Um País Dividido

"The Run of the Country" fulfills the early-to-mid-20th Century rural mannerism of class, character, and personal struggle after a series of dashed hopes during a passage of life. Disney's old hero worship lingers well in this flick, which in turns hits that image with reality. How a young man becomes a man happens in many ways and this film portrays the farm lad derivative. Boy lives a sad reality, boy thinks he has found solace from sad reality, sad reality returns the rebuff, boy returns to sad reality, and boy pursues new venture despite the sting of sad reality.

I liked the mode and standing of the storyline to this film, reading like an old novel one would read from the archives or see in a soap opera drama/adventure.

I watched the film like I would any paperback-novel-turned-film but when Victoria Smurfit popped up, I took better notice because I had the sensual hot spot for her since "Ballykissangel" when she replaced my previous interest Dervla Kerwin. The unsung natural beauty was the right filler for Annagh...and call me a pervert for this but to finally see Victoria Smurfit nude after imagining it from only two provocative scenes from "Ballykissangel" fulfilled an old dream, the fulfillment of which gave me reason to pursue viewing the rest of the movie.

Much like "Little House on the Prairie" was in the 70's, this Irish variation of a "Little House" 2-part episode is specifically meant for those with the soft heart for country life and times, good and bad, with the specter of then-modern Ireland working into the fabric of the story.

This is both a coming-of-age movie and a fine picture of how the border between the Irish Republic and the Six Counties, and the ancient animosities of the place, become part of the landscape. There are no green plastic derbies or fuzzy pipecleaner shamrocks in this funny, touching and gritty portrait of a family, a young couple and a nation each torn in two. Finney's police officer is a man who believes in the system even when it clearly doesn't work, not an unknown type on that island, while the quirky, iconoclastic young farmer who takes our lad in hand shows much better than "Sins of the Father" how clever young men with good hearts find places a better world would keep them out of. As for the romance, well, watch the movie. It's very much well worth it. But it's a real world you'll find here, not "Finian's Rainbow," so don't expect to walk away with a cheerful Irish song on your lips.

Near the border of Northern Ireland, an 18 year-old named Danny (Matt Keeslar) leaves home after the death of his mother due to friction with his gruff father, a local cop, (Albert Finney). Danny moves in with his free-spirited friend, Cocoa (Anthony Brophy), and learns the ropes of manhood, including a relationship with a girl from across the border, Annagh (Victoria Smurfit). When crises strike he finally comes to understand some things.

Peter Yates' "The Run of the Country" (1995) is an obscure picture only available on VHS, which isn't relevant in the modern days of streaming. Yet gazillions of people have seen the poster for the movie at a cinema in the 1995 episode of Seinfeld "The Pool Guy" (season 7, episode 8).

This is a realistic coming-of-age drama set in inland Ireland. The acting is effective across the board, especially Finney as the father and Brophy as Danny's wild friend. Simply put, this is quality drama with laughs, romance, conflict, action, crises and gorgeous photography of rural Ireland.

The film runs 1 hour, 49 minutes, and was shot in the Redhills, County Cavan, area of Ireland, near the border of Northern Ireland.

GRADE: B

There is no need to warn people away from "The Run of the Country" because at this point you are not exactly deluged with viewing opportunities. That said there is little reason to track down this film unless you yearn for some nice Irish scenery (including a fair red-haired Irish lass-Victoria Smurfit of "Berkeley Square" fame).

Although directed by Peter Yates, do not expect anything on the level of his "Breaking Away" masterpiece. Shane Connaughton adapted his own novel about characters living near the "artificial" border between the two Irelands. His characters are all contradictions. Teenage Danny (Matt Keeslar) is cold and reserved but given to moments of extreme impulse and passion. His father (Albert Finney) fluctuates between a wise caring philosopher and a nasty frustrated bully. His wild friend Prunty (Anthony Brophy) is a fun-loving free spirit who is secretly a very active member of the IRA. His red-haired Irish girl is the product of a mixed (Catholic-Protestant) marriage and fluctuates between a mature self-possessed young woman and a weak little girl who inexplicably fails to do and say very obvious things that would improve the situation. These contradictions might be effective allegorical elements in the novel but do not translate to believable characters in the context of a film, where there is not adequate time to explore their motivations and complexities.

The production is technically solid and the supporting cast is excellent. Brophy is the best of the leads and Keeslar is worst. If there was a box office reason for casting a handsome American actor as Danny (who was not a pretty boy in the novel), it did not serve them well and it totally alters the basic charm of the core romance.

The scenery is nice, David Kelly (the Irish builder O'Reilly in "Fawlty Towers) is excellent as the local priest, Carole Nimmons is very entertaining as Mrs. Prunty, and there are some funny lines. The weakest parts of the film are the closing scenes, which are soap opera melodrama. Up to this point the film has maintained a generally realistic tone and the resolution comes across as contrived and unlikely (insert disappointing here).

This movie is an example of a movie destroying a beautiful story in an attempt to market it to please everyone. TROTC, the book, was a gorgeous 'boys story' about Danny, journeying from boy to man. The film revolves around his relationships with his best friend, Prunty, and his father. While the father remains intact in the film, Prunty is transformed from a heroic, sexual, powerfully built, deceptively savvy man to a neutered town idiot.

In the novel, the women were in the periphery: Danny's mother is dead in the beginning. His love interest is a bland but beautiful girl from the good side of the tracks. Danny is an awkward, gangley teen with bad skin who has no chance with the beautiful girl, but gets her anyway due to his heart and personality.

The movie switches the roles. Danny, still a great personality but now he looks like a Calvin Klein model. The girl, still a bland personality, but now she is equally bland looking. But she gets Danny. Why? The movie gives no clue.

My guess: the story was changed because the film is now aimed at teenage girls who want to see a plain girl with no personality get the super-hunk. Prunty was neutered so he didn't threaten the girls chances. Why switch the action from the 1950s to 1990s? I guess the target audience couldn't have coped with working their brains.