Unfortunately we come to The Field. Based on the play by John B. Keane Sheridan made this film directly after My Left Foot. Sheridan changed most of the minor characters with the exception of Bull McCabe (Richard Harris), his son Tadhg (Sean Bean, comically miscast) and Bird O’Donnell (John Hurt). The widow (Frances Tomelty), who owns the field, has been changed from elderly to a younger woman. The Galway man of the play who had lived in England and was now an outsider had now become The Yank (Tom Berenger). The Field tells the story of an auction over a piece of land that Bull McCabe and his son Tadhg work. They do not own as it belongs to the widow, but have been renting it. The Widow has decided to auction it over Bull McCabe’s protests. Believing it to be his, Bull intimidates the town sufficiently to believe the auction will be fixed for him to buy the land. He does not count on civilisation and progress arriving into the town in the form of The Yank. He has plans for concrete and electricity and endlessly deep pockets. The stage is set for a grand Act III showdown.
The Field wants to be big and dramatic and about IDEAS and it is. Harris was Oscar nominated but his performance is Job via Shakespeare and it unbalances the film. Sean Bean, who does not have many lines in the film tries his best but his accent(s) in the film and discomfort in the role are painfully obvious. Hurt is fine as Hurt is always fine. Fricker has very little to do. In fact none of the women have. This is a film dripping in testosterone, women are not to be trusted. Goodness knows what the Traveller community makes of it (though I can guess) with the ‘tinkers’ consisting of drunks constantly fighting, with promiscuous daughters and filthy kids.
There are some fascinating ideas in here about the famine, the role of the Church and suicide. But they are drowned in heavy symbolism and just in case you didn’t get it symbolically plenty of tedious exposition. There are some scenes, particular in the excruciatingly heavy handed third act that are supposed to be dramatic but are so big as to bring laughter at the absurdity of how serious it is trying to be. Animals rain down from a cliff and it calls to mind the attack on the castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (run away!). Sadly The Field is a real misfire, Sheridan has done much better work than this.
The Field
52 CinÉireann / December 2017