The Dawning
Encyclopedia
The Dawning is a 1988 British film, based on Jennifer Johnston
's novel, The Old Jest which depicts the Irish War of Independence
through the eyes of the Anglo-Irish
landlord class. It starred Anthony Hopkins
, Hugh Grant
, Jean Simmons
and Rebecca Pidgeon
, and was produced by Sarah Lawson
, through her company Lawson Productions.
), an Irish Republican Army
member, walking through hills, and coming to rest on a beach, where there is a little hut. Meanwhile, Nancy Gulliver (Rebecca Pidgeon
) having just left school, burns all her books in happiness. It is her birthday, and her aunt (Jean Simmons
) has invited over Harry (Hugh Grant
), with whom she’s desperately in love, to tea. However, during the course of the film, as a result of Harry’s behaviour with another girl and the way he treats Nancy, she realises that her love for Harry was nothing more than childish infatuation.
One day, Nancy goes down to the beach, and notices that her hut has been slept in. She leaves a note requesting that it be left alone. Soon after, she is on the beach reading, when Barrie comes up to her. Over the course of the film, the two develop a relationship, despite her not really knowing and understanding his job: he is one of the first people that became part of a group named the IRA
, and is on the run from the government. Nevertheless, she grows fond of Barrie, and dubs him "Cassius" ("because you have a mean and hungry look!")
After Cassius asks her to pass on a message to a colleague, several constables of the Royal Irish Constabulary
are gunned down at a horse race show. Later that day, the R.I.C. comes to see Nancy, and ask her if she knows where Cassius is. The police officers' suspicion is aroused when Nancy's grandfather (played by Trevor Howard
) says he saw her talking to a man on the beach. She denies any knowledge. When they leave, she runs to the cottage on the beach where Cassius was staying to tell him to flee, only to find that he has already packed. As they walk out, a light shines on them: the RIC has found him. He is gunned down, much to Nancy's distress. The film ends with Nancy back at home, considerably older and wiser than when the film started.
's first feature film, and Trevor Howard
's final film; he died shortly after production ended, and the film was dedicated to him. (Howard had made an earlier IRA film in 1946, the classic I See a Dark Stranger
.) It was also Jean Simmons
' first feature film for nearly ten years. Despite having contributed largely to the production, Bernard MacLaverty
was uncredited as a screenwriter. The film was shown at the AFI/Los Angeles International Film Festival (New British Cinema - BritFest 2), the Cannes Film Festival
(for market purposes), and at the Montreal World Film Festival
(in competition, where it was successful, winning two prizes). Actors Anthony Hopkins
and Hugh Grant
reunited five years later in 8 Academy Award-nominated film The Remains of the Day
.
had given a "remarkable debut". China Daily
noted that Hopkins had played his character "wonderfully".
Jennifer Johnston
Jennifer Johnston is an Irish novelist, winner of the Whitbread Book Award for The Old Jest in 1979, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1977...
's novel, The Old Jest which depicts 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...
through the eyes of the Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
landlord class. It starred Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
, Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
, Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons
Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...
and Rebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
, and was produced by Sarah Lawson
Sarah Lawson (producer)
Sarah Lawson was an English film producer.-Career:From 1982 to 1985, she was Vice President of Planning and Development for DL Taffner Ltd, Los Angeles, and from 1995 to 1996 she was Managing Director of Anglia Television Entertainment Ltd - a joint venture between HBO and the ITV Company.She is...
, through her company Lawson Productions.
Plot
The film opens with Angus Barrie (Anthony HopkinsAnthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
), an 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...
member, walking through hills, and coming to rest on a beach, where there is a little hut. Meanwhile, Nancy Gulliver (Rebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
) having just left school, burns all her books in happiness. It is her birthday, and her aunt (Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons
Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...
) has invited over Harry (Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
), with whom she’s desperately in love, to tea. However, during the course of the film, as a result of Harry’s behaviour with another girl and the way he treats Nancy, she realises that her love for Harry was nothing more than childish infatuation.
One day, Nancy goes down to the beach, and notices that her hut has been slept in. She leaves a note requesting that it be left alone. Soon after, she is on the beach reading, when Barrie comes up to her. Over the course of the film, the two develop a relationship, despite her not really knowing and understanding his job: he is one of the first people that became part of a group named 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...
, and is on the run from the government. Nevertheless, she grows fond of Barrie, and dubs him "Cassius" ("because you have a mean and hungry look!")
After Cassius asks her to pass on a message to a colleague, several constables 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...
are gunned down at a horse race show. Later that day, the R.I.C. comes to see Nancy, and ask her if she knows where Cassius is. The police officers' suspicion is aroused when Nancy's grandfather (played by Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
) says he saw her talking to a man on the beach. She denies any knowledge. When they leave, she runs to the cottage on the beach where Cassius was staying to tell him to flee, only to find that he has already packed. As they walk out, a light shines on them: the RIC has found him. He is gunned down, much to Nancy's distress. The film ends with Nancy back at home, considerably older and wiser than when the film started.
Cast
- Anthony HopkinsAnthony HopkinsSir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
as Cassius a.k.a. Angus Barrie - Rebecca PidgeonRebecca PidgeonRebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
as Nancy Gulliver - Jean SimmonsJean SimmonsJean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...
as Aunt Mary - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
as Grandfather - Tara MacGowran as Maeve
- Hugh GrantHugh GrantHugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
as Harry - Nicholas Fitzsimons as Slain Soldier
- Ronnie MastersonRonnie MastersonRonnie Masterson is an Irish actress.Masterson trained at the Abbey Theatre and first appeared on stage there in 1944. At the Abbey, she met and then married actor Ray McAnally in 1945, and they remained married until his death, although they resided in different homes; her husband with Irish...
as Bridie - John RoganJohn Rogan (actor)John Rogan is an Irish actor who has appeared in many films and TV programmes over the past thirty years. Rogan was born and educated in Waterford, Ireland and was best known as a stage actor in many productions ranging from Shakespearean plays to musicals and contemporary drama...
as Mr. Carroll - Joan O'HaraJoan O'HaraJoan O'Hara was an Irish stage, film and television actress. She was a member of the renowned Abbey Players and performed in many plays in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, including those by Seán O'Casey, Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats...
as Maurya - Charmian MayCharmian MayCharmian May was an English actress who appeared in The Good Life, Keeping Up Appearances and Bridget Jones's Diary....
as Celia Brabazon - Ann WayAnn WayAnn Way was an English character actress in film and television. Born in Wiveliscombe, she began her career in repertory in Dundee in the 1960s....
as George Brabazon - Mark O'ReganMark O'ReganMark Andrew O'Regan is the President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. Educated at St. Patrick's College, Silverstream, he graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington....
as Joe Mulhare - Brendan Laird as Tommy Roche
- Adrian DunbarAdrian DunbarAdrian Dunbar is an actor from Northern Ireland, best known for his television and theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film, Hear My Song, nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA awards.-Personal life:...
as Capt. Rankin - Geoffrey Greenhill as Cpl. Tweedie
Production
The Dawning was filmed in Ireland in the mid-1980s, largely on location in Ireland.The beach scenes were filmed extensively at Goat Island, a small cove on the Irish coast, close to the county boundary between Cork and Waterford. Some "Big House" exteriors were shot at Woodbine Hill in the same district. Incidentally, it was Rebecca PidgeonRebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
's first feature film, and Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
's final film; he died shortly after production ended, and the film was dedicated to him. (Howard had made an earlier IRA film in 1946, the classic I See a Dark Stranger
I See a Dark Stranger
I See a Dark Stranger is a British 1946 World War II spy film with touches of light comedy, by the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Deborah Kerr and Trevor Howard.-Plot:...
.) It was also Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons
Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...
' first feature film for nearly ten years. Despite having contributed largely to the production, Bernard MacLaverty
Bernard MacLaverty
Bernard MacLaverty is a writer of fiction. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 14 September 1942, and lived there until 1975 when he moved to Scotland with his wife, Madeline, and four children...
was uncredited as a screenwriter. The film was shown at the AFI/Los Angeles International Film Festival (New British Cinema - BritFest 2), the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
(for market purposes), and at the Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
(in competition, where it was successful, winning two prizes). Actors Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
and Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
reunited five years later in 8 Academy Award-nominated film The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day (film)
The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
.
Critical reception
The Dawning was received largely positively by the critics, will a five star review from Time Out, describing the film as "solidly crafted ... its main strength lies in the performances" and mentioning that Rebecca PidgeonRebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
had given a "remarkable debut". China Daily
China Daily
The China Daily is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.- Overview :China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in the country...
noted that Hopkins had played his character "wonderfully".
Awards and nominations
- Montréal World Film Festival (1988)
- won Jury Prize Robert KnightsRobert KnightsRobert Knights is a British film and television director, perhaps best known for his film The Dawning, about the Irish War of Independence, and his work with the British TV Series The Bill, and the TV mini-series The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, based on the hit Jilly Cooper novel.He has been...
- won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention - Robert KnightsRobert KnightsRobert Knights is a British film and television director, perhaps best known for his film The Dawning, about the Irish War of Independence, and his work with the British TV Series The Bill, and the TV mini-series The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, based on the hit Jilly Cooper novel.He has been...
- won Jury Prize Robert Knights
- Austin Texas International Film Festival (1988)
- Won best picture award