Figure 1.-- Here we see the new inmates in their uniforms. Brendan Behan is on the right hand side.

The film was directed by Peter Sheridan. It is a good adaptation of Irish writer Brendan Behan's autobiographical tale of a young Irish boy imprisoned in a British borstal during World War II. He is a staunch republican on a bombing mission. The young Brendan (Shawn Hatosy) initially rejects all attempts to reach him by the relatively benign borstal Governor (Michael York) and especially a British sailor convicted of theft (Danny Dyer). As the film develops, Behan comes to see the world as a more complex place than he preceived as a boy. As his relationships with other inmates begin to grow and he is exposed to a world he has literally never known, he eventually comes to realise the ambiguity of personal and political beliefs. He also finds himself entranced by the Governor's daughter (Eva Birthistle), a free-thinking artist who encourages him to explore his creative side, something which will eventually result in a short but brilliant career as an author and playwright (though this is not part of the actual film). Borstal Boy does not aspire to be a great film, but is well crafted. It is capably performed by a sincere cast, solidly written by Nye Heron and director Peter Sheridan 'inspired by' the original novel, lushly scored by Stephen McKeon, crisply photographed by Ciarán Tanham, and nicely decked out by production designer Crispian Sallis, art director Michael Higgins, and costume designer Marie Tierney. It is a solid piece of cinematic storytelling which makes good use of all of the materials at its disposal. It is not especially visually exciting, but it escapes the trap of being stagebound or excessively TV movie-ish as so many Irish films are largely because of its pace and variety of action. There are many familiar prison-camp scenes, including the usual personal, political, and sexual power struggles between inmates, escape attempts, and even some "unity through sports" action (when the prisoners take on the local army in a rugby match). There are also many references to the context of the action set by the war itself, embodied in the Canadian and Jewish boys among the population, and the uneasy truce struck between Brendan and the authorities at the end of the film, so it is not without a sense of politics or precedent.

Filmology

"Borstal Boy" was competently directed by the Irish director Peter Sheridan. This was his first major film. He is the brother of Jim Sheridan noted for directing "My Left Foot". The film is capably performed by a sincere cast, solidly written by Nye Heron and director Peter Sheridan 'inspired by' the original novel, lushly scored by Stephen McKeon, crisply photographed by Ciarán Tanham, and nicely decked out by production designer Crispian Sallis, art director Michael Higgins, and costume designer Marie Tierney.

Book

It is a good adaptation of Irish playwright and novelist Brendan Behan’s autobiographical account.

Cast

The young Brendan is played by Shawn Hatosy. The Borstal Governor is played by Michael York. A British sailor convicted of theft is played by Danny Dyer. The Governor's daughter is played by Eva Birthistle.

Figure 2.-- Here we see the Borstal inmates planting spuds in the prison gardens.

Plot

The plot is about Brendan (Shawn Hatosy), a 16-year old Irish boy, who in 1939 attempts to smuggle dynamite into England. He is caught. An adult might have been hanged. Bendan is sentenced to an English borstal for 4 years during World War II. (Ireland remained neutral during the War and there was some sympathy for the Germans.)Borstal was the English name for reformatory, named after the town whre the first one was built. He is a staunch republican who initially rejects all attempts to reach him by the relatively benign borstal Governor (Michael York) and especially a British sailor convicted of theft (Danny Dyer). As the film develops, Behan comes to see the world as a more complex place than he preceived as a boy. He finds for example considerable coomon elements between him anf the the English boys with which he is prisoned. As his relationships with other inmates begin to grow and he is exposed to a world he has literally never known, he eventually comes to realise the ambiguity of personal and political beliefs. He also finds himself entranced by the Governor's daughter (Eva Birthistle), a free-thinking artist who encourages him to explore his creative side, something which will eventually result in a short but brilliant career as an author and playwright (though this is not part of the actual film).

Costuming

The uniforms the boys seem to be wearing look like they are from the present day. That is, the material the shorts are made of look very similar to the shorts worn by the forces (soldiers). The rest of the uniform looks to be in character for the era the movie is trying to depict, during the World Wr II. In fact, even though the movie was filmed in 2002, it is trying to depict life during and after the War.

Assessment

"Borstal Boy" does not aspire to be a great film, but is well crafted. It is a solid piece of cinematic storytelling which makes good use of all of the materials at its disposal. It is not especially visually exciting, but it escapes the trap of being stagebound or excessively TV movie-ish as so many Irish films are largely because of its pace and variety of action. There are many familiar prison-camp scenes, including the usual personal, political, and sexual power struggles between inmates, escape attempts, and even some "unity through sports" action (when the prisoners take on the local army in a rugby match). There are also many references to the context of the action set by the War itself, embodied in the Canadian and Jewish boys among the population, and the uneasy truce struck between Brendan and the authorities at the end of the film, so it is not without a sense of politics or precedent.

Created: 10:04 PM 9/8/2005
Last updated: 10:05 PM 9/8/2005