The Commitments (film)

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The Commitments

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Alan Parker
Produced by Lynda Myles
Roger Randall-Cutler[1]
Written by Dick Clement
Ian La Frenais
Roddy Doyle
Starring Robert Arkins
Colm Meaney
Andrew Strong
Maria Doyle
Music by Wilson Pickett
Percy Sledge
Cinematography Gale Tattersall
Editing by Gerry Hambling
Studio Beacon Communications
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) August 14, 1991 (1991-08-14)
Running time 118 minutes
Country Ireland
United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Box office $14,919,570

The Commitments is a 1991 comedy-drama film adaptation of the novel The Commitments by Roddy Doyle. It tells of unemployed Dubliners who form a soul band. It was directed by Alan Parker from a screenplay adapted by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, and Doyle himself.[2] The film was an international co-production between companies in Ireland, the UK, and the United States. It was filmed on location in Dublin.[3]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) aspires to manage the world's greatest band, with only one music in mind: soul. Disgusted with bands in Ireland, he assembles a soul band in the tradition of Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Wilson Pickett. Jimmy holds auditions at his parents' house and assembles a group of young musicians. Unlike his idols, Jimmy's band is all white. With the help of Joey "The Lips" Fagan, the veteran musician in the band who has unlikely stories about meeting and working with famous musicians, Jimmy begins to whip the rest of the members into shape - only to have the group fall apart in a clash of egos.

[edit] Cast

The cast were mostly unknown before filming, chosen for their musical rather than acting ability.[4]

  • Robert Arkins as Jimmy Rabbitte, manager. Arkins was initially considered for the role of Deco until the filmmakers discovered Andrew Strong. He sings only in the film's video.[4]
  • Colm Meaney as Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr.
  • Andrew Strong as Declan "Deco" Cuffe, lead singer. His father, Rob Strong, was brought in as a vocal coach and Parker heard his son singing and auditioned him for Deco.[5] Strong was 16.
  • Maria Doyle as Natalie Murphy, backing singer
  • Bronagh Gallagher as Bernie McGloughlin, backing singer. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Gallagher had to learn a Dublin accent.
  • Angeline Ball as Imelda Quirke, backing singer.
  • Glen Hansard as Outspan Foster, Guitar.
  • Kenneth McCluskey as Derek "Meatman" Scully, bass.
  • Johnny Murphy as Joey "The Lips" Fagan, trumpet. A number of established musicians were considered, including Rory Gallagher and Van Morrison. Morrison insisted his songs be used in the film.[6] Parker insisted that an established actor mentor the largely untrained cast.
  • Félim Gormley as Dean Fay, sax.
  • Michael Aherne as Steven Clifford, piano.
  • Dave Finnegan as Mickah Wallace, drums
  • Dick Massey as Billy Mooney, drums.
  • Andrea Corr as Sharon, Jimmy's younger sister, who does not sing in the film.
  • Peter Rowan as the skateboarding boy who wants to audition for the band.
  • Colm Mac Con Iomaire as an auditioning fiddler.
  • Jim Corr as a Guitarist
  • Sharon Corr As a Violin Player
  • Caroline Corr just a face in the crowd.

[edit] Reception

The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, as well as BAFTA Awards for Best Director, Best Editing (Gerry Hambling), and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing.

[edit] Legacy

The Commitments was voted best Irish film of all time in a 2005 poll sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey[7] and launched a generation of Irish musicians and actors.

Colm Meaney appeared as the father in the other two film adaptations of Doyle's The Barrytown Trilogy.

[edit] Soundtracks

[edit] The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album
Released 13 August 1991
Genre Soul
Label MCA Records
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars [8]

The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), the soundtrack for the film, was released on 13 Aug 1991[9]. "Mustang Sally" was released as a single. Most of the songs on the album are performed by the cast band, but two are by Irish singer Niamh Kavanagh.

[edit] Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Original artist Length
1. "Mustang Sally"   Mack Rice Wilson Pickett 4:02
2. "Take Me To The River"   Al Green, Mabon "Teenie" Hodges Al Green 3:36
3. "Chain Of Fools"   Don Covay Aretha Franklin 2:58
4. "The Dark End Of The Street"   Dan Penn, Chips Moman James Carr 2:34
5. "Destination Anywhere" (Niamh Kavanagh) Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson The Marvelettes 3:08
6. "I Can't Stand The Rain"   Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, Bernard "Bernie" Miller Ann Peebles 3:12
7. "Try A Little Tenderness"   Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, Harry M. Woods Otis Redding 4:31
8. "Treat Her Right"   Roy Head and the Traits Roy Head and the Traits 3:35
9. "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (Niamh Kavanagh) Penn, Moman Aretha Franklin 3:15
10. "Mr. Pitiful"   Redding, Steve Cropper Otis Redding 2:07
11. "I Never Loved A Man"   Ronny Shannon Aretha Franklin 3:09
12. "In The Midnight Hour"   Pickett, Cropper Wilson Pickett 2:21
13. "Bye Bye Baby"   Mary Wells Mary Wells 3:21
14. "Slip Away"   William Armstrong, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell Clarence Carter 4:27

[edit] Chart positions

Chart (1991) Peak
Australian Albums Chart[10] 2
Austrian Albums Chart[10] 12
New Zealand Albums Chart[10] 1
Norwegian Albums Chart[10] 3
Swedish Albums Chart[10] 17
Swiss Music Charts[10] 6
UK Albums Chart[11] 4
US Billboard 200[12] 8

[edit] The Commitments, Vol. 2

The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album
Released 17 March 1992
Genre Soul
Label MCA Records

After the commercial success of the first soundtrack album, a follow-up entitled The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in 1992[13]. The album included four more songs from the movie as well as seven additional tracks.

[edit] Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Original artist Length
1. "Hard To Handle"   Allen Jones, Al Bell, Otis Redding Otis Redding 2:23
2. "Grits Ain't Groceries"   Titus Turner Little Milton 3:44
3. "I Thank You"   Isaac Hayes, David Porter Sam & Dave 3:40
4. "That's The Way Love Is"   Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong Marvin Gaye 4:08
5. "Show Me"   Joe Tex Joe Tex 2:56
6. "Saved"   Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller LaVern Baker 2:54
7. "Too Many Fish in the Sea"   Whitfield, Eddie Holland The Marvelettes 2:45
8. "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)"   Redding, Steve Cropper Otis Redding 2:52
9. "Land Of A Thousand Dances"   Chris Kenner Wilson Pickett 3:16
10. "Nowhere To Run"   Holland–Dozier–Holland Martha and the Vandellas 3:39
11. "Bring It On Home To Me"   Sam Cooke Sam Cooke 3:41

[edit] Chart positions

Chart (1992) Peak
Australian Albums Chart[14] 6
Austrian Albums Chart[14] 32
New Zealand Albums Chart[14] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart[14] 11
Swedish Albums Chart[14] 25
Swiss Music Charts[14] 15
UK Albums Chart[11] 13
US Billboard 200[15] 118

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Producer Remembers His Prior 'Commitments' : Lecture: Roger Randall-Cutler tells a UC Irvine audience that he's 'rather disappointed' with film's performance in the U.S.". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-10/entertainment/ca-1750_1_roger-randall-cutler. Retrieved 2010-11-18. 
  2. ^ "MOVIES : Irish Soul : How Alan Parker drew upon the working-class kids of Dublin to power his movie 'The Commitments,' about a fictional Irish band". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-11/entertainment/ca-800_1_alan-parker. Retrieved 2010-11-18. 
  3. ^ The Irish Filmography 1896-1996; Red Mountain Press (Dublin); 1996. Page 200
  4. ^ a b Alan Parker, DVD commentary.
  5. ^ Alan Parker, Movie Connections - "The Commitments", BBC Television, broadcast 2007-09-17
  6. ^ Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Movie Connections - "The Commitments", BBC Television, broadcast 2007-09-17
  7. ^ "And the winner is................................." (PDF). http://www.thecommitments.net/pdf_files/best_film.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-10. 
  8. ^ The Commitments (film) at Allmusic
  9. ^ The Commitments at Amazon.com
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Ultratop - The Commitments". Ultratop. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+The+Commitments&titel=The+Commitments&cat=a. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 
  11. ^ a b The Official Charts - The Commitments
  12. ^ "The Commitments - The Commitments". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts#/album/the-commitments/the-commitments/95777. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 
  13. ^ The Commitments at Amazon.com
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Ultratop - The Commitments Vol 2". Ultratop. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+The+Commitments&titel=The+Commitments+Vol.+2&cat=a. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 
  15. ^ "The Commitments - The Commitments Vol 2". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts#/album/original-soundtrack/the-commitments-vol-2/94768. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 

[edit] External links

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