The Wind that Shakes the Barley

[lesbiassparrow]

cil_ros just posted an interesting link that discusses reactions to Ken Loach's latest film The Wind that Shakes the Barley.  (It's at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1791178,00.html for anyone who is interested.)

I haven't seen the film myself, though I will when it hits here, so I can't say if it is the evilest film ever or a fair account of a miserable historical period, but the reactions that the piece quotes annoyed me every bit as much as they did her.  The film (about the Black and Tans in Ireland in 1920-1) apparently is horrific because it drags the "the reputation of our¹ nation through the mud," etc, etc. Of course, the people who say most of these things haven't seen the film, but why let that interfere with criticizing a film for documenting history?  How foolish of Ken Loach for not rolling over and realising that those 2 years represent the most marvellous period in British rule over Ireland.  And making films where he would celebrate that fact.

You know, if you want to see a film about the wonders of colonialism and its effects, perhaps you should go out and make one.  And, obviously, you could pay some people to dance in festive ethnic costumes saying how lovely it is have their houses burned from over their heads.  Why, the film would write itself. Actually, now I think of it, you could probably just rewatch some nice films made in the 30s which would comfort you with the knowledge that people really, really enjoy being governed by other people who despise them and torture and shoot them. 

¹In the interests of clarity, 'our nation' = Great Britain. 

Comments

[ysrith.livejournal.com]

I thought the film was about the whole time period and not just focusing on the Black and Tans. From the review I read, much of the story is spent post the War for Independence and deals with the tradgey of the Civil War,as well as the factors that drove people to take up arms.

I must admit I was unaware of the fuss in the British Media about the film, but then again, I avoid both the Times and the Telegraph as they right-wing and anti-Irish. I realise they are British papers, but the blatant anri-irish comments in their editorials make me ill.

Same thing happened with Michael Collins . I find no-one here who saw that movie, and they are completely ignorant about who he was, and the entire Civil War time period, which I feel is the most important thing about all of that era. We lost our greatest leaders and set the country bad decades. THAT is why I want to see this movie - the civil war.

I also really get annoyed when English people take offense when anyone mentions the atrocities that occured, the massacre of the prisoners after 1916, the Black and Tans. One sure way to wind them up is the mention Cromwell. Now IMHO opinion he was a mass murderer. So I find the statue pf him outside the Houses of Parliment repulsive.

Of course, we should all be grateful for Colonialism. It bought us civilisation, religion and propsperity. Us ignorant Celts should be grateful for this. We already had out civilisation, and despite their best efforts, this have or religions. As for prosperity, yes now nearly 100yrs later, we are one of the richest countries in the world. Waves at Wales and Scotland.

Now you see how these sort of articles brings ou the flag-waving Irish woman in me. I live in the UK. I like the UK. But I am often want to shake some of them around the head and point out to them that the Empire was not a good thing, and I get fed up feeling like I should apologise for being Irish, and not loving everything about the UK.

I will be very interested to see the reaction to this movie at home, Afterall it is an English man tackling the subject. Mind you I do love Ken Loach. But then he is a radical left-winger anyway...

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I've only read reviews, but I think a lot of the film is about how the lines got to be so bitterly drawn and the consequences of fighting against a force like the Black and Tans on people and social structures.

These sort of articles make me see red. It's not an anti-English thing but for god's sake: this was a colonial country. It did many nasty things to its colonies, it did not rule the colonies for their benefit - empires never do. Please to admit that and let people talk about it without insisting that we must all want to blow things up and are filled with mad hate because we want to revisit history.

Do you remember the kerfuffle about Loach's Hidden Agenda? This is going to be that all over again.