Customer Rating:  
Summary: A moving story with great performance from Richard Harris
Comment: Based on a play by John B. Keane, The Fiels is a moving story that's flown under the radar since it's release in 1990. For as long as he can remember, Bull McCabe has cultured and cared for a small three-acre field near his home in western Ireland. But after so many years of hard work, the owner is selling the field, much of her reasoning is to spite Bull. Everything seems to go fine because Bull has enough money to purchase the land he loves so much, but at the auction an American arrives prepared to pay whatever it takes to outbid Bull. That's the movie in a nutshell, but there's really a lot more going on. Subplots cross paths throughout and several characters' troubled histories come out. It's a moving story that keeps unravelling as it develops, and it all builds to a powerful and very surprising ending. Not a hugely well-known movie, but it's well worth your time to check out The Field.
In a career that featured many great performances, this may be Richard Harris' best part. Harris plays Bull McCabe, an old Irishman intent on keeping his land no matter what it takes or what sacrifices need to be made. McCabe has a dark, troubled path which Harris pulls off nicely, slowly opening up about his motivations and reasoning. Sean Bean is very good as Tadgh, Bull's son who wants to live up to his father's expectations but be his own man at the same time. John Hurt plays Bird O'Connell, the village idiot of sorts who is close friends with Bull through thick and thin. Tom Berenger is good in a small but integral part as Peter, the American who has bigger plans for the Irish countryside Bull loves so much. The rest of the strong cast includes Brenda Fricker as Maggie, Bull's wife, Sean McGinley as Father Doran, a priest who locks horns with Bull, and Jenny Conroy as Kate, a poor girl looked down upon by almost all of the village.
The DVD has the movie in a decent looking widescreen presentation. It'd be hard to mess the movie up in that department with the beautiful Irish locations. No special features, not even a trailer, are offered. Something would have been nice, but the movie is strong enough to stand on its own. Don't miss this one if for nothing else than to see Richard Harris' performance, give The Field a try!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lovely locales
Comment:
I stumbled upon The Field through a six degrees game on the imdb. The 1990 film based upon the play by John B. Keane stars Richard Harris, Sean Bean, and Tom Berenger, but The Field is more than a connecting degree. Stunning Irish landscapes, potent performances, and bittersweet storylines make The Field a delightful little film.
Bull McCabe (Richard Harris) and his son Tadgh (Sean Bean) are proud Irishmen who rent the field from the Widow (Frances Tomelty) They till the land with fertilizing seaweed and graze their animals on the field, but after years of being terrorized by Tadgh, The Widow decides to sell the field at a public auction. None of the townsfolk will dare bid against Bull, and he uses the town idiot Bird (John Heard) in his intimidation plans. Newly arrived Irish American developer (Tom Berenger) wants the field for a new roadway, and unfortunately, he doesn't take Bull threats to heart.
As refreshing as it is to see Sean Bean (Patriot Games, The Fellowship of The Ring) in a non villainous role, Richard Harris owns The Field. His Oscar nominated performance alone was worth the DVD purchase. Bull McCabe is just that, a bullheaded old school man who despises the English and those who couldn't keep their land during the potato famine. Bull and his wife haven't spoken to each other since their eldest son died 15 years prior, and Harris is superb at balancing the hardened laborer with the tortured father. When the pressure of purchasing the field under legal means becomes too much, Bull is willing to sacrifice himself, what's left of his family, and anyone else who stands in his way.
As stellar as Harris' performance is, the role would be diminished without worthy support. Bean is admirable as the tormented Tadgh. He's young, not the brightest bulb, and not all that interested in the field-which puts him in direct conflict with Bull. The Elephant Man star John Hurt is unrecognizable at Bird. He puts on the town idiot role inside and out-the tattered looks, stuttering, and do-anything-for-a- drink style is a sad representation of what happens to those who lost their livelihood during the famine. As much as Bull genuinely likes Bird, he's not above manipulating him into his devious plans. Richard Harris may be the star, but each character in the field brings his or her element of tragedy.
Little seen in the U.S. upon its release, The Field has another ace the hole. The on Location Irish filming is a character unto itself. Briefly, you can understand Tom Berenger's want to change this small tight nit Irish community. If it weren't for his fancy car, you could swear The Field takes place in the 19th century. Horse draw carriages, no roads to speak of, thatched roof homes- the juxtaposition of this aging, strapped community against lush green and fertile land, stunning cliffscapes, and quaint Irish ways adds surprising depth to a film based on a play. These exceptional visual layers, however, can't cover the thinness of the play turned movie. As bittersweet as the story is, some of its mystery elements are in fact too obvious to a film audience. The chain of events is a likely one, but the performances make the watch worthwhile.
Today's American audiences might also find The Field slow or poorly directed. Naturally there's no effects to speak of, and perhaps more monologues than we're used to. With little action, there's no need to move the camera either. Director's slow zooming, following shots, or vast panoramas are meant to capture the scope of the region and the inner complexities of the characters. It's not overtly art house styled, but viewers looking for something fast paced won't find it in The Field.
Perhaps not commonly available at most retailers, The Field is more affordable at online purchasers. The DVD has no features beyond the film. I would have preferred a play to screen documentary and cast commentaries, but the film speaks for itself. Fans of Irish films and any of the actors involved should not miss The Field. Likewise classic film buffs or old school studies shouldn't miss the tragic tale. Watch The Field today, ready with tissues instead of popcorn.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Harris Gives Powerful, Perhaps Too Powerful Performance
Comment: "The Field," (1990), an Irish movie, was the second to be made by the talented Irish director Jim Sheridan, who also gets the screenwriting credit on it. It was made from the well-known and -loved play of the same name by John B. Keane, who was a small-town publican in Co. Kerry, and evidently paid very close attention to what was going on around him. It's based on a true story about a bitter land dispute between a local man, "The Bull McCabe," played by noted Irish actor Richard Harris,who collected an Oscar nomination for his performance; and "The Yank," played by Tom Beringer. John Hurt also had a starring role, playing "Bird O'Donnell,"the sort of part that the older English actor John Mills had made his own, the wily village idiot.
The movie was filmed not in Co. Kerry, but in Co. Mayo, in the village of Leenane. Its sets still stand: so happens I've just been and seen them. Anyway, never mind the change of county, the movie, with cinematography by Jack Conroy, still gives you a very good idea of the Irish countryside: constantly threatened by an angry sea, generally cool, rainy and overcast, muddy, with deep black cold lakes and rivers. The film's set in the earlier 20th century: clothes, houses and vehicles appear to be accurately rendered, as does the dreary lives most of its characters were forced to live. The excellent musical score is the work of Hollywood favorite Elmer Bernstein. "The Field" functions as a corrective to John Ford's misty-eyed "The Quiet Man," that starred John Wayne. The Ford picture shows us the American, Wayne, coming into a small Irish village, and, after a bit of blather, being welcomed. Sheridan's picture emphatically does not. It casts a cold eye back at the terrible 19th Century Famine, and examines the land hunger of the people who remained.
For whatever reason, there's lots of Soviet socialist realism school silhouetting against the big sky. Harris's high-powered performance dominates the film. Mind you, some would say too high-powered, that Harris, possibly with Shakespeare's King Lear in mind, leaves no blade of grass unchewed on that field. Hurt, too, does strong work, as does the supporting cast. Sean Bean is Tadgh, McCabe's handsome son. Brenda Fricker, possibly with Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth in mind, is the luckless Mrs. McCabe, to whom her husband hasn't spoken for sixteen years. Sean McGinly turns in good work as the village priest. Such standbys as Brendan Gleeson, Ruth McCabe, and Malachy McCourt also take small parts. The movie is realistic, and devoid of sentimentality, not for those who prefer their Irish movies cozy. But it's engrossing, if you don't find Harris's performance too much.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Historical and cultural insight
Comment: The Field provides an accurate view of what it was like to live in the Republic of Ireland following independence. There was a mistrust of their former colonial rulers and a distain for the people who gave up during difficult times. Cultivating land and raising livestock was very difficult - stone had to be removed and fertile soil (seaweed, etc.) had to be brought to provide topsoil for crops. Bull McCabe, played by Richard Harris, illustrates the farmer's love of the land and his passion to keep it. The acting is excellent, although the plot unfolds somewhat slowly at times.
I recommend it as a film that moves beyond the romantic, fanaticized view of Ireland to the heart of the Irish people.
Customer Rating:
Summary: How importnat the Land is to an Irishman
Comment: My husband and I just returned from Ireland so we saw first hand how important the land is to the Irish. Richard Harris is Brillant in The Field. It really showed the struggles of a family in an Irish village.
Will make you think twice the next time you complain about how hard your life is.
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