Stella Days

I came to Stella Days because it was filmed in Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ireland - my Father's birthplace. And because I loved Martin Sheen in The West Wing. In this little film (or fillum as they say in Ireland) Sheen plays a jaded Roman Catholic Priest, perhaps an older version of the Type played by Bing Crosbie back in the day. But this is. Much more serious film than the initial whimsy might suggest, meditating on the struggle between the Church and Ireland's fledging democracy. And perhaps darker still, the manner in which the main character came to be a priest in the first place - as a 12 year old he had no choice when sent to the Seminary.

There is serious stuff here. The film also shows Ireland in the 1950s, a time when my parents were growing up. It is also filmed in Fethard which is where my partner and I watched it for the second time having spent the evening in the wonderful McCarthy's Hotel which features considerably in the proceedings. Maybe I'm slightly biased, but I think this film is a treasure, and would gladly watch over again.

My Review "Stella Days " My Rating 8.5 /10. Streaming on Prime

I really appreciate a friend on Terryard for recommending this fine Irish film from 2011 as it certainly went under my radar The film had special resonance with me for a number of reasons my Dad was a local suburban film projectionist in the mid 1950's and my early education was in the Roman Catholic school system of that era which I'm sure and hope is less fear based and less doctrinal today than back then when young children were taught to be Godfearing and compliant to church teachings .He used to put in special screenings for the nuns only select titles of course like The Bells of St Mary's or Going My Way .

This is a delightful 2011 film with a lot of substance as well as nostalgia by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and starring Martin Sheen as a Roman Catholic priest in rural Irelandduring the mid-1950s.

The film is based on the book Stella Days: The Life and Times of a Rural Irish Cinema, written by Michael Doorley, which concerns the true story of how a small cinema came into being in the town of Borrisokane in County Tipperary. Filming took place in the town of Fethard rather than Borrisokane.

Lead actor Martin Sheen's mother was born in Borrisokane, County Tipperary, and it was during a family reunion in memory of her that Sheen was gifted with a copy of the book the film is based on.

Martin Sheen gives another one of his fine characterisations as Father Daniel Barry a dedicated and progressive Priest with more academic qualifications for his local Bishops liking Bishop Hegarty played by Tom Hickey regards any introduction to American Film culture as not suitable or necessary for the little Irish hamlet that is just coming to terms with the connection of electricity. Father Daniel is hoping to return to Rome to complete his studies but the Bishop wants him to stay and raise funds for a new church . At first The Bishop is furious that Father Daniel wants to promote the evils of Hollywood and the outside world by opening a Picture Show Cinema named "The Stella "after the celestial Star . Bishop Hegarty goes to great lengths to publish a fire and brimstone sermon highlighting the evils of Hollywood movies the lust and the crime .

This plays right into the hands of Father Daniel's adversary miserable mealy mouthed Mayor Brendan McSweeney (Stephen Rea) and sets up the conflict of interests However when it's apparent that Father Daniel's project has the potential to become a much bigger fundraiser than was expected Bishop Hegarty has to reconsider his strategy. There's a hilarious scene when the Bishop walks in to "The Stella" during a test run for the new projector when a sample film clip is being shown of the famous beach love scene from "Here to Eternity" He hauls the Father Daniel over the coals telling him that The Holy Church must retain its power and influence over the people of the village but raising funds to build the new Church is most important.

The Production team headed by Production Designer Anna Rackard ,Art Director Aeveen Fleming and Costume Designer Judith Williams are to be applauded for the sets ,costumes and props used to give an authenticity to the era and the general feel of this movie.

The script by Antoine O. Flatharta an Irish playwright and Screenwriter has done justice to the original memoir by Michael Doorley and written an intelligent script that in the wrong hands could have been schmaltzy and over sentimental story telling .

The film not only depicts a time in Ireland long before their breakthrough and historic Same Sex Marriage Equality Vote in 2015. As Bishop Hegarty says "Mother Church mustn't lose its influence and control over the people of Ireland thank God it has.

The film also depicts the power of men over their wives when women had little choice but obey even at the cost of physical abuse by a drunken husband and the Church would just stand by the man telling the woman to obey. The movie also shows the plight of many young men in their early teens or younger that were recruited to the Priesthood without any life experience leaving their families behind to boast that their son had a calling to God and had joined the seminary.

This film was a real delight for this movie goer and it's a great companion movie to the 2002 Irish movie "The Magdalene Sisters " and the wonderful 2013 film "Philomena" starring Dame Judi Dench thank you Denise for recommending it.

Father Daniel Barry (Martin Sheen) hopes to enlighten the masses by opening a movie theatre. It's a '50s small town Ireland where traditions are still paramount. The bishop is eager to built churches, and he's against the immorality of Hollywood. Money is tight, and the collection plate is light.

Martin Sheen's presence is all that's holding up this movie. Stephen Rea plays the bad guy who opposes the theatre for its immorality. There are a few stories about the townfolks. The characters are all rather meek and the actors relatively pedestrian.

If the movie theatre is the driving force, then its climax is utterly underwhelming. I won't spoil it, but it's not much of a climax. Of all the characters/stories/scenes, the most memorable is the old woman who ask Father Barry to bless her electricity. The questions she asked are so poignant, and Martin Sheen's interaction with her is incredible. If the rest of the movie was just as good, then this would be amazing. But it's not and the movie crawl along to a whisper of an ending.

The main character,played by Martin Sheen ,is the most interesting;too bad they focused on his passion for cinema and his will to have a movie theater ,in spite of the well-meanings from his flock .The question of his faith is much more important:when the old lady passes away ,he realizes that she was not a true believer ,and flashbacks about the priest's childhood show that he did not feel a vocation for priesthood (he tells it so:"God never called me" ).It was his mother's dream (and selfishness),not his.

But this side of the priest (which is ,all in all,essential) is too underwritten .The other parts are cardboard ,particularly Stephen Rea's grumpy notable.The young teacher is more endearing but his affair with his (married with a kid) landlady is quite derivative ,even if he compares her to Jane Wyman in " All that heaven allows" -thus we learn that the story takes place after 1955,whereas the hints at Rex Ingram's "four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" and " The prisoner of Zenda" ,could make us believe the action happened much earlier.(though they were remade later)

Besides ,the choice (by chance?) of "from here to eternity" ( 1953) is not what you call a smart one to test the equipment;and it includes the famous scene when Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr (mistaken for Liz Taylor!) have an adulterous relationship at that! See it for Martin Sheen's moments of doubt and fear.

Two stars. This story was a profane look at the Catholic Church. It contained unnecessary language and sexual content, both of which indicate to me a lack of imagination on the part of the writers. There were no virtuous messages gained from this movie. Pictures in the 30s and 40s were able to be captivating without language or sex. Why do modern writers and producers lack the ability to present a story without salacious content. As I was always told, when a person uses vulgarity or obscenity to express themselves, it is an indication that they lack the ability to communicate intelligently.

The priest has no biblical Christian values to share with the audience. Martin Sheen is supposedly a Roman Catholic in real life. He makes the priesthood look like nothing more than a new-age, "god within you" sort of role. He overlooks and actually condones the sexual immorality of a parishioner, and sides with the adulterers as if they are the heroes of the story. The movie uses profanity that I know was not common in the 1950s. Just overall a lackluster, meaningless movie.