In Great Haste

I've been following the debate in the Irish & English newspapers about the film Michael Collins.

A lot of ink has been spilled over the historical accuracy the story, whether it was right to show a car bombing that never happened, the fact that Ned Broy lived to a ripe old age, etc.

To look at the selling of the film here though, you wouldn't know it. The slogan in the commercials is "If you liked Braveheart, you'll love Michael Collins". The film is presented as just another historical action flick, and as such it has come and gone.

Those who saw the film liked it, but the compression of six years into a couple of hours left some unanswered questions. Where did the cabinet come from, for example? Most movie-goers were unaware that two General Elections occurred in the film.

Some things I really liked though. Alan Rickman — one of my favourite actors — did an excellent job as Dev, capturing the mathematical dryness of the man perfectly. Aidan Quinn also did a good job, and Julia Roberts wasn't too bad. (Sorry, that's about as positive as I can get about her.)

I also liked the way the assassination was underplayed. Long shot of the sniper firing, cut to Collins dead by the roadside. It managed to avoid the usual cliches, like a sense of foreboding throughout the story, or having him fall to the ground in slow-motion. Even his famous 'tonight I signed my death warrant' line wasn't overused.

Speaking of Michael Collins reminds me of In The Name Of The Father. How many people are convinced that the Guilford Four were released as a result of evidence produced by Gareth Pearce while cross examining a British Police Office in the Court of Appeal? Or that Gerry & Guisseppe Conlon shared a prison-cell. Neither is true.

I'm not sure whether this matters or not. After all, both films do capture the spirit of the stories they tell. And the speed and rush of Michael Collins, while making it difficult to follow for those not versed in Irish history, certainly embodies the phrase "In Great Haste", with which he signed numerous of his letters to Kitty Kiernan.