Angela's Ashes (1999)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers (WGA):

Frank McCourt (book)
Laura Jones (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 January 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Hopes of a Mother. The Dreams of a Father. The Fate of a Child.

Plot:

Based on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes follows the experiences...

Plot Keywords:

Poverty | Brooklyn | Death | Prejudice | Religion

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Emily Watson	...	Angela McCourt
Robert Carlyle	...	Malachy (Dad)
Joe Breen	...	Young Frank
Ciaran Owens	...	Middle Frank
Michael Legge	...	Older Frank
Ronnie Masterson	...	Grandma Sheehan
Pauline McLynn	...	Aunt Aggie
Liam Carney	...	Uncle Pa Keating
Eanna MacLiam	...	Uncle Pat
Andrew Bennett	...	Narrator (voice)
Shane Murray-Corcoran	...	Young Malachy
Devon Murray	...	Middle Malachy
Peter Halpin	...	Older Malachy
Aaron Geraghty	...	New Born Michael
Sean Carney Daly	...	Baby Michael

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

USA | Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | USA:R (Certificate #36720) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Denmark:A | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

David Brown Productions

Trivia:

Poster and book cover by Bill Kaye.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scene of the lunar eclipse, the moon shown is actually a mirror image of the actual moon. In a later scene, showing clouds beginning to cover the moon, the moon is shown normally.

Quotes:

Angela McCourt: I was thinking of calling him Alphonsius.
Middle Frank: Alphonsius? That's a stupid name!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: In the Name of the Grandfather (#20.14)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Three Babies

An evoking look at Irish life

Angela's Ashes is a well made picture, and one of the better movie to come out this year. Also, this film is Alan Parker's best since Pink Floyd's The Wall. The picture evokes a feeling of sorrow for the young Frank McCourt, in a tale that never has any definite answers, it just leaves them open. The acting is superb, mainly by Emily Watson as the loving mother Angela McCout and Robert carlyle who gives his best performance since Trainspotting here as the father with almost three different personalities. We watch as young Frank goes through three periods of his life in the poverish Ireland and thankfully in the end everything turns out OK. This makes the film even better. Along with a gentle and moving score (by oscar winner John Williams), this film is very provocative, touching and dramatic. Well done.