The General (1998 film)

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The General
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Boorman
Screenplay byJohn Boorman
Based onThe General
by Paul Williams
Produced byJohn Boorman
Starring
CinematographySeamus Deasy
Music byRichie Buckley
Distributed byWarner Bros.[1]
Release date
  • 18 December 1998 (1998-12-18)
Running time
124 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.8 million

The General is an Irish crime film written and directed by John Boorman about Dublin crime boss Martin Cahill, who undertook several daring heists in the early 1980s and attracted the attention of the Garda Síochána, IRA and Ulster Volunteer Force. The film was shot in 1997 and released in 1998. Brendan Gleeson plays Cahill, Adrian Dunbar plays his friend Noel Curley, and Jon Voight plays Inspector Ned Kenny.

Plot[edit]

The story of Dubliner Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies but came into conflict with members of his gang and attracted attention from the police and the IRA, and whose dealings with the UVF ultimately led to his downfall.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

The film is based on the book of the same name by Irish journalist Paul Williams, who is "Special Correspondent" for the Irish Independent. The director, John Boorman was one of Cahill's burglary victims.[3] This event is dramatised in a scene in which Cahill breaks into a home, stealing a gold record and pilfering a watch from the wrist of a sleeping woman. The gold record, which Cahill later breaks in disgust after discovering it is not made of gold, was awarded for the score of Deliverance, Boorman's best-known film.[4]

Filming was at various locations around Dublin, including South Lotts and Ranelagh.[5] Although shot in colour, the theatrical release of the film was presented in black-and-white for artistic reasons, while an alternate version of the desaturated original colour print was subsequently made available for television broadcast and home video.[6][7][8] Asked why he chose to depict Cahill's life in black-and-white, Boorman said

I love black-and-white, and since I was making the film independently — I borrowed the money from the bank — there was no one to tell me I couldn't. If I had made [The General] for a studio, they wouldn't let me do that. The other reason, the main reason, was because it was about recent events and people who were still alive. I wanted to give it a little distance. Black-and-white gives you that sort of parallel world. Also, it's very close to the condition of dreaming, to the unconscious. I wanted it to have this mythic level because I felt this character was an archetype. All throughout history, you find this rebel, this violent, funny, brilliant kind of character. I wanted to make that kind of connection, and black-and-white film helps. Up until the middle to late '60s, it was a choice to film in black-and-white or color. But then television became so vital to a film's finance, and television won't show black-and-white. So that killed it off, really.[9]

Reception[edit]

The General holds an approval rating of 82% based on 49 reviews on website Rotten Tomatoes.[10]

The film grossed £1.6 million in the UK and Ireland, the second highest-grossing Irish film of the year, behind The Butcher Boy.[11] In the United States and Canada it grossed $1.2 million[12] for a worldwide estimated total of $3.8 million.

The film garnered multiple awards for Gleeson's performance and Boorman's directing, with some critics speculating the former would earn an Academy Award nomination.[7] Boorman won the award for Best Director at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.[13] Though Gleeson was not nominated for an Oscar, his performance was awarded by the Boston Society of Film Critics, the London Film Critics' Circle, and the Irish Film and Television Academy.

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Director John Boorman Won [14]
Best Actor Brendan Gleeson (also for I Went Down) Won
Cannes Film Festival Best Director John Boorman Won [13]
Palme d'Or Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Society Awards Best Director Nominated [15]
Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Film Won
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Best Film Won
Independent Spirit Awards Best Foreign Film Nominated [15]
Irish Film and Television Awards Best Feature Film Won [15]
Best Actor in a Male Role Brendan Gleeson Won
Best Screenplay John Boorman Nominated
Best Craft Contribution Seamus Deasy (photography) Nominated
London Critics Circle Film Awards British Actor of the Year Brendan Gleeson Won [15]
British Director of the Year John Boorman Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Director Nominated [15]
Best Cinematography Seamus Deasy Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actor Brendan Gleeson (also for I Went Down) Nominated [15]
Best Cinematography Seamus Deasy Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Brendan Gleeson Nominated [15]
Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Won
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture, Drama John Boorman Nominated [16]
Best Director Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama Brendan Gleeson Nominated

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The General (1998)". BBFC. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The General (1998)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  3. ^ "The Don of Dublin". Los Angeles Times. 20 December 1998. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger (22 January 1999). "The General movie review & film summary (1999)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  5. ^ "The General -- Production Notes". Sony Pictures Classics. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  6. ^ "The General -- The Filmmakers". Sony Pictures Classics. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Rosen, Steven (28 March 1999). ""General" buzz generally fizzles". The Denver Post. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  8. ^ "The DVD Journal: The General". dvdjournal.com. 1999. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  9. ^ Klein, Joshua (20 January 1999). "John Boorman". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  10. ^ "The General (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  11. ^ "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  12. ^ "The General (1998)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Festival de Cannes: The General". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  14. ^ "Boston critics cite 'Sight,' 'General'". Variety. 13 December 1998. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "The General (1998) Awards & Festivals". MUBI. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  16. ^ "1999 3rd Annual SATELLITE™ Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2022.

External links[edit]

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