Far and Away :: essays research papers

Far and Away fades in with a slow fly- everywhere solidus of a crashing Atlantic Ocean on a partly rejoicing day, off the coast of what could not be mistaken for anywhere yet Ireland. The wide-angled overhead relates, and the film title emerges as the tv camera lifts up and over the craggy cliffs and shoreline of rural Ireland our sense of place reinforced by a backing of cheery Celtic flute music. The opening credits continue to roll as the camera glides over a lush green, unsmooth landscape, accented by late afternoon silhouettes of the partial cloud cover, and peradventure best described by Carolyn James in her review as picturesque in the manner of an Irish Spring soap mercenary. Gradually, what we assume to be a late 19th century Irish village comes into view, characterized by a handful of rudimentary stone buildings, limit carriage roads, and stone walls. The camera view switches to brief shot of the highway level in the village, the music replaced by the bustle of th e everyday activities of the townspeople, forwards taking us into the topical anesthetic pub. It should be noted here that from passageway level, this village does not much resemble the romantic vision of the aforesaid(prenominal) village provided by the aerial shot. Even in such a short shot, the village appears more urban than it probably should, and if not for the instinctive light, would not differ greatly from the scenes of urban Boston later in the film.It is in the pub that we first meet Josephs father (Joe) and a friend (McGuire) who appear to be perpetuating stereotypes by sharing a salute (or two) in the middle of the day and singing a favourite intoxication refrain before being summoned to the street by a local to protest the arrival of a rent collecting protestant landlord. The camera scrambles to follow the protest out into the street as the villagers yell and oblige debris at the landlords carriage and horses. Here the early comedic invertebrate foot of the fi lm is set as the scene essentially stops to spare Joe to blurt out a semi-drunken slurred barb toward the landlord, to which McGuire responds with a modest smile and a sarcastic You told him type response. The protest resumes (or, at to the lowest degree the film refocuses on the protest), and in the chaos of the landlord trying to escape the villagers, his horses and/or carriage knock over some sort of infrastructure (it is rather unclear what actually happens here) which falls on, and injuries Joe gravely.