Angela's Ashes (film)
Encyclopedia
Angela's Ashes is a 1999 Irish-American drama film
based on the memoir of the same title
by Frank McCourt
. It was directed by Alan Parker
and starred Emily Watson
, Robert Carlyle
, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, and Michael Legge
(the latter three playing the Young, Middle and Older Frank McCourt respectively).
and his childhood after his family is forced to move from America back to Ireland because of financial difficulties and family problems derived from his father's alcoholism
. The film chronicles young McCourt's life in Limerick
, Ireland
, during his childhood in the 1930s and '40s, the difficulties that ensued, and finally Frank's way of earning enough money to return to the land of his dreams: America. Michael Legge was praised for his portrayal of the adolescent Frank. In particular, he was said to acquiesce his role as an innocent teenager growing up with typical coming of age rites such as sexuality, maturity and peer pressure in a Catholic Irish setting.
.
Based on a $25 million budget, the film grossed a domestic total of $13,042,112, making it a box office bomb
.
was composed and conducted by John Williams
, and features songs by Billie Holiday
and Sinéad O'Connor
.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
based on the memoir of the same title
Angela's Ashes
Angela's Ashes is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt. The memoir consists of various anecdotes and stories of Frank McCourt's impoverished childhood and early adulthood in Brooklyn, New York and Limerick, Ireland, as well as McCourt's struggles with poverty, his father's...
by Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
. It was directed by Alan Parker
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
and starred Emily Watson
Emily Watson
Emily Watson is an English actress. She gave an acclaimed debut film performance in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves.- Early life :...
, Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, and Michael Legge
Michael Legge (actor)
Michael Legge is a Northern Irish actor.He has appeared in a number of stage, film, television and radio roles. He may be best known for playing the teenaged Frank McCourt in Alan Parker's 1999 film, Angela's Ashes....
(the latter three playing the Young, Middle and Older Frank McCourt respectively).
Plot
Angela's Ashes tells the story of Frank McCourtFrank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
and his childhood after his family is forced to move from America back to Ireland because of financial difficulties and family problems derived from his father's alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. The film chronicles young McCourt's life in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, during his childhood in the 1930s and '40s, the difficulties that ensued, and finally Frank's way of earning enough money to return to the land of his dreams: America. Michael Legge was praised for his portrayal of the adolescent Frank. In particular, he was said to acquiesce his role as an innocent teenager growing up with typical coming of age rites such as sexuality, maturity and peer pressure in a Catholic Irish setting.
Cast
- Emily WatsonEmily WatsonEmily Watson is an English actress. She gave an acclaimed debut film performance in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves.- Early life :...
as Angela McCourt - Robert CarlyleRobert CarlyleRobert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
as Malachy McCourt - Devon MurrayDevon MurrayDevon Michael Murray is an Irish actor known for playing Seamus Finnigan in the Harry Potter films. Before Harry Potter, Murray had played Christy in This is My Father, Malachy in Angela's Ashes, and Geoffrey in Yesterday's Children.Murray was born in County Kildare, Ireland, the only child of...
as Middle Malachy - Joe Breen as Young Frank
- Ciaran Owens as Middle Frank
- Michael LeggeMichael Legge (actor)Michael Legge is a Northern Irish actor.He has appeared in a number of stage, film, television and radio roles. He may be best known for playing the teenaged Frank McCourt in Alan Parker's 1999 film, Angela's Ashes....
as Older Frank - Kerry CondonKerry CondonKerry Condon is an Irish television and film actress.She was born in Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. Her roles include Victoria in Unleashed , and Kate Kelly in the 2003 film Ned Kelly...
as Theresa Carmondy - Ronnie MastersonRonnie MastersonRonnie Masterson is an Irish actress.Masterson trained at the Abbey Theatre and first appeared on stage there in 1944. At the Abbey, she met and then married actor Ray McAnally in 1945, and they remained married until his death, although they resided in different homes; her husband with Irish...
as Grandma Sheehan - Pauline McLynnPauline McLynnPauline McLynn is an Irish actress, comedienne and author, best known for playing Mrs Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, and Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless.- Early life :...
as Aunt Aggie - Liam Carney as Uncle Pa Keating
- Eanna MacLiam as Uncle Pat
- Susan FitzgeraldSusan FitzGeraldSusan FitzGerald is an Irish actress, best known for her work in television and her work in Irish theatre. She also played the role of May in Samuel Beckett's Footfalls for the Gate Theatre's Beckett on Film project...
as Sister Rita - Eamonn Owens as Quasimodo
- Martin BensonMartin Benson (actor)Martin Benjamin Benson was an English character actor, who appeared in films, theatre and television. He appeared in both British and Hollywood productions.-Career:...
as Christian brother - Andrew BennettAndrew BennettAndrew Francis Bennett is a British Labour Party politician, who was a member of Parliament from 1974 to 2005.-Early life:...
as Narrator (voice) - Alan ParkerAlan ParkerSir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
(cameoCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
) as Dr. Campbell
Reception
Angela's Ashes currently holds a 52% 'rotten' rating and the consensus "In spite of its attempts to accurately record Frank McCourt's memoirs, the onscreen adaptation fails to capture any of the drama or humor of his life" on review aggregate website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Based on a $25 million budget, the film grossed a domestic total of $13,042,112, making it a box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
.
Soundtrack
The film soundtrackAngela's Ashes (soundtrack)
Angela's Ashes is the soundtrack, on the Sony Classical label, of the 1999 film Angela's Ashes starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle...
was composed and conducted by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
, and features songs by Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
and Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
.