The Wind That Shakes the Barley

I requested this DVD primarily because I had the hots for Dr. Crane played by Cillian Murphy in the Batman Trilogy. Literally, why was he so hot and sexy there it was making me go crazy. Anyway, I was like, let me start from the beginning for his work. Now suddenly, I’m reading up on the Easter Rebellion and the split of the IRA.

The story of the movie follows Damien (Cillian Murphy) as he joins the IRA after witnessing multiple atrocities committed by the British Army. He fights alongside the members of the local flying column until there is a ceasefire between Britain and the IRA. They learn that the treaty signed does not free Ireland entirely which causes a split within the IRA that leads to the Irish Civil War.

Visually what I found most interesting was the training for guerilla warfare by boys who barely knew what they were doing. It was sad, ugh.

I did like thinking about Ken Loach’s ideas about whether the Irish revolution was a social or nationalist one. Reminded me of the readings from the Marxism and National Liberation course…