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Michael Collins (film)
Encyclopedia
Michael Collins is a 1996 historical biopic
written and directed by Neil Jordan
and starring Liam Neeson
as General
Michael Collins
, the Irish
patriot
and revolutionary
who died in the Irish Civil War
. It won the Golden Lion
at the Venice Film Festival
.
(Julia Roberts
) mourns the death of her fiance, Michael Collins
. As Kitty refuses to leave her bed, his associate Joe O'Reilly attempts to console her with tales of Collins' love for his country.
The film flashes back to 1916. As the Easter Rising
ends, Collins (Liam Neeson
), Harry Boland
(Aidan Quinn
), and Éamon de Valera
(Alan Rickman
) among other survivors surrender to the British Army
. As the Dublin Metropolitan Police
's "G Division," identifies the leaders, Collins informs Boland that next time, "We won't play by their rules, Harry. We'll invent our own." Although all the other leaders die before a firing squad, de Valera, an American citizen, is imprisoned in Britain. Collins and Boland are sent with the others to Frongoch internment camp
in Wales
.
After his release in 1918, Collins runs as a member of the illegal First Dáil
. While giving a campaign speech, the rally is attacked by the Royal Irish Constabulary
. Collins is severely beaten, but is rescued by Boland. While recovering on a friend's farm, they meet Kitty, who strikes up a romance with Boland.
Collins is tipped off by D.M.P. Detective Ned Broy (Stephen Rea
) that the British plan to arrest de Valera and his Cabinet. However, de Valera forbids anyone to go into hiding, stating that the ensuing public outcry will force their immediate release. Everyone—except Collins and Boland—are arrested and imprisoned, and there are no protests in response.
Left in command, Collins orders the IRA to begin raiding police barracks for guns and ammunition. He also issues a statement that all collaboration with the British Empire
will be punished by death without trial. In order to carry out this threat, Collins orders Harry to recruit an assassination squad from the IRA's Dublin Brigade. Using information supplied by Detective Broy, Collins begins assassinating operatives of the D.M.P.'s "G" Division.
On Bloody Sunday
, Collins' Squad assassinates fourteen members of MI5
's Cairo Gang
. In retaliation, a combined force of Black and Tans
and British Army regulars fire into the crowd at a Gaelic football
match at Croke Park
. Ned Broy is caught burning documents in a hotel and lynched
.
Later, Boland and Collins travel to Britain and break de Valera out of Lincoln prison. Enraged that Collins has overshadowed him, de Valera announces that he will travel to the United States
to seek formal recognition from President Woodrow Wilson
. Hoping to keep Collins in line, he also orders Boland to accompany him. Before they depart, Collins informs Boland that de Valera fears leaving them alone together as "We might achieve that Republic he wants to talk to the world about."
After returning without any results, de Valera decrees that the IRA must fight a conventional war by attacking The Custom House
. Collins objects, arguing that fighting conventionally will only allow the British to win, but the Irish Cabinet votes to support de Valera. The attack fails catastrophically, leaving six men dead and seventy captured. In the aftermath, Collins declares to de Valera that the IRA can only hold out for a month. Privately, however, he admits to Boland that he lied—the IRA will be lucky to hold out for another week. To his shock, however, the British soon call for a cease fire.
Michael Collins is ordered to London to participate in negotiations with the British, despite his objections that he isn't a diplomat. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
at 10, Downing Street in December 1921, de Valera erupts upon learning that the terms have been published without his agreement. Collins argues that de Valera sent him to London knowing how the negotiations would turn out, and insists that while the Treaty does not directly give them the Republic, it gives them the freedom to achieve it.
Despite de Valera's best efforts to have the Treaty rejected, the Dáil approves the Treaty by 64-57. De Valera, Boland, and their supporters resign in protest. Both Collins and de Valera make speeches around Ireland, trying to sway the people in their respective directions. Collins is attacked by an anti-Treaty Republican during a rally, but escapes unharmed. In the aftermath, he asks Kitty Kiernan to marry him and she accepts.
In June 1922, the Irish people
vote to approve the Treaty. However, de Valera refuses to accept the results and orders the Anti-Treaty IRA to seize the Four Courts
in Dublin. Ordered by the Irish Cabinet to retake the Four Courts, Collins is appalled at having to fight former comrades and friends. Arthur Griffith
, however, informs him that, if the Irish Army
won't deal with the situation, Winston Churchill
and the British Army will. Left with no other choice, Collins and the newly-formed army of the Irish Free State go to war with the anti-Treaty forces.
In the Battle of Dublin, a running battle erupts in the streets as the Anti-Treaty IRA is driven from the city. Despite Collins' attempts to capture him alive, a wounded Harry Boland is fatally shot by a Free State sentry while trying to swim the Liffey.
Devastated by Harry's death, Collins travels home to County Cork
. He reaches out to de Valera, asking for a peace conference. De Valera listens from a hiding place as Collins addresses an intermediary. "Tell him that he was always my Chief," declares Collins emotionally. "I would have followed him to Hell
if he asked me, and maybe I did."
Collins declares that Boland's death was enough. He adds that he is sorry he didn't bring back an Irish republic
from the negotiations, but that nobody could have. He concludes by saying that that all Irishmen must join together to build a nation. Although moved to tears, de Valera departs without giving any message in response. Without de Valera's knowledge, the intermediary (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) informs Collins that his Chief will be waiting for him at Béal na mBláth
. A convoy of Irish Army vehicles heads there the following day. As they approach, forces of the Anti-Treaty IRA open fire from a nearby hillside. As Collins runs for cover, he is shot in the head by the intermediary from the previous night. A devastated Kitty is informed of his death just after trying on her wedding gown.
Completing his story, O'Reilly tells Kitty that Collins died so that all Irishmen, no matter what their stance on the Treaty, might one day live together in peace. He also tells her that Collins wouldn't want her to mourn as long as she has. Kitty responds, "He would have said it better, Joe."
The film ends with a montage of newsreel
footage from Michael Collins' funeral. A eulogy
states that, although a career soldier, Collins died in a failed effort to remove the gun from Irish politics. A 1966 statement by Éamon de Valera is superimposed:
wrote a script and was involved in pre-production work on a possible Collins film for over a year in the early 1990s with Gabriel Byrne
attached to star. Cimino was fired over budget concerns. Neil Jordan
mentions in his film diary that Kevin Costner
had also been interested in developing a movie about Collins and had visited Béal na mBláth
and the surrounding areas.
The film was scripted and directed by Neil Jordan. The soundtrack was written by Elliot Goldenthal
. The film was an international co-production
between companies in Ireland and the United States. With a budget estimated at $25 million, with 10%-12% from the Irish Film Board
, it was one of the most expensive films ever produced in Ireland. While filming, the breakdown of the IRA ceasefire caused the film's release to be delayed from June to December which caused Warner Bros.
executive Rob Friedman to pressure the director to reshoot the ending to focus on the love story between Collins and Kiernan, in an attempt to downplay the breakdown of Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations.
about the role before casting Alan Rickman. Jordan initially envisioned Stephen Rea playing Harry Boland, but then decided the role of Broy would give Rea more of a challenge. Matt Dillon
and Adam Baldwin
also auditioned for the role.
. Boland did not die in the manner suggested by the film. He was shot in a skirmish with Irish Free State soldiers in The Grand Hotel, Skerries
, North Co. Dublin during the Battle of Dublin
. The hotel has since been demolished but a plaque was put where the building used to be. His last words in the film - "Have they got Mick Collins yet?" - are however, based on a well-known tradition.
Neil Jordan
defended his film by saying that it could not provide an entirely accurate account of events, given that it was a two-hour film that had to be understandable to an international audience who would not know the minutiae of Irish history
. The documentary on the DVD release of the film also discusses its fictional aspects.
Critic Roger Ebert
referred to the closing quotation from de Valera that history would vindicate Collins at his own expense, writing that "even Dev could hardly have imagined this film biography of Collins, which portrays De Valera as a weak, mannered, sniveling prima donna whose grandstanding led to decades of unnecessary bloodshed in, and over, Ireland."
was written by acclaimed composer Elliot Goldenthal
, and features performances by Sinéad O'Connor
. Frank Patterson
also performs with the Cafe Orchestra in the film and on the album.
initially intended to give the film an over-15 Certificate, but later decided that it should be released with a PG certificate because of its historical importance. The censor issued a press statement defending his decision, claiming the film was a landmark in Irish cinema and that "because of the subject matter, parents should have the option of making their own decision as to whether their children should see the film or not". The video release was, however, given a 12 certificate.
The film was rated 15 in the United Kingdom
by the British Board of Film Classification
.
4 million. In 2000, it was second only to Titanic
in this category. It received generally positive reviews, but was mildly criticized for some historical inaccuracies.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
written and directed by Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
and starring Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
as General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
, the Irish
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...
patriot
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
and revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
who died in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. It won the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
Plot
The film opens in 1922, as a devastated Kitty KiernanKitty Kiernan
Catherine Brigid Kiernan was an Irish woman best known as the fiancée of assassinated Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government Michael Collins.-Early life:...
(Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
) mourns the death of her fiance, Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
. As Kitty refuses to leave her bed, his associate Joe O'Reilly attempts to console her with tales of Collins' love for his country.
The film flashes back to 1916. As the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
ends, Collins (Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
), Harry Boland
Harry Boland
Harry Boland was an Irish Republican politician and member of the First Dáil.-Early life:Boland was born in Phibsboro, Dublin on 27 April 1887. He was active in GAA circles in early life, and ultimately joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
(Aidan Quinn
Aidan Quinn
-Early life:Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois to Irish parents. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic and raised in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, as well as in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, was a homemaker, and his father, Michael Quinn, was a professor of...
), and Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
(Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) among other survivors surrender to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. As the Dublin Metropolitan Police
Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Dublin Metropolitan Police was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.-19th century:...
's "G Division," identifies the leaders, Collins informs Boland that next time, "We won't play by their rules, Harry. We'll invent our own." Although all the other leaders die before a firing squad, de Valera, an American citizen, is imprisoned in Britain. Collins and Boland are sent with the others to Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp at Frongoch in Merionethshire, Wales was a makeshift place of imprisonment during the First World War. Until 1916 it housed German prisoners of war in an abandoned distillery and crude huts, but in the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland, the German prisoners...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
After his release in 1918, Collins runs as a member of the illegal First Dáil
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
. While giving a campaign speech, the rally is attacked by the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
. Collins is severely beaten, but is rescued by Boland. While recovering on a friend's farm, they meet Kitty, who strikes up a romance with Boland.
Collins is tipped off by D.M.P. Detective Ned Broy (Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in high profile films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto...
) that the British plan to arrest de Valera and his Cabinet. However, de Valera forbids anyone to go into hiding, stating that the ensuing public outcry will force their immediate release. Everyone—except Collins and Boland—are arrested and imprisoned, and there are no protests in response.
Left in command, Collins orders the IRA to begin raiding police barracks for guns and ammunition. He also issues a statement that all collaboration with the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
will be punished by death without trial. In order to carry out this threat, Collins orders Harry to recruit an assassination squad from the IRA's Dublin Brigade. Using information supplied by Detective Broy, Collins begins assassinating operatives of the D.M.P.'s "G" Division.
On Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1920)
Bloody Sunday was a day of violence in Dublin on 21 November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. In total, 31 people were killed – fourteen British, fourteen Irish civilians and three republican prisoners....
, Collins' Squad assassinates fourteen members of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
's Cairo Gang
Cairo Gang
The Cairo Gang was a group of British Intelligence agents who were sent to Dublin during the Anglo-Irish War to conduct intelligence operations against prominent members of the Irish Republican Army...
. In retaliation, a combined force of Black and Tans
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
and British Army regulars fire into the crowd at a Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
match at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
. Ned Broy is caught burning documents in a hotel and lynched
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
.
Later, Boland and Collins travel to Britain and break de Valera out of Lincoln prison. Enraged that Collins has overshadowed him, de Valera announces that he will travel to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to seek formal recognition from President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. Hoping to keep Collins in line, he also orders Boland to accompany him. Before they depart, Collins informs Boland that de Valera fears leaving them alone together as "We might achieve that Republic he wants to talk to the world about."
After returning without any results, de Valera decrees that the IRA must fight a conventional war by attacking The Custom House
The Custom House
The Custom House is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government...
. Collins objects, arguing that fighting conventionally will only allow the British to win, but the Irish Cabinet votes to support de Valera. The attack fails catastrophically, leaving six men dead and seventy captured. In the aftermath, Collins declares to de Valera that the IRA can only hold out for a month. Privately, however, he admits to Boland that he lied—the IRA will be lucky to hold out for another week. To his shock, however, the British soon call for a cease fire.
Michael Collins is ordered to London to participate in negotiations with the British, despite his objections that he isn't a diplomat. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
at 10, Downing Street in December 1921, de Valera erupts upon learning that the terms have been published without his agreement. Collins argues that de Valera sent him to London knowing how the negotiations would turn out, and insists that while the Treaty does not directly give them the Republic, it gives them the freedom to achieve it.
Despite de Valera's best efforts to have the Treaty rejected, the Dáil approves the Treaty by 64-57. De Valera, Boland, and their supporters resign in protest. Both Collins and de Valera make speeches around Ireland, trying to sway the people in their respective directions. Collins is attacked by an anti-Treaty Republican during a rally, but escapes unharmed. In the aftermath, he asks Kitty Kiernan to marry him and she accepts.
In June 1922, the Irish people
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
vote to approve the Treaty. However, de Valera refuses to accept the results and orders the Anti-Treaty IRA to seize the Four Courts
Four Courts
The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. The building until 2010 also formerly was the location for the Central Criminal Court.-Gandon's Building:Work based on...
in Dublin. Ordered by the Irish Cabinet to retake the Four Courts, Collins is appalled at having to fight former comrades and friends. Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
, however, informs him that, if the Irish Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
won't deal with the situation, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and the British Army will. Left with no other choice, Collins and the newly-formed army of the Irish Free State go to war with the anti-Treaty forces.
In the Battle of Dublin, a running battle erupts in the streets as the Anti-Treaty IRA is driven from the city. Despite Collins' attempts to capture him alive, a wounded Harry Boland is fatally shot by a Free State sentry while trying to swim the Liffey.
Devastated by Harry's death, Collins travels home to County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. He reaches out to de Valera, asking for a peace conference. De Valera listens from a hiding place as Collins addresses an intermediary. "Tell him that he was always my Chief," declares Collins emotionally. "I would have followed him to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
if he asked me, and maybe I did."
Collins declares that Boland's death was enough. He adds that he is sorry he didn't bring back an Irish republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
from the negotiations, but that nobody could have. He concludes by saying that that all Irishmen must join together to build a nation. Although moved to tears, de Valera departs without giving any message in response. Without de Valera's knowledge, the intermediary (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) informs Collins that his Chief will be waiting for him at Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth, officially Béal Átha na Bláiche , is a small village in County Cork, Ireland. Both Bláth or Bláiche are variations of the word bláthach, meaning literally "flowery" or "floral", or in this case "buttermilk"....
. A convoy of Irish Army vehicles heads there the following day. As they approach, forces of the Anti-Treaty IRA open fire from a nearby hillside. As Collins runs for cover, he is shot in the head by the intermediary from the previous night. A devastated Kitty is informed of his death just after trying on her wedding gown.
Completing his story, O'Reilly tells Kitty that Collins died so that all Irishmen, no matter what their stance on the Treaty, might one day live together in peace. He also tells her that Collins wouldn't want her to mourn as long as she has. Kitty responds, "He would have said it better, Joe."
The film ends with a montage of newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
footage from Michael Collins' funeral. A eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
states that, although a career soldier, Collins died in a failed effort to remove the gun from Irish politics. A 1966 statement by Éamon de Valera is superimposed:
It is my considered opinion that in the fullness of time, history will record the greatness of Michael Collins, and it shall be recorded at my expense.
Cast
- Liam NeesonLiam NeesonLiam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
as Michael CollinsMichael Collins (Irish leader)Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the... - Aidan QuinnAidan Quinn-Early life:Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois to Irish parents. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic and raised in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, as well as in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, was a homemaker, and his father, Michael Quinn, was a professor of...
as Harry BolandHarry BolandHarry Boland was an Irish Republican politician and member of the First Dáil.-Early life:Boland was born in Phibsboro, Dublin on 27 April 1887. He was active in GAA circles in early life, and ultimately joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood... - Stephen ReaStephen ReaStephen Rea is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in high profile films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto...
as Ned Broy - Alan RickmanAlan RickmanAlan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Éamon de ValeraÉamon de ValeraÉamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland... - Julia RobertsJulia RobertsJulia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
as Kitty KiernanKitty KiernanCatherine Brigid Kiernan was an Irish woman best known as the fiancée of assassinated Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government Michael Collins.-Early life:... - Brendan GleesonBrendan GleesonBrendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. His best-known films include Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, 28 Days Later, the Harry Potter films, The Guard and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty...
as Liam TobinLiam TobinMajor General Liam Tobin was an Irish statesman and officer in the Irish Army. During the Irish War of Independence, he served as an IRA intelligence officer for Michael Collins' Squad.-Early life:... - Ian HartIan HartIan Hart is an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:Hart, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He is one of three siblings and was brought up in a Roman Catholic family...
as Joe O'Reilly - Charles DanceCharles DanceWalter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
as Soames, the British MI5MI5The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
officer who commands the Cairo GangCairo GangThe Cairo Gang was a group of British Intelligence agents who were sent to Dublin during the Anglo-Irish War to conduct intelligence operations against prominent members of the Irish Republican Army... - Owen O'NeillOwen O'NeillOwen O'Neill is an award-winning writer actor director and comedian. His short film The Basket Case won the best Irish short at the 2008 Boston Film Festival in the U.S...
as Rory O'ConnorRory O'Connor (Irish republican)Rory O'Connor was an Irish republican activist. He is best remembered for his role in the Irish Civil War 1922-1923, which led to his execution.-Background:... - Gerard McSorleyGerard McSorleyGerard McSorley is a theatre, television and an Irish film actor.-Early life:He was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, and after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown he attended St. Columb's College in Derry. He then attended Queen's University, Belfast, where he was taught by among...
as Cathal BrughaCathal BrughaCathal Brugha was an Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann.-Background:... - Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Collins' assassin
- Ian McElhinneyIan McElhinneyIan McElhinney is an actor and director.-Personal life:He is married to playwright/actress Marie Jones. Together they started their own company, Rathmore Productions Ltd.-Filmography:-External links:...
as Belfast Detective
Production
Michael CiminoMichael Cimino
Michael Cimino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and author. He is best known for writing and directing Academy Award-winning The Deer Hunter and the infamous Heaven's Gate. His films are characterized by their striking visual style and controversial subject...
wrote a script and was involved in pre-production work on a possible Collins film for over a year in the early 1990s with Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
attached to star. Cimino was fired over budget concerns. Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
mentions in his film diary that Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
had also been interested in developing a movie about Collins and had visited Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth, officially Béal Átha na Bláiche , is a small village in County Cork, Ireland. Both Bláth or Bláiche are variations of the word bláthach, meaning literally "flowery" or "floral", or in this case "buttermilk"....
and the surrounding areas.
The film was scripted and directed by Neil Jordan. The soundtrack was written by Elliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, and is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways...
. The film was an international co-production
International co-production
An international co-production is a production where two or more different production companies are working together, for example in a film production...
between companies in Ireland and the United States. With a budget estimated at $25 million, with 10%-12% from the Irish Film Board
Irish Film Board
The Irish Film Board is Ireland’s national film agency and major film funding body. It was recommended for abolition by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes in 2009.-Formative years:...
, it was one of the most expensive films ever produced in Ireland. While filming, the breakdown of the IRA ceasefire caused the film's release to be delayed from June to December which caused Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
executive Rob Friedman to pressure the director to reshoot the ending to focus on the love story between Collins and Kiernan, in an attempt to downplay the breakdown of Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations.
Casting
A number of Irish actors auditioned for the part of de Valera but Jordan felt they weren't able to find a real character and were playing a stereotype of de Valera. Jordan met with John TurturroJohn Turturro
John Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer and director known for his roles in the films Do the Right Thing , Miller's Crossing , Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Transformers film series...
about the role before casting Alan Rickman. Jordan initially envisioned Stephen Rea playing Harry Boland, but then decided the role of Broy would give Rea more of a challenge. Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
and Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin is an American actor, known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Ricky Linderman in My Bodyguard, Knowle Rohrer in The X-Files, and Marcus Hamilton in Joss Whedon's Angel...
also auditioned for the role.
Historical alterations
Although based on historical events, the film does contain some alterations and fictionalizations such as the death of Harry BolandHarry Boland
Harry Boland was an Irish Republican politician and member of the First Dáil.-Early life:Boland was born in Phibsboro, Dublin on 27 April 1887. He was active in GAA circles in early life, and ultimately joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
. Boland did not die in the manner suggested by the film. He was shot in a skirmish with Irish Free State soldiers in The Grand Hotel, Skerries
Skerries
Skerries is the plural of skerry, meaning a small rocky island.Skerries may refer to a number of geographical locations:-Ireland:*Skerries, Dublin, a seaside town in Ireland*The Skerries, Northern Ireland...
, North Co. Dublin during the Battle of Dublin
Battle of Dublin
The Battle of Dublin, a week of street fighting in Dublin from 28 June to 5 July 1922, marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War. The fighting began with an assault by the Provisional Government of the proposed Irish Free State on the Four Courts building which had been occupied by a hard-line...
. The hotel has since been demolished but a plaque was put where the building used to be. His last words in the film - "Have they got Mick Collins yet?" - are however, based on a well-known tradition.
Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
defended his film by saying that it could not provide an entirely accurate account of events, given that it was a two-hour film that had to be understandable to an international audience who would not know the minutiae of Irish history
History of Ireland
The first known settlement in Ireland began around 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers arrived from continental Europe, probably via a land bridge. Few archaeological traces remain of this group, but their descendants and later Neolithic arrivals, particularly from the Iberian Peninsula, were...
. The documentary on the DVD release of the film also discusses its fictional aspects.
Critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
referred to the closing quotation from de Valera that history would vindicate Collins at his own expense, writing that "even Dev could hardly have imagined this film biography of Collins, which portrays De Valera as a weak, mannered, sniveling prima donna whose grandstanding led to decades of unnecessary bloodshed in, and over, Ireland."
Soundtrack
The scoreMichael Collins (soundtrack)
Elliot Goldenthal's score for Michael Collins was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Original Dramatic Score".Sinéad O'Connor and the late Irish tenor Frank Patterson both contributed to the soundtrack.- Track listing :...
was written by acclaimed composer Elliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, and is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways...
, and features performances by 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"....
. Frank Patterson
Frank Patterson
Frank Patterson was an internationally renowned Irish tenor following in the tradition of singers such as Count John McCormack and Josef Locke. He was known as "Ireland's Golden Tenor".- Early life :...
also performs with the Cafe Orchestra in the film and on the album.
Ratings
The Irish Film CensorCensorship in the Republic of Ireland
Ireland rarely exercises censorship though the state retains wide-ranging laws which allow for it, including specific laws covering films, advertisements, newspapers and magazines, as well as terrorism and pornography...
initially intended to give the film an over-15 Certificate, but later decided that it should be released with a PG certificate because of its historical importance. The censor issued a press statement defending his decision, claiming the film was a landmark in Irish cinema and that "because of the subject matter, parents should have the option of making their own decision as to whether their children should see the film or not". The video release was, however, given a 12 certificate.
The film was rated 15 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the British Board of Film Classification
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
.
Reception
The film became the top grossing film ever in Ireland upon its release, making IR£Irish pound
The Irish pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £...
4 million. In 2000, it was second only to Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
in this category. It received generally positive reviews, but was mildly criticized for some historical inaccuracies.