Song For a Raggy Boy
Encyclopedia
Song For a Raggy Boy is a 2003
film
directed
by Aisling Walsh
. It is based on the book of the same name by Patrick Galvin
and is based on true events.
, in the St. Judes Reformatory School, a ruthless Irish
school for boys. Gray, gloomy and ruled by the sadistic
Brother John (Iain Glen
), the school prefers punishment to rehabilitation. But new lay teacher William Franklin (Aidan Quinn
), fresh from the frontline of the Spanish Civil War
, fights to liberate the boys from their oppressors.
Two young boys have key roles in the film. Patrick Delaney 743 (Chris Newman
) arrives at the school aged 13 and a half. He, like all the boys, is allocated a number which the brothers use. Franklin, however, always uses the boys' names. Delaney is an attractive boy and he receives the unwelcome attentions of a pedophile brother, Brother Mac (Marc Warren
), who molests
and rapes
the boy in the school toilets. The boy tells of his ordeal to a visiting priest in confession
only to be told not to say a word to anyone. Word of Delaney's confession reaches Brother Mac who punishes the boy by forcing him under a cold shower naked, then giving him his clothes so they are also wet.
The other boy is Liam Mercier 636 (John Travers). Mercier is one of the few boys who can read and write, but is otherwise a hard case. Franklin befriends the boy and interests him in poetry, some of it written by communist sympathisers. Mercier and Franklin both challenge the authority of Brother John - Mercier by trying to stop the vicious beating of two brothers, and Franklin by stepping in and actually stopping the whipping. Brother John loses control and, having tricked Mercier into coming out of class, beats him continuously in front of Brother Mac in the refectory. Franklin is eventually told by Brother Mac that Mercier is in the refectory after which Franklin discovers Mercier's dead body. He carries the corpse out of the room.
Livid, Franklin attacks Brother John, calling him a murderer. At Mercier's funeral Franklin tells the other boys that his death was murder, before kissing the coffin. After Brothers John and Mac are taken away, Franklin decides he has to leave the school, but is persuaded to stay at the last minute by Delaney reciting a moving poem across the playground. Franklin drops his bags and, in a touching final scene, Delaney runs towards Franklin and jumps up to hug him while all the other boys gather round in love and affection for their saviour.
Aidan Quinn had been attached to the script for two and a half years before production. It was filmed solely on location in Spain
and six weeks in Ballymun
, Cork, Ireland
and also in Macroom
.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Aisling Walsh
Aisling Walsh
Aisling Walsh is an Irish writer and director.-Early life:She was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1958 to Raphael Walsh, a furniture designer and manufacturer from Navan, County Meath...
. It is based on the book of the same name by Patrick Galvin
Patrick Galvin
Patrick Galvin was an Irish poet, singer, playwright, and prose and screen writer born in Cork's inner city.-Biography:Galvin was born in Cork in 1927 at a time of great political transition in Ireland...
and is based on true events.
Plot
The film is set in 1939, on the brink of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the St. Judes Reformatory School, a ruthless 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...
school for boys. Gray, gloomy and ruled by the sadistic
Sadism and masochism
Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...
Brother John (Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
), the school prefers punishment to rehabilitation. But new lay teacher William Franklin (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...
), fresh from the frontline of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, fights to liberate the boys from their oppressors.
Two young boys have key roles in the film. Patrick Delaney 743 (Chris Newman
Chris Newman (actor)
Chris Newman ,born 16 December 1987, is an Irish actor with roles in films Song for a Raggy Boy and Perrier's Bounty and TV series The Clinic, Love is the Drug, Stardust, Aisling's Diary, and Love/Hate.-Early life:...
) arrives at the school aged 13 and a half. He, like all the boys, is allocated a number which the brothers use. Franklin, however, always uses the boys' names. Delaney is an attractive boy and he receives the unwelcome attentions of a pedophile brother, Brother Mac (Marc Warren
Marc Warren
Marc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...
), who molests
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
and rapes
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
the boy in the school toilets. The boy tells of his ordeal to a visiting priest in confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
only to be told not to say a word to anyone. Word of Delaney's confession reaches Brother Mac who punishes the boy by forcing him under a cold shower naked, then giving him his clothes so they are also wet.
The other boy is Liam Mercier 636 (John Travers). Mercier is one of the few boys who can read and write, but is otherwise a hard case. Franklin befriends the boy and interests him in poetry, some of it written by communist sympathisers. Mercier and Franklin both challenge the authority of Brother John - Mercier by trying to stop the vicious beating of two brothers, and Franklin by stepping in and actually stopping the whipping. Brother John loses control and, having tricked Mercier into coming out of class, beats him continuously in front of Brother Mac in the refectory. Franklin is eventually told by Brother Mac that Mercier is in the refectory after which Franklin discovers Mercier's dead body. He carries the corpse out of the room.
Livid, Franklin attacks Brother John, calling him a murderer. At Mercier's funeral Franklin tells the other boys that his death was murder, before kissing the coffin. After Brothers John and Mac are taken away, Franklin decides he has to leave the school, but is persuaded to stay at the last minute by Delaney reciting a moving poem across the playground. Franklin drops his bags and, in a touching final scene, Delaney runs towards Franklin and jumps up to hug him while all the other boys gather round in love and affection for their saviour.
Production
The film took over four years to make because of difficulties getting it started; some were casting problems, others raising finance. One such casting problem was finding the ideal boy to play Liam Mercier, who the director felt was vital to cast well. Eventually, they auditioned a boy from an Irish boxing club with no previous acting experiences: that boy was John Travers.Aidan Quinn had been attached to the script for two and a half years before production. It was filmed solely on location in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and six weeks in Ballymun
Ballymun
Ballymun is an area on Dublin's Northside close to Dublin Airport, Ireland. It is infamous for the Ballymun flats, which became a symbol of poverty, drugs, alienation from the state and social problems in Ireland from the 1970s...
, Cork, Ireland
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
and also in Macroom
Macroom
Macroom is a market town in Ireland located in a valley on the River Sullane, a tributary of the River Lee, between Cork and Killarney. It is one of the key gateways to the tourist region of West Cork. The town recorded a population on 3,553 in the 2006 national census...
.
Main cast
- 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...
... William Franklin - Iain GlenIain GlenIain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
... Brother John - Marc WarrenMarc WarrenMarc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...
... Brother Mac - Dudley SuttonDudley Sutton-Life:He served in the RAF as a mechanic before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from which he was later expelled.Known for his eccentricity, he became a cult figure after playing a gay biker in The Leather Boys . He married American actress Marjorie Steele in 1961; she had previously...
... Brother Tom - Alan Devlin ... Father Damian
- Stuart Graham ... Brother Whelan
- John TraversJohn Travers (actor)John Travers is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland.He was best known from his role in the Song for a Raggy Boy and 48 Angels. His role as Liam Mercier in Song for a Raggy Boy is probably the most notable achievement so far...
... Liam Mercier 636 - Chris NewmanChris Newman (actor)Chris Newman ,born 16 December 1987, is an Irish actor with roles in films Song for a Raggy Boy and Perrier's Bounty and TV series The Clinic, Love is the Drug, Stardust, Aisling's Diary, and Love/Hate.-Early life:...
... Patrick Delaney 743 - Andrew Simpson ... Gerard Peters 458
The Boys
- Bernard Manning ...Rodgers 855
- Robert Sheehan ...O'Reilly 58
- Caoimhin 'Tojo' Barra Doherty ...Murphy 388
- Samuel Bright ...Ryan 126
- Mark Butler ...Downey 913
- Michael McGee ...Lynch 76
- John Collins ...O Connor 252
- Michael Scott ...Flynn 144
- Robert White ...Galvin 544
- Michael Sloan (actor)Michael Sloan ...Sean Peters 568