| Dancing at Lughnasa | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pat O'Connor |
| Screenplay by | Frank McGuinness |
| Based on | Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel |
| Produced by | Noel Pearson |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kenneth MacMillan |
| Edited by | Humphrey Dixon |
| Music by | Bill Whelan |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics (United States) FilmFour Distributors (United Kingdom)[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Countries | Ireland United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,361,632 |
Dancing at Lughnasa is a 1998 Irish-British-American period drama film adapted from the 1990 Brian Friel play Dancing at Lughnasa, directed by Pat O'Connor.
The film competed in the Venice Film Festival of 1998. It won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Female Role by Brid Brennan. It was also nominated for 6 other awards, including the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Feature Film and the Best Actress Award for Meryl Streep.
Cast and characters
- Meryl Streep – Kate Mundy
- Michael Gambon – Father Jack Mundy
- Catherine McCormack – Christina Mundy
- Kathy Burke – Maggie Mundy
- Sophie Thompson – Rose Mundy
- Bríd Brennan – Agnes Mundy
- Rhys Ifans – Gerry Evans
- Darrell Johnston – Michael Mundy
- Lorcan Cranitch – Danny Bradley
- Peter Gowen – Austin Morgan
- Dawn Bradfield – Sophie McLoughlin
- Marie Mullen – Vera McLoughlin
- John Kavanagh – Father Carlin
- Kate O'Toole – Chemist
Reception and awards
Although the film received average reviews (60% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 35 reviews[2]), most critics praised the performances of the entire cast. Janet Maslin, critic of the New York Times said that "Meryl Streep has made many a grand acting gesture in her career, but the way she simply peers out a window in Dancing at Lughnasa ranks with the best. Everything the viewer need know about Kate Mundy, the woman she plays here, is written on that prim, lonely face and its flabbergasted gaze."[3] Peter Travis of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that "a luminous cast reveals long-buried feelings. Meryl Streep finds the expansive soul behind prim schoolteacher Kate. And she is matched by Kathy Burke's bawdy Maggie, Brid Brennan's secretive Agnes, Sophie Thompson's slow-witted Rose and Catherine McCormack's bold Christina, who never married the father of her son."[4]
Kathy Burke received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Drama from the International Press Academy (Satellite Awards).
Mementos from the filming are on display at the St. Connell's Museum in Glenties.
References
- ↑ "Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)". BBFC. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ↑ "Dancing at Lughnasa". Rotten Tomoatoes.
- ↑ Maslin, Janet (13 November 1998). "Movie Review – FILM REVIEW; 5 Unmarried Sisters in Postcard Ireland – NYTimes.com". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Movie Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 November 2008.