Angela’s Ashes

Based on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes follows the experiences…

• Director: Alan Parker
• Genre:Drama
• Runtime:140 minutes

Cast

Emily Watson : Angela McCourt
Robert Carlyle : Malachy (Dad)
Joe Breen : Young Frank
Ciaran Owens : Middle Frank
Michael Legge : Older Frank

This film is an adaption of the memoir by the same name. It tells the story of Frank McCourt and his childhood after his family is forced to move back to Ireland because of financial difficulties and family problems derived from his father’s alcoholism. The film chronicles his life in Limerick, Ireland, during the 1930s and ’40s, the difficulties that ensued, and finally Frank’s way of earning enough money to return to the land of his dreams: America. Michael Legge was praised for his portrayal of the adolescent Frank McCourt. In particular, he was said to acquiesce his role as an innocent teenager trying to balance poverty with “normal” teenage problems such as sexuality, maturity and peer pressure.

The film itself was praised by many critics for its stark interpretation of the novel. Examples include the scene where the teenage Frank and his friends masturbate together against a wall while looking at a field of sheep. This scene was not in the novel but was included in the film in allusion to the many sexual references of the text which were omitted from the film such as Frankie masturbating at various times alone and his sexual encounter with a woman when he arrives in America at the end of the novel. Read more

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