There's a famous sketch with several men gathered round a table and one ejaculates :
" When I were a lad we didn't get anything to eat six years and we were grateful to get nothing "
Put out by this type of inverted snobbery another exclaims
" You had things easy , when I were a lad I worked twenty seven hours down a pit every single day "
The impromptu urinating contest continues with other members claiming
" You had things soft , when I were a lad my dad would make us drink sulphuric acid then he'd chop our heads off and stick them on a pole "
You do find yourself reminded of this sketch while watching Alan Parker's ANGELA ASHE'S the film version of Frank McCourt's autobiography . The story starts in a crowded hovel in New York where an ex-pat Irish family called McCourt live . I'm probably misleading you if I use the word " live " because if that's living I sure don't want to find out what dying must be like . things are so bad that they move back to County Limerick in Ireland . You know that phrase " out of the frying pan into the fire " ? well this happens to the McCourt family , just when you think things can't get any worse they get worse - This happens in every single scene . Some people have criticised Alan Parker's interpretation of THE WALL as being so depressing as to be unwatchable , but compared to this Pink Floyd's rock opera is a musical comedy
This doesn't mean that ANGELA'S ASHES should be viewed as being a bad film . Far from it since it's the best movie Parker had made for many years and much of it is down to casting two of Britain's most consistent thespians from that era namely Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle . Carlyle especially gives a great and understated performance as Malachy McCourt one of the most hateful and despicable characters he's ever played . He's by no means the raving psychopath that he played in TRAINSPOTTING but you will hate him none the less . But despite the talent behind and in front of the camera and the attempts at humour which the Celtic race are renowned for you'll probably only want to watch this movie once due to the depressing subject matter .
" When I were a lad we didn't get anything to eat six years and we were grateful to get nothing "
Put out by this type of inverted snobbery another exclaims
" You had things easy , when I were a lad I worked twenty seven hours down a pit every single day "
The impromptu urinating contest continues with other members claiming
" You had things soft , when I were a lad my dad would make us drink sulphuric acid then he'd chop our heads off and stick them on a pole "
You do find yourself reminded of this sketch while watching Alan Parker's ANGELA ASHE'S the film version of Frank McCourt's autobiography . The story starts in a crowded hovel in New York where an ex-pat Irish family called McCourt live . I'm probably misleading you if I use the word " live " because if that's living I sure don't want to find out what dying must be like . things are so bad that they move back to County Limerick in Ireland . You know that phrase " out of the frying pan into the fire " ? well this happens to the McCourt family , just when you think things can't get any worse they get worse - This happens in every single scene . Some people have criticised Alan Parker's interpretation of THE WALL as being so depressing as to be unwatchable , but compared to this Pink Floyd's rock opera is a musical comedy
This doesn't mean that ANGELA'S ASHES should be viewed as being a bad film . Far from it since it's the best movie Parker had made for many years and much of it is down to casting two of Britain's most consistent thespians from that era namely Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle . Carlyle especially gives a great and understated performance as Malachy McCourt one of the most hateful and despicable characters he's ever played . He's by no means the raving psychopath that he played in TRAINSPOTTING but you will hate him none the less . But despite the talent behind and in front of the camera and the attempts at humour which the Celtic race are renowned for you'll probably only want to watch this movie once due to the depressing subject matter .