Rebel Heart (film)
Encyclopedia
Rebel Heart is a 2001
British television drama miniseries
starring James D'Arcy
as the fictional Ernie Coyne, an Irish nationalist. It is in four parts, and set during the Irish War of Independence
from 1916 (The Easter Rising) until the end of the Civil War
. Michael Collins
was idolised by Ernie, and was consequently featured frequently, as a leader and as a friend. It generated a large amount of controversy before its release.
and Irish Civil War
first emerged in 1994.
Despite most major characters being Irish, the leading roles were mostly played by British-born actors.
of 1916. Ernie's nationalistic overtones are contrasted against the working class marxism
of the other characters, including Tom O'Toole (Vincent Regan
) and Kelly (Frank Laverty). On the evening of the first day at the General Post Office
Ernie's mother comes by to try and convince him to come home. The upper class manner in which she is dressed is commented on by O'Toole and Kelly because of their working class origins. Ernie takes the job of runner (dispatch carrier), relaying orders between the different units around Dublin that have been cut off from one another. When delivering his first message to St Stephen's Green he meets sisters Ita Feeney (Paloma Baeza
) and Ursula Feeney (Dawn Bradfield) who, with a group of republican soldiers, are pinned down by enemy machine gun fire. One of the sisters kills the machine gunner thus stopping the fire that is pinning the republican soldiers down and allowing them to fall back to the College of Surgeons
. After delivering his report Ernie goes off on his other run where he continually dodges danger whilst delivering his messages.
On his final run down to Northumberland Road all he finds is the dead bodies of the republicans that have been killed by the British. However he is able to locate four remaining survivors of the unit to whom he gives the chocolate that his mother gave him earlier as it is painfully clear that the four men will die. The rebellion
collapses, when it emerges that the Irish people
have not risen to support it. In fact the reaction to the rebellion from most Irish people, Protestant and Roman Catholic was hostile. As the government forces close in, Patrick Pearse
ordered a general unconditional surrender. Ernie is captured and imprisoned with the rest of his associates, refusing the special treatment arranged for him by his influential father.
The episode finishes with a number of the rebel leaders, such as Patrick Pearse
and Thomas Clarke, being tried by military tribunal and executed for treason (for leading a rebellion while the United Kingdom
was at war with Imperial Germany).
are released from jail in 1916, their early release a gesture of attempted concilliation by the British authorities. When they arrive in Dublin aboard a train they are greeted by a fervently nationalistic crowd, waving Irish tricolours. Coyne returns to his upper-middle class family in Dublin. He has secured a place at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin, leading to the contempt of some of his working-class fellow Easter Rising
veterans.
However, Coyne is soon involved with separatist politics again. He involves himself in vote-rigging in the 1918 General Election
to try and boost Sinn Féin
's chances against the liberal nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party
and unionist Irish Unionist Party
, much to the disgust of his respectable parents. Sinn Féin won the election in a landslide victory, often uncontested in seats, and this gave a more official nature to their claim to speak for the people of Ireland
.
His involvement leads to Coyne becoming mixed up once more with the militant wing of the movement, who want to drive the British out by killing British soldiers and members of the Royal Irish Constabulary
. One of the veterans of the Easter Rising
Michael Collins
is playing a leading role in the embyronic Irish Republican Army
. A number of events such as the burial of County Meath
militant Thomas Ashe
, who had died on hunger strike, persuaded Coyne and many other Irishmen to take up arms against the government forces.
Criticised in particular was the involvement of the BBC
in making a film purportedly propagandising for the IRA
during the delicate peace process in Northern Ireland
. The Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble
attacked the corporation for making a series that could be used as propaganda for the modern IRA
.
It was also attacked by Irish nationalist historians, who highlighted the fact that the series portrayed Michael Collins
in a bad and sinister light, particularly in the later episodes when he signs a peace treaty with the British, which angered many supporters of Collins. Some saw the programme’s critique of Collins as long overdue, in contrast to the 1996 film Michael Collins
which was accused of being a hagiography
.
2001 in television
The year 2001 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2001.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:*Meet the Press .*Candid Camera .*CBS Evening News ....
British television drama miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
starring James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
-Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama...
as the fictional Ernie Coyne, an Irish nationalist. It is in four parts, and set during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
from 1916 (The Easter Rising) until the end of the 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....
. 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...
was idolised by Ernie, and was consequently featured frequently, as a leader and as a friend. It generated a large amount of controversy before its release.
Main cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| James D'Arcy James D'Arcy -Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama... |
Ernie Coyne |
| Vincent Regan Vincent Regan -Career:Regan was born in Swansea on 16 May 1965, the son of Irish immigrants. As a youth he moved to Ireland with his parents, but returned to Britain and attended St Joseph's College, Ipswich in Suffolk.... |
Tom O'Toole |
| Frank Laverty | Kelly |
| Paloma Baeza Paloma Baeza -Biography:Baeza lived in Mexico during her childhood. Her Mexican father and her English mother were hippie musicians. In 1975, when Baeza was 5 months old, her parents married in London and they went to Mexico City. They divorced nine years afterwards.... |
Ita Feeney |
| Dawn Bradfield | Ursula Feeney |
| Brendan Coyle Brendan Coyle -Early life and family:Coyle was born in Corby, Northamptonshire, to an Irish father and Scottish mother; his parents moved to Corby from Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Coyle holds Irish and British citizenship. He is the great nephew of football manager Sir Matt Busby... |
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... |
| Lorcan Cranitch Lorcan Cranitch Lorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor.Born in Dublin, Cranitch became involved in drama while a student, and moved to London where he entered RADA in 1980. His first major role on British television was as Tim Healy in the 1991 BBC drama series, Parnell and the Englishwoman... |
Insp. Nelson |
Production
The idea for a series about the Easter RisingEaster 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...
and 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....
first emerged in 1994.
Despite most major characters being Irish, the leading roles were mostly played by British-born actors.
First episode
In the first instalment of Rebel Heart we are introduced to the character Ernie Coyne and his exploits during the Easter RisingEaster 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...
of 1916. Ernie's nationalistic overtones are contrasted against the working class marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
of the other characters, including Tom O'Toole (Vincent Regan
Vincent Regan
-Career:Regan was born in Swansea on 16 May 1965, the son of Irish immigrants. As a youth he moved to Ireland with his parents, but returned to Britain and attended St Joseph's College, Ipswich in Suffolk....
) and Kelly (Frank Laverty). On the evening of the first day at the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
Ernie's mother comes by to try and convince him to come home. The upper class manner in which she is dressed is commented on by O'Toole and Kelly because of their working class origins. Ernie takes the job of runner (dispatch carrier), relaying orders between the different units around Dublin that have been cut off from one another. When delivering his first message to St Stephen's Green he meets sisters Ita Feeney (Paloma Baeza
Paloma Baeza
-Biography:Baeza lived in Mexico during her childhood. Her Mexican father and her English mother were hippie musicians. In 1975, when Baeza was 5 months old, her parents married in London and they went to Mexico City. They divorced nine years afterwards....
) and Ursula Feeney (Dawn Bradfield) who, with a group of republican soldiers, are pinned down by enemy machine gun fire. One of the sisters kills the machine gunner thus stopping the fire that is pinning the republican soldiers down and allowing them to fall back to the College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
. After delivering his report Ernie goes off on his other run where he continually dodges danger whilst delivering his messages.
On his final run down to Northumberland Road all he finds is the dead bodies of the republicans that have been killed by the British. However he is able to locate four remaining survivors of the unit to whom he gives the chocolate that his mother gave him earlier as it is painfully clear that the four men will die. The rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
collapses, when it emerges that 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...
have not risen to support it. In fact the reaction to the rebellion from most Irish people, Protestant and Roman Catholic was hostile. As the government forces close in, Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
ordered a general unconditional surrender. Ernie is captured and imprisoned with the rest of his associates, refusing the special treatment arranged for him by his influential father.
The episode finishes with a number of the rebel leaders, such as Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
and Thomas Clarke, being tried by military tribunal and executed for treason (for leading a rebellion while the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
was at war with Imperial Germany).
Second episode
The Irish VolunteersIrish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
are released from jail in 1916, their early release a gesture of attempted concilliation by the British authorities. When they arrive in Dublin aboard a train they are greeted by a fervently nationalistic crowd, waving Irish tricolours. Coyne returns to his upper-middle class family in Dublin. He has secured a place at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin, leading to the contempt of some of his working-class fellow 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...
veterans.
However, Coyne is soon involved with separatist politics again. He involves himself in vote-rigging in the 1918 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
to try and boost Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's chances against the liberal nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
and unionist Irish Unionist Party
Irish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
, much to the disgust of his respectable parents. Sinn Féin won the election in a landslide victory, often uncontested in seats, and this gave a more official nature to their claim to speak for the people 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...
.
His involvement leads to Coyne becoming mixed up once more with the militant wing of the movement, who want to drive the British out by killing British soldiers and members of 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...
. One of the veterans of 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...
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...
is playing a leading role in the embyronic Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
. A number of events such as the burial of County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
militant Thomas Ashe
Thomas Ashe
Thomas Patrick Ashe born in Lispole, County Kerry, Ireland, was a member of the Gaelic League, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a founding member of the Irish Volunteers...
, who had died on hunger strike, persuaded Coyne and many other Irishmen to take up arms against the government forces.
Controversy
The production of Rebel Heart proved to be very controversial with various people. It was most heavily criticised in Britain for what was perceived as its slanted viewpoint of the events between 1916 and 1922.Criticised in particular was the involvement of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in making a film purportedly propagandising for the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
during the delicate peace process in Northern Ireland
Northern 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...
. The Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
attacked the corporation for making a series that could be used as propaganda for the modern IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
.
It was also attacked by Irish nationalist historians, who highlighted the fact that the series portrayed 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...
in a bad and sinister light, particularly in the later episodes when he signs a peace treaty with the British, which angered many supporters of Collins. Some saw the programme’s critique of Collins as long overdue, in contrast to the 1996 film Michael Collins
Michael Collins (film)
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....
which was accused of being a hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
.
See also
- The Wind That Shakes The Barley (film)The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film)The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a 2006 Irish war drama film directed by Ken Loach, set during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War...
- Rebel Heart (song)Rebel Heart (song)"Rebel Heart" is a song by the Irish folk/pop/rock group The Corrs, taken from their third album In Blue. It is an instrumental with Celtic influences, featuring the violin, bodhran, and tin whistle....
- Michael Collins (film)Michael Collins (film)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....
- Michael Collins (Irish leader)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...