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Amazon.co.uk Review
Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, this gripping drama by Ken Loach (Raining Stones) is set during the early days of the Irish Republican Army, when British occupation of the Irish radicalised many a citizen and caused some to take up arms. Cillian Murphy plays Damien, a medical student on his way to London when he witnesses a couple of atrocities committed by British troops. Instead of becoming a doctor, he turns into a leading and respected figure in an IRA division led by his brother, Teddy (Padraic Delaney). The film provides some fascinating historical insight into the nascent resistance movement as it was in 1920, and Loach brilliantly conveys the profound emotional transition young men had to make to become saboteurs and killers. Loach's realistic style is absolutely mesmerizing, with many scenes built around the dynamics of large groups: contentious meetings, torture sessions, battles, celebrations, and the like. One has the sense of history as a pool of energy, and one also develops a kind of Renoir-esque appreciation for the fact that different people on opposing sides of a life-or-death issue have their reasons for believing what they believe. As the story moves along, subtle shifts in the perspectives of men and women who had once agreed to be absolute in their fight for freedom results in a tragic yet understandable schism among Irish patriots. The final half-hour of The Wind That Shakes The Barley says a lot about how the Irish, including people who had known one another all their lives, turned their wrath on one another for so many decades. This is an outstanding film, featuring the best performance yet by Murphy (Red Eye). --Tom Keogh
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Some reviewers seem to have missed the point. Ken Loach doesn't make Hollywood-style "history for popcorn-munchers" entertainment. He assumes a basic knowledge of the period in question, and then explores specific political questions. If anyone saw "Land and Freedom" before "Barley", they would not be at all suprised that Loach chose to focus on the tensions/contradictions between the fight for self-determination on the one hand, and the kind of state those fighters were aiming for. This scenario is expressed by the relationship between Damian (an advocate of Joseph Connolly's Marxist vision of a workers' republic) and his brother, who (for lack of a broader political vision) sees himself as more of a realist, dealing with the "here and now". It is no accident that the relationships between Damian/Roy and Damian/Sinead are given such prominence. Some reviewers have criticised the acting: Loach famously encourages improvisation, and often uses "imperfect" takes in his final cut, precisely in order to convey the message that history is not all heroic poses and sweeping soundtracks. The same goes for the action scenes: anyone with experience of armed conflict knows that military engagements can very often be confused, random and inconsequential (i.e. not always like Peter O'Toole charging forward on his camel). All in all, I found the film to be intelligent, insightful, very moving, and therefore an excellent piece of cinema.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This movie's central story is of two brothers on diverging political paths. Ken Loach presents us with a snap shot of the early days of the Irish freedom struggle in 1920 which casts forward the suggestion that any compromise with Britain is a betrayal.
As the British mercineries `Black and Tans' torture and murder their way through the Irish countryside two brothers (Cillian Murphy P.Delaney) are forced to join the IRA reluctantly.
As the story goes on Loach expertly shows us both sides of the conflict. He suggests that the British army were murderous in Ireland due to the 4 years of hell they suffered during WW1.
He also shows us the motives of the Irish IRA volunteers: "I studied Medicine for 5 years," says Cillian Murphy who puts aside dreams of becoming a doctor to fight for the cause. "Then I shoot a man; I hope that what we're fighting for is worth it."
This is Loach back to his Land and Freedom best; he is not the anti-Brit that some critics maintained. He is just playing his own brand of the patriot game.Highly recommended.
As the British mercineries `Black and Tans' torture and murder their way through the Irish countryside two brothers (Cillian Murphy P.Delaney) are forced to join the IRA reluctantly.
As the story goes on Loach expertly shows us both sides of the conflict. He suggests that the British army were murderous in Ireland due to the 4 years of hell they suffered during WW1.
He also shows us the motives of the Irish IRA volunteers: "I studied Medicine for 5 years," says Cillian Murphy who puts aside dreams of becoming a doctor to fight for the cause. "Then I shoot a man; I hope that what we're fighting for is worth it."
This is Loach back to his Land and Freedom best; he is not the anti-Brit that some critics maintained. He is just playing his own brand of the patriot game.Highly recommended.
35 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Winner of the Palme D'or in 2006 at Cannes, "Barley" is Ken Loach's biggest box office success so far. As far as I know, this is the first Irish film winning the award. When it comes to filmmaking, Loach has a keen sense of realism, naturalism and social awareness. All these elements mix with his strong instinct for time and place, and the result: subtle and intense pictures letting the volatility, misery and pain arise naturally from the harrowing and overwhelming situations.
"Barley" is a beautiful film, an epitome of sharp & powerful docu-drama providing valuable background information especially for those who do not any snippet of idea about the happenings in early 1920s Ireland - Irish people's struggle for independence and origins of the IRA.
Some viewers claim that Loach, due to his radical political stance, distorts historical facts and shows British "Black and Tans" as a stereotypical, bloodthirsty thugs. I don't want to participate in the polemics of whether the film portrays the incidents truly or not - atrocities committed by British forces against civilians, fellow revolutionary's division into factions before Anglo-Irish Treaty and their ideological disputes giving rise to bloody Irish Civil War. This is historian's job.
The truth is that Loach's melodramatic attempt of using two Irish brothers who are at odds with one another to stir up drama proves to be a good formula here. This greatly adds to the watchability of movie. It shows the dark side of war, people's ordeal and how clash of political principles as well as rupture of human values and bonds pit brother against brother.
Lastly, visually the movie is a feast to eyes - from idyllic backdrops of Irish countryside to gloomy dankness of a prison cell, every scene is shot beautifully. For those who like docu-dramas and Ken Loach type of social realism, "Barley" is a must-see.
"Barley" is a beautiful film, an epitome of sharp & powerful docu-drama providing valuable background information especially for those who do not any snippet of idea about the happenings in early 1920s Ireland - Irish people's struggle for independence and origins of the IRA.
Some viewers claim that Loach, due to his radical political stance, distorts historical facts and shows British "Black and Tans" as a stereotypical, bloodthirsty thugs. I don't want to participate in the polemics of whether the film portrays the incidents truly or not - atrocities committed by British forces against civilians, fellow revolutionary's division into factions before Anglo-Irish Treaty and their ideological disputes giving rise to bloody Irish Civil War. This is historian's job.
The truth is that Loach's melodramatic attempt of using two Irish brothers who are at odds with one another to stir up drama proves to be a good formula here. This greatly adds to the watchability of movie. It shows the dark side of war, people's ordeal and how clash of political principles as well as rupture of human values and bonds pit brother against brother.
Lastly, visually the movie is a feast to eyes - from idyllic backdrops of Irish countryside to gloomy dankness of a prison cell, every scene is shot beautifully. For those who like docu-dramas and Ken Loach type of social realism, "Barley" is a must-see.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
wind that shakes the barley dvd
Amazing, fantastic, engrossing, poignant, sad, brilliant film! All our family enjoyed it thoroughly. I cried buckets at the end, but would highly recommend the dvd.
Published 3 months ago by CAROL
An illustration of one of the bloody conflicts in Ireland
I saw the movie recently and was shaken by the situations presented in it.
Despite the fact that one of the historians who have published books on Irish history, namely... Read more
Despite the fact that one of the historians who have published books on Irish history, namely... Read more
Published 5 months ago by archibaldb
Wind that Shakes the Barley - Review
The storyline is not an enjoyable one, but based on truth and seeing this production made you feel ashamed of the English actions at that time. Read more
Published 5 months ago by DawnRosa
The wind that shakes the barley
Great Irish based film, very interesting watching for historical reasons.
It was recommended to me by an Irish friend and i'm so glad i have now seen it x
It was recommended to me by an Irish friend and i'm so glad i have now seen it x
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. K. E. M. Logue
Do not over look this Masterpiece
As a big fan of films, and a keen interest in Irish history I was really looking forward to watching this film. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Connor Pinkney
A Moving Movie
This movie was so good, and I am particular about rating or recommending films. It was also sad, as you get to know the people (and the Irish landscapes are beautiful), families... Read more
Published 7 months ago by rebjaynes
Pure fiction
I found this a totally biased film. The Soldiers were made out to be tyrants and every one else holier than though.
More like IRA propaganda than anything else.
More like IRA propaganda than anything else.
Published 8 months ago by J. Fletcher
Excellent watch, WARNING: you will need a sofa to hide behind!!
Excellent film! It has a definate Irish point of view into the history of Ireland.
The acting was great, the story was emotional and learnt a lot from it! Read more
The acting was great, the story was emotional and learnt a lot from it! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lucy H
Quality Concern
As always with Amazon the delivery time was excellent, however I have a real concern over the quality of the DVD, both picture and sound where of a very poor quality and has left... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Johnny Mac
...harder still to bear the shame of foreign chains around us.
The Wind That Shakes The Barley is essentially a dramatised potted history set during a pivotal few months from 1920 during the Irish War of Independence until Partition and the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by All of them Witches
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