Eat the Peach
Encyclopedia
Eat the Peach is a 1986 British
-Irish comedy film
, directed by Peter Ormrod. The title derives from the T.S.Eliot poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
. It was written by Peter Ormrod with John Kelleher. It is a film about eccentricity and companionship and was part financed by Channel Four.
. When the local Japanese owned computer factory closes, the principal employer in the area seems to become the mob that runs the smuggling. One day, Vinnie, (Stephen Brennan), one of the men thrown out of work, and his brother-in-law, Arthur, (Eamon Morissey
), happen to see a videotape of the 1964 Elvis Presley
film Roustabout, in the village bar. They see a cyclist in the film ride in a carnival Wall of Death - a high walled barrel-like tank where centrifugal force keeps the rider up in the air circling. Straight away Vinnie makes diagrams, and measures - and clears a patch of land near his house. His wife, Nora (Catherine Byrne - Alice More in the series The Tudors
), protests and goes back to her mother with their little girl, Vicky. It's a new kitchen she wants, not a Wall of Death. The men however, continue with the work and sinking tree posts into the ground and putting up a huge cylindrical construction. They become energetic and resourceful. Vinnie believes his Wall of Death will be a source of income - that people will buy tickets to stand on a gallery around the top of the rink and watch him and Arthur give their daring performances. Nora returns.
The film is based on actual events the film is based on a true story of two brothers-in-law Connie Kiernan and Michael Donoghue living in Granard, County Longford (Ireland). They build a wall of death in their back garden for fun. The director, Peter Ormrod, had seen a huge, wooden tank just off the road when he was looking for items for Irish television.
in her collection Hooked
. "This film has wonderful uninsistent images. It's poverty-row film making, and often the shots don't match. But it's the kind of movie in which you rather enjoy the shots' not matching. It draws you into the moviemaking process; the informality is likable. After little Vicky has watched her father flying around the tank (he loves it, he's completely happy), she too, becomes obsessed, and there's a shot of her, her face as determined as his, as she rides her tricycle along the Wall, trying to climb it. She wakes up one night hearing the crackling sound of burning wood; she rushes out the front door and sees her parents and her Uncle Arthur watching a fire, and she stares at the spectacle without a sound, the flames lighting her awed, startled face. For an instant, with her hair streaming back from her head, she's the soul of Ireland
, the way Sara Allgood
was when she played in Juno and the Paycock
."
Motorcycle stunts were performed by riders from Messhams Wall Of Death.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
-Irish comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, directed by Peter Ormrod. The title derives from the T.S.Eliot poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, commonly known as Prufrock, is a poem by T. S. Eliot, begun in February 1910 and published in Chicago in June 1915. Described as a "drama of literary anguish," it presents a stream of consciousness in the form of a dramatic monologue, and marked the beginning of...
. It was written by Peter Ormrod with John Kelleher. It is a film about eccentricity and companionship and was part financed by Channel Four.
Plot
The story takes place in an Irish village a few miles from the border with Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. When the local Japanese owned computer factory closes, the principal employer in the area seems to become the mob that runs the smuggling. One day, Vinnie, (Stephen Brennan), one of the men thrown out of work, and his brother-in-law, Arthur, (Eamon Morissey
Eamon Morrissey (actor)
Eamon Morrissey is an Irish actor, best known for his comic performances on stage and television.-Early life:An only child, Morrissey was born in Dublin and grew up in the suburb of Ranelagh. His parents encouraged his early interest in stage performance and he won several medals for his...
), happen to see a videotape of the 1964 Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
film Roustabout, in the village bar. They see a cyclist in the film ride in a carnival Wall of Death - a high walled barrel-like tank where centrifugal force keeps the rider up in the air circling. Straight away Vinnie makes diagrams, and measures - and clears a patch of land near his house. His wife, Nora (Catherine Byrne - Alice More in the series The Tudors
The Tudors
The Tudors is a Canadian produced historical fiction television series filmed in Ireland, created by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime...
), protests and goes back to her mother with their little girl, Vicky. It's a new kitchen she wants, not a Wall of Death. The men however, continue with the work and sinking tree posts into the ground and putting up a huge cylindrical construction. They become energetic and resourceful. Vinnie believes his Wall of Death will be a source of income - that people will buy tickets to stand on a gallery around the top of the rink and watch him and Arthur give their daring performances. Nora returns.
The film is based on actual events the film is based on a true story of two brothers-in-law Connie Kiernan and Michael Donoghue living in Granard, County Longford (Ireland). They build a wall of death in their back garden for fun. The director, Peter Ormrod, had seen a huge, wooden tank just off the road when he was looking for items for Irish television.
Critical reception
The film was reviewed favourably by the eminent critic Pauline KaelPauline Kael
Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. Earlier in her career, her work appeared in City Lights, McCall's and The New Republic....
in her collection Hooked
Hooked
Hooked is the ninth collection of movie reviews by the critic Pauline Kael, covering the period from July 1985 to June 1988.All articles in the book originally appeared in The New Yorker....
. "This film has wonderful uninsistent images. It's poverty-row film making, and often the shots don't match. But it's the kind of movie in which you rather enjoy the shots' not matching. It draws you into the moviemaking process; the informality is likable. After little Vicky has watched her father flying around the tank (he loves it, he's completely happy), she too, becomes obsessed, and there's a shot of her, her face as determined as his, as she rides her tricycle along the Wall, trying to climb it. She wakes up one night hearing the crackling sound of burning wood; she rushes out the front door and sees her parents and her Uncle Arthur watching a fire, and she stares at the spectacle without a sound, the flames lighting her awed, startled face. For an instant, with her hair streaming back from her head, she's the soul of 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...
, the way Sara Allgood
Sara Allgood
-Biography:Allgood was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her sister was actress Maire O'Neill.Allgood began her acting career at the Abbey Theatre and was in the opening of the Irish National Theatre Society, appearing in many of their plays all over Britain...
was when she played in Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock (film)
Juno and the Paycock is a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Barry Fitzgerald, Maire O'Neill, Edward Chapman and Sara Allgood.The film was based on a successful play by Sean O'Casey.-Plot:...
."
Filming
Eat The Peach was filmed on location in Newcastle, County Dublin.Motorcycle stunts were performed by riders from Messhams Wall Of Death.