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Alan Parker's adaptation of Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt's best-selling memoir of growing up wretchedly poor in Ireland in the '30s and '40s, is respectful, beautifully acted and considerably less bleak than you might expect. The only missing element is McCourt's unique (and simultaneously very Irish) point of view, which turned his recollections of grinding poverty, hunger, disease and humiliation into a series of grimly amusing tales, polished through years of retelling into small gems. But that's almost inevitable when a distinctively written book is turned into a film. The unfortunate thing in this case is that by transforming words into the appearance of concrete reality, McCourt's wry voice is sometimes overwhelmed, leaving nothing but images of dying babies, bitterly damp streets and filthy rooms.
"Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood," says the voice-over that opens Angela's Ashes, reading directly from the book. The director, Alan Parker, is known to be a meticulous craftsman. Here, Parker fashions a section of Limerick Ireland, where the rain pours down incessantly and there is mud everywhere. The only time the skies seem to clear is on the night of a total lunar eclipse, and then they do so only briefly. If the sun ever shines during the course of this film, it's a rare occasion. Parker refuses to romanticize any aspect of the setting - this movie takes place in a dirty, grimy world where chamber pots have to be emptied and cleanliness is an afterthought.
Being based on the memoirs of McCourt, Angela's Ashes is told from his perspective. While the voice-over narration tends to ramble on a little too long, it stops short of becoming intrusive or annoying primarily because McCourt's musings tend to be wry, bringing out elements of understated humor. The film follows roughly 10 years of Frank's life, beginning when he's five years old (going on six), and ending some time shortly after his 16th birthday. During the course of the movie, three different actors play him, Joe Breen (the young Frank), Ciaran Owens (the middle Frank) and Michael Legge (the older Frank). Parker effectively handles both of the transitions between leads. Breen, Owens and Legge are all capable performers, with their physical appearances being similar enough that the changes are not jarring.
Angela's Ashes opens in 1935 Brooklyn, where Frank's family is struggling to ward off poverty and disease. Frank's father, Malachy McCourt (Robert Carlyle), is unemployed and his mother, Angela (Emily Watson), has just given birth to a baby girl - the fifth child in the family. However, the new addition doesn't live long, and after her death, the family decides to return to Ireland. As Frank points out in his voiceover, "We must be the only family in Irish history to say goodbye to the Statue of Liberty." As it turns out, things are even worse across the Atlantic. The house into which Frank's family moves is damp, and due to its proximity to the community's privy, there's a permanent stench. When it rains, which is almost all the time, the first floor floods. In quick succession, Frank's two youngest brothers fall ill and die.
Meanwhile, every scrap of money that Malachy earns goes to buying a pint or two at the pub. He comes home drunk at night, sleeps wherever he falls down, and then spends his days in a fruitless search for a new job. Through all of this, Frank faces the usual traumas of youth: coping with bigotry (Malachy is from Protestant-dominated North Ireland), facing peer pressure and enduring the necessary Catholic rites of passage.
One refreshing aspect of Ashes is that the family is not dysfunctional. All too often in movies that deal with the economically impoverished, family life is depicted as something horrific, filled with abuse and neglect. Here, however, while human frailties create some tension, there is also a great deal of affection. Angela loves her husband and children and will do almost anything for them. And, while Frank does not idolize Malachy, he loves and respects him in spite of his failings.
Angela's Ashesis a film of moments and incidents, forming the collage of Frank's life when they have been pieced together. Some are particularly memorable. During his First Communion, Frank chokes on the host. Later, he throws up outside his grandmother's house, and she exclaims in horror, "I have God in my backyard!" She then marches Frank to the church and has him enter the confessional to seek a penance for what he has just done.
Despite having first billing, Emily Watson plays a supporting character. This is Frank's story. His mother occupies a critical role, but she is rarely the focal point of the tale. Watson, one of the best actresses of her generation, understands this and thus never moves to steal a scene or upstage any of her co-stars. Her performance is quiet, subdued and powerful. Like Watson, Robert Carlyle does not seek the spotlight. His part is that of the flawed-but-loving father who cares for his family, but, at the same time, carries a great burden of guilt.
As is true of nearly every movie to be released in North America during the month of December, Angela's Ashes clocks in at well over the two-hour mark, but in contrast to many of the others, this film seems to be about the right length. The story is consistently involving, so the proceedings do not drag. We become entwined in Frank's life and view each new struggle with ever-growing interest. Nothing that he does is extraordinary, but, because of his courage and perseverance, he is a hero in the truest sense of the word.
There are times when he (like many children) does reprehensible things, but these are more than counterbalanced by acts of courage and nobility. Frank is a real character with genuine failings and dreams, and one undeniable goal: to return to America, "where no one has bad teeth and every man has a lavatory." That idealized description of the United States, which concentrates on simple details rather than great treasures, points out what kind of person Frank McCourt is, and why watching his story makes for a worthwhile experience
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