congo
Aidan O'Hare	...	Steady Boy
Shane Casey	...	Kevin
John Crean	...	Chris
Máirtín de Cógáin	...	Sean (as Mairtin de Cogain)

Also Known As:

El viento que agita la cebada (Spain)
Il vento che accarezza l'erba (Italy)
Le vent se lève (France)
Özgürlük rüzgari (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Brisa de Mudança (Portugal) [pt]
El viento que acaricia el prado (Colombia) [es]
Felkavar a szél (Hungary) [hu]
Frihetens pris (Sweden) [sv]
O anemos horevei to krithari (Greece) [el]
Ventos da Liberdade (Brazil) [pt]
Vinden der ryster kornet (Denmark) [da]
Vinden som ryster kornet (Norway) [no]
Wiatr buszujacy w jeczmieniu (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

UK:127 min

Country:

Ireland | UK | Germany | Italy | Spain | France

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | USA:Not Rated | Singapore:NC-16 | Chile:14 | France:U (with warning) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

Ballyvorney, County Cork, Ireland

Company:

BIM Distribuzione

Trivia:

The commercial interest expressed in the United Kingdom was initially much lower than in other European countries and only 30 prints of the film were planned for distribution in the UK, compared with 300 in France. However, after the Palme d'Or award the film appeared on 105 screens in the UK, more than three times larger than the UK release for any of Ken Loach's previous films.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the beginning, as the characters play a game of hurling, a farm is visible in the background, at the foot of a mountain. The buildings near the farmhouse are much too large and modern to have been constructed in 1920's Ireland.

Quotes:

Damien: How many British soldiers in the country, Tim?
Tim: Too many.
Damien: How many?
Teddy: About ten thousand, Damien.
Damien: Ten Thousand. Tans, artillery units, machine-gun car, cavalry...
Teddy: And many more besides. What's your point, Damien?
Damien: It's young men like Micheail we're talkin about, Teddy.
Teddy: Micheail was a real Irishman, Damien.
Ned: You're a coward, Damien.
Damien: I'm a coward? And you're a hero, isn't it, Ned? You're gonna take down the British army with your hurley, is that it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-03-17)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Oró! Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile

Was it worth it?

"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" is a fantastic film, and extremely apt given the current socio-economic climate in Ireland. We seem to be losing part of our heritage everyday, once again slave to foreign influences (both sides of the water) and willing to lose sight of our past to embrace the future. I left the cinema in Navan, Co Meath, wondering to myself "are we really as free as we think we are?". We have the highest debt ratio per capita of any country in the EU, a cost of living that is spiraling ridiculously out of control and criminals that make the Manson family look like the Partridge family. So what did we fight for in the rising of 1916, the War of Independence and the Civil War? To be more like the British? The day of real patriotism is gone, it has been replaced by cash hungry capitalists willing to sell out in the name of progress. Back to the film! This was probably the first "war film" that I have seen that did not over step the mark in terms of taking sides. It was extremely objective and a credit to Ken Loach for the accuracy of his research and the depiction of the times. I would liken it, in some ways, to Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" as it was really devoid of any sustained periods of levity and stayed constantly true to its theme, unconcerned by commercial considerations. A masterpiece of film making and a credit to the superb cast, particularly Murphy and Cunningham. Film of the Decade so far