A Letter From Ulster
Encyclopedia
Ulster
-born movie director Brian Desmond Hurst
's homeland movie A Letter From Ulster (1942) saw Hurst and lifelong friends Terence Young (scriptwriter) and his fellow Ulsterman and Assistant Director William (Bill) MacQuitty creating a film promoting a sense of community between the people of Northern Ireland and over one hundred thousand troops from the USA based in Northern Ireland at the time. Hurst went on to become Northern Ireland's greatest film director and Young went on to direct the early Bond movies Dr. No
, From Russia With Love
and Thunderball
. William MacQuitty went on to direct the definitive Titanic film A Night to Remember.
In 1942 tensions between the US troops and the local population were be stirred up by propaganda from German spies in Dublin. Hurst's brief was simple- to make a documentary to show that everyone was getting along fine.
Brian McIlroy in Chapter 3 of Re-viewing British Cinema 1900 - 1992: Essays and Interviews explained that "Hurst was able to persuade one Catholic and one Protestant soldier to write letters home, explaining their impressions of their stay. From these letters, Terence Young, the scriptwriter, was able to construct a sequence of activities that revealed the different traditions of Ireland".
The film follows American soldiers from the US Army 34th Infantry Division as they train for war and enjoy the local hospitality. The two men who write home about their experiences take a tour of their new homeland in their little jeep and visit St Marys Church in Belfast, Gray Printers in Strabane, Carrickfergus Castle, and Roaring Meg on Derry's walls. They also travel by rail although the railway station seen is not Coleraine as portrayed in the film (even the station master's hat is correct) it is actually Cultra in North Down. They even manage to stray across the border with the South of Ireland towards Glaslough at one stage and are politely turned back. We also see them in their barracks at Tynan Abbey and undertaking tank and artillery exercises across the rolling landscape of Northern Ireland and the Sperrins can be seen in some footage. The artillery scenes used men from the 151st Field Artillery from Minnesota who, significantly, fired the first artillery shell of US Forces in the European Theatre of War in the Sperrins. The men we see went on to fight in some of the bloodiest battles of World War 2 including Anzio and Monte Cassino.
The film also captures the cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather (creator of 'Old Bill' during WW1) in a brief cameo whilst he was attached to the US Army. His work subsequently appears in the book of cartoons Jeeps and Jests which includes a cartoon of Brian Desmond Hurst filming A Letter From Ulster.
In September 2011 Brian Desmond Hurst's relative and biographer Allan Esler Smith produced a short documentary Revisiting A Letter From Ulster (Directed by Adam Jones-Lloyd) featuring then and now footage and retracing the steps of the men from the 34th Infantry Division. The documentary premiered at the Aspects Festival in Ireland and was run on a loop for 5 days together with the original A Letter From Ulster. More information is at www.briandesmondhurst.org- see link below.
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
-born movie director Brian Desmond Hurst
Brian Desmond Hurst
thumb|right|200px|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]Brian Desmond Hurst was a Belfast-born film director. Responsible for over 30 movies as director, Hurst was Ireland's most prolific movie director during the 20th century.-Early life:Hurst was born Hans Hurst in Ribble Street, East Belfast"". into a...
's homeland movie A Letter From Ulster (1942) saw Hurst and lifelong friends Terence Young (scriptwriter) and his fellow Ulsterman and Assistant Director William (Bill) MacQuitty creating a film promoting a sense of community between the people of Northern Ireland and over one hundred thousand troops from the USA based in Northern Ireland at the time. Hurst went on to become Northern Ireland's greatest film director and Young went on to direct the early Bond movies Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
, From Russia With Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
and Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
. William MacQuitty went on to direct the definitive Titanic film A Night to Remember.
In 1942 tensions between the US troops and the local population were be stirred up by propaganda from German spies in Dublin. Hurst's brief was simple- to make a documentary to show that everyone was getting along fine.
Brian McIlroy in Chapter 3 of Re-viewing British Cinema 1900 - 1992: Essays and Interviews explained that "Hurst was able to persuade one Catholic and one Protestant soldier to write letters home, explaining their impressions of their stay. From these letters, Terence Young, the scriptwriter, was able to construct a sequence of activities that revealed the different traditions of Ireland".
The film follows American soldiers from the US Army 34th Infantry Division as they train for war and enjoy the local hospitality. The two men who write home about their experiences take a tour of their new homeland in their little jeep and visit St Marys Church in Belfast, Gray Printers in Strabane, Carrickfergus Castle, and Roaring Meg on Derry's walls. They also travel by rail although the railway station seen is not Coleraine as portrayed in the film (even the station master's hat is correct) it is actually Cultra in North Down. They even manage to stray across the border with the South of Ireland towards Glaslough at one stage and are politely turned back. We also see them in their barracks at Tynan Abbey and undertaking tank and artillery exercises across the rolling landscape of Northern Ireland and the Sperrins can be seen in some footage. The artillery scenes used men from the 151st Field Artillery from Minnesota who, significantly, fired the first artillery shell of US Forces in the European Theatre of War in the Sperrins. The men we see went on to fight in some of the bloodiest battles of World War 2 including Anzio and Monte Cassino.
The film also captures the cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather (creator of 'Old Bill' during WW1) in a brief cameo whilst he was attached to the US Army. His work subsequently appears in the book of cartoons Jeeps and Jests which includes a cartoon of Brian Desmond Hurst filming A Letter From Ulster.
In September 2011 Brian Desmond Hurst's relative and biographer Allan Esler Smith produced a short documentary Revisiting A Letter From Ulster (Directed by Adam Jones-Lloyd) featuring then and now footage and retracing the steps of the men from the 34th Infantry Division. The documentary premiered at the Aspects Festival in Ireland and was run on a loop for 5 days together with the original A Letter From Ulster. More information is at www.briandesmondhurst.org- see link below.