Ireland at that time meant such a desperately hard life for most back then, and was long before the so called famine! a designer famine at best. A horrific times that no movie that accurately reflected that could be bearable to watch for entertainment purposes.
The directors at least did not try and make it for Hollywood.
Hard to imagine the context today, think life and choices back then would be not too different to somewhere like Iraq now, where a land so devastated after years of war, the structures and culture and community destroyed and divisions encouraged through ignorance and base sectarianism encouraged by design to benefit the few, who controlled all the assets and laws by virtue of overpowering military forces.
I read recently about hundreds of women some or most of who became prostitutes, living among the furze (gorse shrub) on the curragh plains, referred to as wrens living in nests around the british army bases, known as wrens, not even considered human! In the supposed good old days of the supposed Great british empire!
Dublin the Monto was the same, a depraved and destitute red light district, and made that way by design of the british empire, and so were the infamous workhouses and industrial schools and the infamous laundries - none of which were originally Roman Catholic or Irish institutions.
All of which were Anglican and of British Victorian empire in origin
Back to the movie.
The main character being native Irish speaking ex british army was unfortunately a very real and very common reality of the time, many if not the vast majority in the curragh would have been Irish or that other lower life form in the supposed united kingdom the Scot.
People wonder why so many Irish joined the British army, natives Irish Gaels, were btw even joining up to Cromwell's depleted by disease army in the west and had been volunteering to fight for centuries before in Norman armies! simple to understand really!
Just smash the community beat them up and let them know what will happen to them via terror, british justice hangings were by the hundreds on a monthly basis in Ireland even at this time not that long ago. Transportations to Americas before and at this time to Australia to populate new lands stolen.
So smash them and threaten them, then take away most all their rights and hopes and mutual dependence something once integral of the native Gaels of Ireland and Scotland, and make them subsistent and most all will soon be in a queue to join a police force or army of who ever to feed themselves and their family.
People ask the same of the Jews who became victims en-masse of evil across much of Europe during and before WW2, wonder how could they just stand there or why didn't they run or fight
etc..
How naïve of the reality of all human kind.
Only the complete nonsense and myths has the likes of ex colonial nations and more than a few slightly deranged ones today, who have encouraged their people to imagine themselves above that reality, imagine themselves as better more brave and full of heroes.
People in Britain or lets say England must have not been told that real history has seen their own ancestors enslaved in one form or another until recent times. Romans ruled most of it for near 5 centuries and be quiet and gentle as you tell them how the French Normans ruled them for several centuries, and that all their ancestors were once Roman Catholics also, even if just nominally so, and that the industrial revolution did away with formal slavery because all our ancestors became a resource.
Today we are so lucky, we would not survive a month in their reality.
Potential spoiler so don't read if planning to watch
back to the movie remined me of Irish tv series from the 1970's, a black and white slightly depressing air, but thought overall a good movie.
As to have a winning Hollywood hero figure would mislead, or not to make it stark or not to include the numerous willing uncle toms and pathetic desperate, would be more myth making.
Obviously will not appeal to those who like blockbusters, or to those who like history it will disappoint there, but it might make a few think a little. However the sights of apathetic people in rags will likely only reinforce the most ignorant!
Hard to accept reality that many in Britain don't even know the Irish have their own language, the most ignorant think it must be a bad form a hybrid of English.
Very impressed with the Aussie main actor who learned enough Irish and horse skills to get the part.
