Falling For a Dancer
A stirring tale of love, set against the breathtaking backdrop of West Ireland's coast.
Ireland, 1937.
Young, beautiful and trusting, Elizabeth Sullivan's world suddenly turns tragic. Pregnant after a brief affair, her family quickly marries her to an elderly farmer and banishes her to a remote County Kerry peninsula. Here, Elizabeth resigns herself to a loveless, brutal marriage and begins to raise a family.
Denying her longing for intimacy and love, Elizabeth immerses herself in her children's lives. Captivated by her radiance, a handsome young laborer reawakens her passions. Their relationship rocks the foundations of Elizabeth's world. What follows is a poignant story of love lost and found, of hatred and reconciliation, tears and laughter, truth and understanding and in the end, the ultimate peace that love offers to those who never lose faith.
Member Reviews
Ireland Encapsulated - Stitch
in this TV production that touches all the basics of Irish society in the 50’s...land as currency, power of the Church, focus on family, and the fate of unmarried pregnant girls. The latter is attractively personified by Elisabeth Dermot Walsh as Elizabeth Sullivan who elects marital banishment to a barren coast farm rather than a Magdalene house (The Magdalene Sisters--2002). Elizabeth gives a finely honed performance of independence and reluctant compliance.
Of the supporting cast, see Colin Farrell in one of his very first roles, as the infatuated teen. Liam Cunningham won an award for the sympathetic character. Dermot Crowley deserved one since his was the more complex part. The behavior that derives from his growing affection for his young wife is subtle, complex and convincing bordering on sympathetic.
The screenplay compresses eight years of events into three hours so the plot proceeds briskly and holds your interest. With sub-stories galore (Elizabeth inherited a mess of step-children), it’s a wee bit syrupy occasionally but so what...this is a grand old soap opera in the best Charles Dickens tradition (minus lords and ladies). The older sisters are no mean actresses--you will shed a tear or two. But notwithstanding a few lighthearted bits, there’s little humour per se. The dialogue is concerned with the business of life; don’t expect witty Jane Austen repartee.
Leaving the best for last...the cinematography. Absolutely magnificent, won awards. At times depressingly realistic, it well captures the topography and climate of a rock littered Irish coast where farmers scratch a living from the sea (kelp) and their sheep. Be assured there’s no exaggeration for effect; what you see is what I visited. There’s also incredible beauty to beguile a hardy few who choose to remain. And the rare town scenes are pure rural mid-century.
Recommended as a fine story and for its insightful glimpse into that time, place and people.
Member Reviews
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Ireland Encapsulated - Stitch
in this TV production that touches all the basics of Irish society in the 50’s...land as currency, power of the Church, focus on family, and the fate of unmarried pregnant girls. The latter is attractively personified by Elisabeth Dermot Walsh as Elizabeth ...