Rebellion (miniseries)
| Rebellion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Written by | Colin Teevan |
| Directed by | Aku Louhimies |
| Starring | Niamh Cusack Brian Gleeson Charlie Murphy Sarah Greene Ruth Bradley Gus McDonagh Michelle Fairley |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original languages | English, Irish |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Catherine Magee Clare Alan Colin Teevan |
| Production location | Dublin |
| Editor | Ben Mercer |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 52 minutes per episode |
| Production company | RTÉ |
| Budget | €6 million |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTÉ One |
| Release | 3 January – 31 January 2016 |
Rebellion is a 2016 television miniseries produced by Irish broadcaster RTÉ, dramatising the events surrounding the 1916 Easter Rising.
Background
The series is directed by Finnish director Aku Louhimies[1] with executive producers Catherine Magee, Clare Alan, Colin Teevan and written by Colin Teevan.
The show depicts fictional characters in Dublin during the 1916 Rising. The show was filmed during summer 2015 in Dublin. In May 2015, RTÉ confirmed it would produce a drama series in celebration of marking the 100th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising.[2] RTÉ secured €400,000 in funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in 2014.[3] In December 2015, RTÉ Television confirmed the series would premiere early January on Irish television.[4][5]
The series is the most expensive drama series produced by the public broadcaster coming at a cost of €6 million.[6]
Description
RTÉ's five-part 1916 commemorative drama Rebellion begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland's independence.
Episode list
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | January 3, 2016 | |
|
A group of young men and women in Dublin in 1916 are embroiled in a fight for independence. For our young protagonists the world will never be the same again. | |||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | January 10, 2016 | |
|
On Easter Monday a few hundred rebels launch their attack taking the authorities and holidaying Dubliners by surprise. Lover is pitted against lover, friend against friend and brother against brother as the rebellion takes hold. | |||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | January 17, 2016 | |
|
Three days into a siege the rebels seek international recognition for Irish independence but the British forces are closing in. Elizabeth, Frances and Jimmy are caught up in the action at the GPO. | |||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | January 24, 2016 | |
|
In the face of overwhelming British reinforcements, the rebels surrender. Swift military court martials and executions follow. Meanwhile, tragedy strikes the Mahon family as their young son Peter is shot and killed. | |||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | January 31, 2016 | |
|
As the dust settles from the rebellion, May, Elizabeth and Frances deal with the consequences of their actions. | |||
International broadcast
The series is set to première on SundanceTV in the US on April 24, 2016.
The series is available on Netflix worldwide except in Ireland, the US and Finland.[7]
Reception
Following its first broadcast, episode 1 held a strong audience of 619,000. 41% of the available audience tuned in to RTÉ One to watch the opening episode of the five-part series, with an additional 45,000 people catching it on RTÉ One +1 and more than 9,000 people viewing it on the RTÉ Player.[8]
The Irish Times gave the first episode a favourable review.[6] the Irish Mirror claimed that the series was "destined to court controversy".[1] Dr. Shane Kenna, a historian and lecturer at TCD, criticised the series for its "poor ahistorical script with no educational benefit".[9] The series was slated on social media, with many viewers criticising its historical inaccuracies.[10] Pat Stacey, writing in the Irish Independent wrote negatively about the dialogue, stating "the characters didn’t so much converse as chuck out egregiously stilted slabs of text which hung in the air for a moment, before crashing to the floor" concluding that "It’s not historical accuracy the Rebellion has to worry about; it's plain, old-fashioned bad writing, allied with dismally flat direction." [11]
References
- ^ a b Ward, James (January 3, 2016). "RTE 1916 drama Rebellion makes debut and is perhaps destined to court controversy". irishmirror. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ Brosnan, Seán (May 21, 2015). "RTÉ announces new Irish drama series 'Rebellion'". iftn.ie. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Rebellion - The Irish Film & Television Network". iftn.ie. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ Brosnan, Seán (December 21, 2015). "RTÉ launch new five part series 'Rebellion'". iftn.ie. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "RTÉ Unveils First Episode of Rebellion as Part of RTÉ 1916". rte.ie. December 21, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ a b "Rebellion review: RTÉ fires first salvo in 1916 centenary schedule". The Irish Times. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Rebellion". Netflix. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Rebellion draws impressive viewing figures". rte.ie. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Dr Shane Kenna". Twitter.
- ^ "RTE's Rebellion SLATED on social media for historical inaccuracies". Breaking News. 1 November 2016.
- ^ "Pat Stacey: Historical howlers are the least of the things wrong with RTE's Rebellion drama". Independent.ie.
