The following review was originally posted on June 15, 2017. The Journey opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
Is it possible to whittle away at an “unmovable rock” in the political arena? Especially when there’s a 40 year history of bloody conflict forming an unbreakable shell around that formidable boulder? Well, how about forcing him into a trip with his enemy? That’s just what happens in this new film, in which its makers wish to be a “fly on the wall” during a remarkable day that changed the course of a country. It’s a “what if” look at a seminal time just 11 years ago when two opposing leaders try to find common ground during The Journey.
The year is 2006, and “the troubles” have rocked Ireland for over four decades. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) has organized a political...
Is it possible to whittle away at an “unmovable rock” in the political arena? Especially when there’s a 40 year history of bloody conflict forming an unbreakable shell around that formidable boulder? Well, how about forcing him into a trip with his enemy? That’s just what happens in this new film, in which its makers wish to be a “fly on the wall” during a remarkable day that changed the course of a country. It’s a “what if” look at a seminal time just 11 years ago when two opposing leaders try to find common ground during The Journey.
The year is 2006, and “the troubles” have rocked Ireland for over four decades. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) has organized a political...
- 7/21/2017
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Nick Hamm’s The Journey is not a typical biopic or historical drama. Many of these films fail with the viewer immediately questioning the movie’s verisimilitude and taking to the internet, The Journey makes it clear in the prologue that it is not concerned with the truth, so much as it is setting out to tell a good story.
The Journey takes place during the St. Andrews Peace Talks, which were held in Scotland by the British and Irish governments, along with political leaders from opposing sides of civil war-torn Northern Ireland to come to an agreement and bring peace to the region. Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney) are fierce political rivals, however when Paisley must take his leave from the talks to attend his own fiftieth wedding anniversary, McGuinness offers to travel with him as an act of good faith. As the two of them travel to the airport,...
The Journey takes place during the St. Andrews Peace Talks, which were held in Scotland by the British and Irish governments, along with political leaders from opposing sides of civil war-torn Northern Ireland to come to an agreement and bring peace to the region. Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney) are fierce political rivals, however when Paisley must take his leave from the talks to attend his own fiftieth wedding anniversary, McGuinness offers to travel with him as an act of good faith. As the two of them travel to the airport,...
- 6/26/2017
- by Rocco Tenaglia
- CinemaNerdz
“We are Ireland. We are inevitable.”
Each summer, while the multiplexes are filled with the big spectacles and epic blockbusters, the little gems that grip us with their humor, their tragedy and their humanity, manage to find their ways into the cinemas. This year it’s The Journey, the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history.
In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification. Opposites in every way, the two men at first seem to have little chance of ever finding common ground. But over the course of an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside, each begins to see the other less as an enemy, and more as an individual—a breakthrough that promises to at last bring peace to the troubled region.
Driven by two virtuoso central performances, The Journey is a more-relevant-than-ever reminder of how simple humanity can overcome political division. Freddie Highmore, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack and John Hurt co-star. (Review)
I recently spoke with the director of The Journey, award winning director Nick Hamm. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hamm directed cult-classic The Hole (2001), starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley, in her feature film debut. He also helmed Lionsgate’s thriller Godsend (2004), starring Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn and Greg Kinnear.
Hamm later produced and directed the 80’s U2-centric comedy, Killing Bono (2011) for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Pete Postelwaite.
During our discussion about his latest movie, the British director and I talked about the film’s mixture of tension and humor, the human story and the message of The Journey.
We Are Movie Geeks: The Journey is a good story that should be told – the type that audiences don’t see anymore. It opened in 2016 in Toronto and then Venice, and finally had its premiere at the Belfast Film Festival in May 2017. What was the crowd’s reaction and how was it received?
Nick Hamm: That was a really extraordinary event. I’ve seen it now with thousands of people watching the movie and if you’re going to see a movie like this, you really need to take it back to Northern Ireland to see what they make of it. In the end, that’s where the authenticity of the film is. It is important to us. The event was attended by nearly a thousand people and political leaders from both sides of the community came so we had politicians from Sinn Féin and politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party (Dup). It was a very emotional and momentous event because in many respects it reminded people of something that they had achieved and had risked losing.
We Are Movie Geeks: It is such an interesting script by writer Colin Bateman, one that is funny, sad, and dramatic. Tell me about lead actors Timothy Spall (Paisley) and Colm Meaney (McGuinness – who died recently in March) and the casting. Their characters became known as ”the Chuckle Brothers”. Both actors were very impressive to watch.
Nick Hamm: What underscores everything is the fact that Colin’s script is so good and when that happens, you attract really good actors. Both Tim and Colm were fantastic partners on the film. Tim had to transform himself – he’s playing a six foot five, Northern Irish politician when in reality he’s a five foot nine London actor. We did some prosthetics on his chin and a little aging on his hair, along with the false teeth. The hair and makeup was done by Polly McKay. Tim became the character of Paisley which was fascinating to watch and he’s one of those actors that totally transforms himself.
Colm is one of Ireland’s best actors. What was important was to find somebody who could give McGuinness sympathy. This is a man whose background is well documented. What do you do? You start by making him human, you give him a life and a backstory. When you put someone like Colm Meany in that role, Colm transforms himself for that. He understands the culture from where that character comes, he understands the basis of that character’s ideology and he understands how that character ticks. If you have that and you are a good actor – which he is, then you have a good combination. It was great to watch him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I was very pleased to see the late John Hurt in the film in what was one of his final roles.
Nick Hamm: We all knew that John was very sick while he was doing the film. When we offered him the movie, he wanted to work until the end and play the part. It was real tribute to have him involved as a part of the film.
We Are Movie Geeks: Irish writer Seamus Heaney, although not a political animal was an artist like yourself. He was affected by “The Troubles” when his cousin Colum was killed as a result of the war – Heaney moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland after that. Has it affected you in any way and was this a partial reason why you made the film?
Nick Hamm: It hasn’t affected me personally but I knew people who were. Growing up I was in school in Northern Ireland and I knew people who had real problems. I could see it with my own eyes, the difficulties back then, and it was an intense situation. The vast portion of the people in Northern Ireland went on about their daily life unaffected by it. The real heroes were the people who got on with their daily lives in that situation.
The Journey for me shows how a unique political friendship was achieved at the personal cost of both men. Both men were vilified by their respective communities, but it was one of the most unique political friendships that I had ever witnessed. For two people who were so antagonistic towards each other, who ultimately came to respect each other, and became friends with each other, is why I made the movie and to tell their story.
We Are Movie Geeks: Despite technically being set in Scotland, and on a plane, The Journey was filmed in Northern Ireland. There’s no green screen and it was filmed on the road with your director of photography Greg Gardiner. What was the approach when you took it out of the plane and into the car?
Nick Hamm: This device protected the claustrophobia that the film so demanded while allowing a political version of a road movie to take place. We decided to not be frightened by the tyranny of the car but rather embrace it and enjoy the conceit. Greg and I had discussed and ultimately rejected the idea of green-screen or back-projection very early. We filmed on the road, creating a ‘mobile studio’; our own little cinematic microcosm
We Are Movie Geeks: There is one scene in particular, where McGuiness and Paisley let down their defenses somewhat, set inside a church and then out in the cemetery, that has real depth.
Nick Hamm: I think in the cemetery scene when Colm breaks down, everyone expects Paisley to be sympathetic and wrap his arms around him, but he rebuffs him and shows him no pity or sympathy. Every scene was like a boxing match with each character winning a round.
We Are Movie Geeks: I appreciated the sound editing and especially the score from Stephen Warbeck who first became known for the music for “Prime Suspect” and won an Academy Award for his score for Shakespeare in Love. It is a really nice score.
Nick Hamm: It was something quite new for him and he really had a go at it.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you speak to the families and to some of the individuals involved? And what was their reaction?
Nick Hamm: I met McGuiness before he died. The whole film came together very quickly from the start.. From the script to the financing, it was out in about two and a half years. It’s been a very quick process and very rare for an independent film. I did sit with McGuiness before we started filming about his friendship with Paisley and it was fascinating to hear him speak how important the relationship was and how important it was that they maintained contact up to its logical conclusion. I did talk to Paisley’s family and to his son. We wanted to reassure them we were not riding roughshod over the history. But at the same time it was important to be creatively independent. We did not share the screenplay with them at any stage. In the end both families really loved the movie.
Plus Sinn Féin and the Dup (Democratic Unionist Party) really liked the film, which is almost unheard of, both parties liking the same thing never mind the same movie. The most important thing for us was that the story was balanced.
We Are Movie Geeks: Brexit is seemingly in the news all the time now. As a result, checkpoints could be set up again to control borders. The timing of the film and its release couldn’t be more relevant. Will it cause a major headache between Northern Ireland and Ireland? Will it hinder Ireland’s reunification?
Nick Hamm: The question needs to be asked and it’s a dreadful situation. The idea that there will be a border back in Ireland again, I don’t think anybody wants that. I know for a fact that the Dup doesn’t want that and it would be suicide for both the economy and the welfare of the people to start putting border checks back up. That border in Ireland runs through people’s fields and farms. It was never designed to be a hard border, which it was during “The Troubles”. It would be an unmitigated tragedy to go back to that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Speaking of Indie Films, what are your thoughts on how people see films? Many are leaving the cinemas in favor of watching a film at home or on the computers with the advent of Netflix and Hulu, etc.
Nick Hamm: I like that at the beginning of a movie’s life that it has a public screening. I think the ways a film is distributed these days is really fascinating. I don’t distinguish between how and where a movie is watched. It’s changing so quickly, in five years-time it’ll change all again. Even the act of going to a movie theater is going to change. As long as they keep putting out these huge blockbuster films, in the cinemas is the best way to watch them. However some films work better on a smaller screen. I think screen size some people can get very worked up about.
We Are Movie Geeks: What’s your next project?
Nick Hamm: We are going to do the DeLorean story, Driven. It’s through the eyes of the guy who gave him up to the FBI. We’re hoping to shoot in September in Puerto Rico. The script is from The Journey’s Colin Bateman. Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant are in the picture.
Synopsis:
Driven is the turbo-charged story about the FBI sting operation to entrap maverick car designer John DeLorean.
Sudeikis stars as Jim Hoffman, a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Olyphant plays his handler, determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean (Pace) — desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s.
From IFC Films, see The Journey in theaters now.
The post The Journey – Filmmaker Nick Hamm Discusses His New Film appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
Each summer, while the multiplexes are filled with the big spectacles and epic blockbusters, the little gems that grip us with their humor, their tragedy and their humanity, manage to find their ways into the cinemas. This year it’s The Journey, the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history.
In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification. Opposites in every way, the two men at first seem to have little chance of ever finding common ground. But over the course of an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside, each begins to see the other less as an enemy, and more as an individual—a breakthrough that promises to at last bring peace to the troubled region.
Driven by two virtuoso central performances, The Journey is a more-relevant-than-ever reminder of how simple humanity can overcome political division. Freddie Highmore, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack and John Hurt co-star. (Review)
I recently spoke with the director of The Journey, award winning director Nick Hamm. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hamm directed cult-classic The Hole (2001), starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley, in her feature film debut. He also helmed Lionsgate’s thriller Godsend (2004), starring Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn and Greg Kinnear.
Hamm later produced and directed the 80’s U2-centric comedy, Killing Bono (2011) for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Pete Postelwaite.
During our discussion about his latest movie, the British director and I talked about the film’s mixture of tension and humor, the human story and the message of The Journey.
We Are Movie Geeks: The Journey is a good story that should be told – the type that audiences don’t see anymore. It opened in 2016 in Toronto and then Venice, and finally had its premiere at the Belfast Film Festival in May 2017. What was the crowd’s reaction and how was it received?
Nick Hamm: That was a really extraordinary event. I’ve seen it now with thousands of people watching the movie and if you’re going to see a movie like this, you really need to take it back to Northern Ireland to see what they make of it. In the end, that’s where the authenticity of the film is. It is important to us. The event was attended by nearly a thousand people and political leaders from both sides of the community came so we had politicians from Sinn Féin and politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party (Dup). It was a very emotional and momentous event because in many respects it reminded people of something that they had achieved and had risked losing.
We Are Movie Geeks: It is such an interesting script by writer Colin Bateman, one that is funny, sad, and dramatic. Tell me about lead actors Timothy Spall (Paisley) and Colm Meaney (McGuinness – who died recently in March) and the casting. Their characters became known as ”the Chuckle Brothers”. Both actors were very impressive to watch.
Nick Hamm: What underscores everything is the fact that Colin’s script is so good and when that happens, you attract really good actors. Both Tim and Colm were fantastic partners on the film. Tim had to transform himself – he’s playing a six foot five, Northern Irish politician when in reality he’s a five foot nine London actor. We did some prosthetics on his chin and a little aging on his hair, along with the false teeth. The hair and makeup was done by Polly McKay. Tim became the character of Paisley which was fascinating to watch and he’s one of those actors that totally transforms himself.
Colm is one of Ireland’s best actors. What was important was to find somebody who could give McGuinness sympathy. This is a man whose background is well documented. What do you do? You start by making him human, you give him a life and a backstory. When you put someone like Colm Meany in that role, Colm transforms himself for that. He understands the culture from where that character comes, he understands the basis of that character’s ideology and he understands how that character ticks. If you have that and you are a good actor – which he is, then you have a good combination. It was great to watch him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I was very pleased to see the late John Hurt in the film in what was one of his final roles.
Nick Hamm: We all knew that John was very sick while he was doing the film. When we offered him the movie, he wanted to work until the end and play the part. It was real tribute to have him involved as a part of the film.
We Are Movie Geeks: Irish writer Seamus Heaney, although not a political animal was an artist like yourself. He was affected by “The Troubles” when his cousin Colum was killed as a result of the war – Heaney moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland after that. Has it affected you in any way and was this a partial reason why you made the film?
Nick Hamm: It hasn’t affected me personally but I knew people who were. Growing up I was in school in Northern Ireland and I knew people who had real problems. I could see it with my own eyes, the difficulties back then, and it was an intense situation. The vast portion of the people in Northern Ireland went on about their daily life unaffected by it. The real heroes were the people who got on with their daily lives in that situation.
The Journey for me shows how a unique political friendship was achieved at the personal cost of both men. Both men were vilified by their respective communities, but it was one of the most unique political friendships that I had ever witnessed. For two people who were so antagonistic towards each other, who ultimately came to respect each other, and became friends with each other, is why I made the movie and to tell their story.
We Are Movie Geeks: Despite technically being set in Scotland, and on a plane, The Journey was filmed in Northern Ireland. There’s no green screen and it was filmed on the road with your director of photography Greg Gardiner. What was the approach when you took it out of the plane and into the car?
Nick Hamm: This device protected the claustrophobia that the film so demanded while allowing a political version of a road movie to take place. We decided to not be frightened by the tyranny of the car but rather embrace it and enjoy the conceit. Greg and I had discussed and ultimately rejected the idea of green-screen or back-projection very early. We filmed on the road, creating a ‘mobile studio’; our own little cinematic microcosm
We Are Movie Geeks: There is one scene in particular, where McGuiness and Paisley let down their defenses somewhat, set inside a church and then out in the cemetery, that has real depth.
Nick Hamm: I think in the cemetery scene when Colm breaks down, everyone expects Paisley to be sympathetic and wrap his arms around him, but he rebuffs him and shows him no pity or sympathy. Every scene was like a boxing match with each character winning a round.
We Are Movie Geeks: I appreciated the sound editing and especially the score from Stephen Warbeck who first became known for the music for “Prime Suspect” and won an Academy Award for his score for Shakespeare in Love. It is a really nice score.
Nick Hamm: It was something quite new for him and he really had a go at it.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you speak to the families and to some of the individuals involved? And what was their reaction?
Nick Hamm: I met McGuiness before he died. The whole film came together very quickly from the start.. From the script to the financing, it was out in about two and a half years. It’s been a very quick process and very rare for an independent film. I did sit with McGuiness before we started filming about his friendship with Paisley and it was fascinating to hear him speak how important the relationship was and how important it was that they maintained contact up to its logical conclusion. I did talk to Paisley’s family and to his son. We wanted to reassure them we were not riding roughshod over the history. But at the same time it was important to be creatively independent. We did not share the screenplay with them at any stage. In the end both families really loved the movie.
Plus Sinn Féin and the Dup (Democratic Unionist Party) really liked the film, which is almost unheard of, both parties liking the same thing never mind the same movie. The most important thing for us was that the story was balanced.
We Are Movie Geeks: Brexit is seemingly in the news all the time now. As a result, checkpoints could be set up again to control borders. The timing of the film and its release couldn’t be more relevant. Will it cause a major headache between Northern Ireland and Ireland? Will it hinder Ireland’s reunification?
Nick Hamm: The question needs to be asked and it’s a dreadful situation. The idea that there will be a border back in Ireland again, I don’t think anybody wants that. I know for a fact that the Dup doesn’t want that and it would be suicide for both the economy and the welfare of the people to start putting border checks back up. That border in Ireland runs through people’s fields and farms. It was never designed to be a hard border, which it was during “The Troubles”. It would be an unmitigated tragedy to go back to that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Speaking of Indie Films, what are your thoughts on how people see films? Many are leaving the cinemas in favor of watching a film at home or on the computers with the advent of Netflix and Hulu, etc.
Nick Hamm: I like that at the beginning of a movie’s life that it has a public screening. I think the ways a film is distributed these days is really fascinating. I don’t distinguish between how and where a movie is watched. It’s changing so quickly, in five years-time it’ll change all again. Even the act of going to a movie theater is going to change. As long as they keep putting out these huge blockbuster films, in the cinemas is the best way to watch them. However some films work better on a smaller screen. I think screen size some people can get very worked up about.
We Are Movie Geeks: What’s your next project?
Nick Hamm: We are going to do the DeLorean story, Driven. It’s through the eyes of the guy who gave him up to the FBI. We’re hoping to shoot in September in Puerto Rico. The script is from The Journey’s Colin Bateman. Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant are in the picture.
Synopsis:
Driven is the turbo-charged story about the FBI sting operation to entrap maverick car designer John DeLorean.
Sudeikis stars as Jim Hoffman, a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Olyphant plays his handler, determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean (Pace) — desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s.
From IFC Films, see The Journey in theaters now.
The post The Journey – Filmmaker Nick Hamm Discusses His New Film appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
- 6/23/2017
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Is it possible to whittle away at an “unmovable rock” in the political arena? Especially when there’s a 40 year history of bloody conflict forming an unbreakable shell around that formidable boulder? Well, how about forcing him into a trip with his enemy? That’s just what happens in this new film, in which its makers wish to be a “fly on the wall” during a remarkable day that changed the course of a country. It’s a “what if” look at a seminal time just 11 years ago when two opposing leaders try to find common ground during The Journey.
The year is 2006, and “the troubles” have rocked Ireland for over four decades. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) has organized a political conference dealing with the problems at an estate in Scotland. Unfortunately the opposing forces refuse to sit in the same room, let alone talk face to face.
The year is 2006, and “the troubles” have rocked Ireland for over four decades. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) has organized a political conference dealing with the problems at an estate in Scotland. Unfortunately the opposing forces refuse to sit in the same room, let alone talk face to face.
- 6/15/2017
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
MaryAnn’s quick take… This fictional dialogue inspired by a private meeting between real-life enemies can’t muster up more than the usual banalities about the ethics of politics and war. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Now, it is true that in 2006, during the Northern Ireland peace process, enemy leaders Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness had a private meeting, after which real progress was made and a power-sharing government for the country was formed with them as, respectively, first minister and deputy first minister. The men had never even spoken before: with Paisley as head of the extremely conservative, pro-uk Democratic Unionist Party and McGuinness as former head of the independence-seeking Irish Republican Army and member of the left-wing political party Sinn Féin, they were almost literally mortal enemies on opposite sides of the...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Now, it is true that in 2006, during the Northern Ireland peace process, enemy leaders Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness had a private meeting, after which real progress was made and a power-sharing government for the country was formed with them as, respectively, first minister and deputy first minister. The men had never even spoken before: with Paisley as head of the extremely conservative, pro-uk Democratic Unionist Party and McGuinness as former head of the independence-seeking Irish Republican Army and member of the left-wing political party Sinn Féin, they were almost literally mortal enemies on opposite sides of the...
- 6/15/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Alongside the big summer blockbusters comes the smaller cinematic gems that everyone appreciates and everyone looks forward to. 2017 is no different with such motion picture offerings such as The Book Of Henry, Chuck, The Beguiled, Brigsby Bear and The Journey.
An Official Selection at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, director Nick Hamm’s long-awaited drama premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2016.
Watch the trailer for The Journey below.
The Journey is the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history. In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification.
An Official Selection at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, director Nick Hamm’s long-awaited drama premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2016.
Watch the trailer for The Journey below.
The Journey is the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history. In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification.
- 5/19/2017
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Political drama The Journey depicts the unlikely partnership of two former enemies: unionist politician Ian Paisley, portrayed by Timothy Spall, and Ira commander-turned-peacemaker Martin McGuinness, played by Colm Meaney. The pair discuss the political legacy of their characters and the future of Northern Ireland
The Journey is in UK cinemas now, and is released in Us cinemas on 16 June Continue reading...
The Journey is in UK cinemas now, and is released in Us cinemas on 16 June Continue reading...
- 5/5/2017
- by Gwilym Mumford and Jonross Swaby
- The Guardian - Film News
Timothy Spall has spoken of his apprehension about playing Dr Ian Paisley in his latest film The Journey. The Harry Potter actor revealed this ahead of the movie’s general release and after meeting the family of the late Northern Ireland first minister before its premiere in Belfast. A fictional account of the relationship between Paisley and Martin McGuinness – who is played by Irish veteran Colm Meaney – it centres around how the two sworn enemies from opposite sides of the political divide in Ulster became firm friends.
But could such a seasoned pro, a master of both stage and screen, really get so nervous?
“Yeah I did, enormous. For a start I thought I never saw that coming round the corner, I never thought that I would be in the frame for something like that, but then I was incredibly intrigued by it. Slightly afraid of it because I thought...
But could such a seasoned pro, a master of both stage and screen, really get so nervous?
“Yeah I did, enormous. For a start I thought I never saw that coming round the corner, I never thought that I would be in the frame for something like that, but then I was incredibly intrigued by it. Slightly afraid of it because I thought...
- 5/5/2017
- by Dan Green
- The Cultural Post
Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall play Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley in this well-intentioned what-if drama set during Northern Ireland’s peace talks
Nick Hamm’s The Journey is a speculative what-if drama about a vital and mysterious aspect of the Northern Ireland peace process: the extraordinary rapprochement between two old enemies – the Dup’s Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness. Since I saw this film’s premiere at Venice last year, McGuinness has died, there is political instability, and Brexit threatens to disturb a hard-won peace accord. So this film really is more relevant than ever. A reconsideration was in order. But I have to admit to being left with the same problems.
Despite intelligent performances from Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall as McGuinness and Paisley, it is a strained odd-couple fantasy bromance with some very contrived moments. Something which might have stood up as a shorter piece for television – or,...
Nick Hamm’s The Journey is a speculative what-if drama about a vital and mysterious aspect of the Northern Ireland peace process: the extraordinary rapprochement between two old enemies – the Dup’s Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness. Since I saw this film’s premiere at Venice last year, McGuinness has died, there is political instability, and Brexit threatens to disturb a hard-won peace accord. So this film really is more relevant than ever. A reconsideration was in order. But I have to admit to being left with the same problems.
Despite intelligent performances from Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall as McGuinness and Paisley, it is a strained odd-couple fantasy bromance with some very contrived moments. Something which might have stood up as a shorter piece for television – or,...
- 5/5/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The star of The Journey reveals how his own involvement with Sinn Féin helped him understand the late Ira commander turned peacemaker
As a Dubliner who has lived in Los Angeles for three decades, Colm Meaney says he always keeps an eye out for Irish scripts – but he confesses to a slight feeling of dread when one lands on his doormat. Cliched characters, simplistic politics, shonky dialogue – he’s seen them all. The 63-year-old has been lucky with some – particularly the trilogy of Roddy Doyle adaptions that began with 1991’s The Commitments and won him a Golden Globe nomination for The Snapper two years later – and less blessed with others that have come his way. “Oh yes. Mentioning no names but … oh yeah.”
So when he first heard about the Northern Irish novelist Colin Bateman’s script for a drama about Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, with the latter role potentially his,...
As a Dubliner who has lived in Los Angeles for three decades, Colm Meaney says he always keeps an eye out for Irish scripts – but he confesses to a slight feeling of dread when one lands on his doormat. Cliched characters, simplistic politics, shonky dialogue – he’s seen them all. The 63-year-old has been lucky with some – particularly the trilogy of Roddy Doyle adaptions that began with 1991’s The Commitments and won him a Golden Globe nomination for The Snapper two years later – and less blessed with others that have come his way. “Oh yes. Mentioning no names but … oh yeah.”
So when he first heard about the Northern Irish novelist Colin Bateman’s script for a drama about Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, with the latter role potentially his,...
- 5/3/2017
- by Esther Addley
- The Guardian - Film News
Author: Stefan Pape
For actors, all you can hope for are good roles. Whether they be fictional creations, or real life people – it’s that yearning to be challenged artistically which brings about some of the very finest on-screen performances. In Nick Hamm’s The Journey that much is a given, for Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney play Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, respectively.
To mark the release of this drama – which sees the two stuck in a car together for a number of hours, ahead of the eventual, significant moment where peace was finally brought to Northern Ireland after the Troubles, we sat down with the talented duo about the joys in getting their teeth stuck into such nuanced, layered roles.
The pair also discuss the blending of fact and fiction, and Meaney tells us if he knows whether McGuinness had seen the movie before his passing. Meanwhile, we...
For actors, all you can hope for are good roles. Whether they be fictional creations, or real life people – it’s that yearning to be challenged artistically which brings about some of the very finest on-screen performances. In Nick Hamm’s The Journey that much is a given, for Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney play Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, respectively.
To mark the release of this drama – which sees the two stuck in a car together for a number of hours, ahead of the eventual, significant moment where peace was finally brought to Northern Ireland after the Troubles, we sat down with the talented duo about the joys in getting their teeth stuck into such nuanced, layered roles.
The pair also discuss the blending of fact and fiction, and Meaney tells us if he knows whether McGuinness had seen the movie before his passing. Meanwhile, we...
- 5/3/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Author: Hannah Woodhead
The Journey might well be described as a project that’s close to home for director Nick Hamm. He grew up in Belfast, and has chosen to revisit the territory for his eighth feature film, which depicts the relationship between life-long political enemies Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness towards the end of The Troubles in 2006. Taking some poetic license but based in fact, the film imagines a journey the two politicians make from Glasgow to Edinburgh Airport in order to catch a plane, and what they might have discussed along the way.
The premise is a familiar one, likely inspired by Stephen Frears’ The Queen and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, but this time the execution is unfortunately poor, and the film suffers from its meandering pace. It also seems somehow afraid of its source material, tiptoeing around the atrocities that occurred in Northern Ireland...
The Journey might well be described as a project that’s close to home for director Nick Hamm. He grew up in Belfast, and has chosen to revisit the territory for his eighth feature film, which depicts the relationship between life-long political enemies Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness towards the end of The Troubles in 2006. Taking some poetic license but based in fact, the film imagines a journey the two politicians make from Glasgow to Edinburgh Airport in order to catch a plane, and what they might have discussed along the way.
The premise is a familiar one, likely inspired by Stephen Frears’ The Queen and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, but this time the execution is unfortunately poor, and the film suffers from its meandering pace. It also seems somehow afraid of its source material, tiptoeing around the atrocities that occurred in Northern Ireland...
- 5/2/2017
- by Hannah Woodhead
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Northern Irish politicians make an intriguing cinematic pairing, but there are even more fiery duos that film could fictionalise
Nick Hamm’s new film The Journey tells of the decades-long enmity, followed by the highly surprising friendship, between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness as they laboured towards the Anglo-Irish agreement. It slots neatly into a favourite mini-genre of mine, mostly cornered by screenwriter Peter Morgan, who has made half a career of creating dramatic face-offs between real-life figures with diametrically opposed worldviews: Lord Longford and Myra Hindley (Longford); Brian Clough and Don Revie (The Damned United) and James Hunt and Niki Lauda (Rush). Other film-makers have taken up the format, too, in My Week With Marilyn, The King’s Speech and now The Journey.
Related: How Paisley and McGuinness's journey to peace ended at Venice film festival
Continue reading...
Nick Hamm’s new film The Journey tells of the decades-long enmity, followed by the highly surprising friendship, between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness as they laboured towards the Anglo-Irish agreement. It slots neatly into a favourite mini-genre of mine, mostly cornered by screenwriter Peter Morgan, who has made half a career of creating dramatic face-offs between real-life figures with diametrically opposed worldviews: Lord Longford and Myra Hindley (Longford); Brian Clough and Don Revie (The Damned United) and James Hunt and Niki Lauda (Rush). Other film-makers have taken up the format, too, in My Week With Marilyn, The King’s Speech and now The Journey.
Related: How Paisley and McGuinness's journey to peace ended at Venice film festival
Continue reading...
- 5/1/2017
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
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