| Into the West | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mike Newell |
| Produced by | Jonathan Cavendish Tim Palmer Gabriel Byrne (associate) |
| Written by | Jim Sheridan David Keating |
| Starring | Gabriel Byrne Ellen Barkin Rúaidhrí Conroy Ciarán Fitzgerald David Kelly |
| Music by | Patrick Doyle |
| Cinematography | Newton Thomas Sigel |
| Editing by | Peter Boyle |
| Distributed by | Miramax Family Films |
| Release date(s) | 11 December 1992 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
Into the West is a 1992 Irish fantasy film about Irish Travellers, directed by Mike Newell and written by Jim Sheridan.
The film has received several awards for Best Film, Best European Film, and Outstanding Family Foreign Film.[1]
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Into the West is a film about two young boys, Tito (Conroy) and Ossie (Fitzgerald), whose father (Byrne) was "King of the Travellers" until his wife, Mary, dies during the birth of their second son, Ossie. The boys' grandfather (David Kelly) is an old story-telling Traveller, who regales the children with Irish folk-tales and legends. When he is followed by a beautiful white horse called Tír na nÓg (meaning "Land of Eternal Youth" in Irish), from the sea to Dublin, where the boys and their father now live, the boys are overwhelmed with joy and the dreams of becoming cowboys. The horse is stolen from them and they begin their adventure to get their mystical horse back. They escape the poverty of a north Dublin council estate, and "Into the West" where they find that Tír na nÓg is not just a horse.
Into the West is one of many interesting films to come from Ireland; it follows the success of such films as My Left Foot, The Miracle, The Commitments, and The Crying Game. Into the West a modern-day fairy tale[2] was written by Jim Sheridan and directed by Mike Newell.
The script was written by Jim Sheridan, who did not intend to write simply for children, although the film mainly follows two young children on the run with their beautiful, magical white horse. Other themes, targeted to adults, are present: dealing with grief, the clash of cultures with differing values, and the use of the police by the rich and powerful to enforce property rights in their favor.[3] Sheridan wrote the script five years before he directed My Left Foot. Gabriel Byrne has said it was one of the best scripts he ever read, and described it at the time as Jim Sheridan's best work to date. Byrne was committed to the work, he said:
Apart from it being a story about Travellers, and the relationship between a father and his two sons, it really was in a way about Ireland.
Ellen Barkin has said that from the first reading she thought it an extraordinary piece of film writing.
The film avoided a 15 rating by the BBFC, when in one scene the word "fuck" was replaced with the word "flip", in order to keep the film suitable for family viewing before its release.
In an interview Ciarán Fitzgerald talked about this scene and noted that in America the film would have been given a higher rating and young children would not have been allowed to view it. This interview, in which the work "fuck" is mentioned, is featured on one of the DVD releases which was given a PG rating.
The film has received a mostly positive critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 70% and holds an audience share of 73,[4] and at the Internet Movie Database, it holds a rating of 6.7/10.[5] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times has said the "kids will probably love this movie, but adults will get a lot more out of it".[6] Variety Staff has said that "Into the West is a likable but modest pic", and that "a major asset throughout is Patrick Doyle's rich, Gaelic-flavoured scoring that carries the movie's emotional line and fairy tale atmosphere.[7] Desson Howe of The Washington Post has said that the film is "a charming children's crusade - a rewarding journey for all ages".[8] Rita Kempley of the Washington Post has said that "the movie is alternately grim and lyrical", and "though long on ambiance and short on story, it may appeal to the spiritually inclined - and to oater lovers.[9]
Into the West has been released on VHS and DVD format. It was released in the US on 6 November, 2001 by Walt Disney Video.[10] The DVD was released in the US on 4 February 2003 by Miramax Films with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen[11]
The VHS was released in the UK on 21 September 1993 by Entertainment in Video.[12] It was released on DVD in the UK on 17 December 2001 by Entertainment in Video and again on 15 September 2003 by Cinema Club
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