Movie Description
Sent to live with her grandparents in a quaint coastal Irish town, 10-year-old Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is fascinated by the village's rich folk culture--especially the local myths about a half-human, half-seal creature known as a selkie. Fiona becomes convinced that her supposedly deceased little brother is living with the selkies, and she travels to the beautiful, enchanted island of Roan Inish, where her grandparents once lived, to confirm her suspicions.
Based on the book SECRET OF RON MOR SKERRY by Rosalie K. Fry, the film is the first John Sayles picture shot outside the United States. Although the magical realism of the film may seem like a departure for Sayles, who is known for gritty slice-of-life dramas, he has covered fantastic elements before (BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET), and has dealt extensively with the theme of returning to one's roots (BABY IT'S YOU, RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN, and PASSION FISH). The film will particularly appeal to children and adults who grew up listening to stories rather than watching them on television, and the special effects--including a magical transformation of a seal into a woman--are meant to replicate the imagination of a rural child unfamiliar with the excesses of mass media. With its gorgeous photography and perfectly paced storytelling, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH stands as one of the finest folklore-based films ever made.
| Credits | | Producer: | Maggie Renzi | | Cast: | Cillian Byrne, John Lynch |
| Details | | Edition: | Closed Captioned; Multiple Languages | | Sound: | Surround Sound |
Notes
DVD Features
Region 1 Encoding
Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Sayles
Cast/Crew Biographies
Trailer, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH was shown at the 1994 San Francisco International Film Festival.
Filmed on location in County Donegal, Ireland.
Maggie Renzi, director John Sayles's longtime partner and producer, had read the story as a child. She brought the story to Sayles's attention, suggesting that there were not enough intelligent films for children.
"The original story was set in Scotland, but I knew that myth from a similar Irish story. I'm much more versed in Irish literature and culture, so I knew I would only have to do half the research if I made it Irish."--Sayles to Kenneth M. Chanko of the Boston Globe (February 19, 1995)
The film marks the first screen appearances of Jeni Courtney (Fiona), Richard Sheridan (Eamon), and Cillian Byrne (Jamie).
When Sayles's crew first arrived in northwest coast of County Donegal in Ireland, they had to dispel a rumor that they were Mormons intent on stealing the town's children.
For some of the flashback sequences, Sayles didn’t use cuts or dissolves; instead, he panned to a different scene, so as to emphasize the connection between the past and the present.
The film grossed $6.1 million domestically.
Editorial Reviews
"...The film is a pleasure to look at and listen to, graced with a lilting, folk-based musical score....[Sayles] draws strong, sinewy performances from his cast..."
Kemp
"...Casts its intoxicating spell slowly, exuding warmth like a crackling [fire]..." - Recommended
Webster
"...[ROAN INISH is] as big as a thimble and as evanescent as Tinker Bell. You'll clap if you believe." -- Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (02/10/1995)
"...Pleasant....[Courtney is] an attractive and convincingly resourceful heroine..."
Variety - Dennis Harvey (05/09/1994)
"...A touching cinematic meditation on people, familial roots and the myths that sustain them..."
New York Times - Stephen Holden (02/03/1995)
"...It is a crackling good tale with a sense of wonder and mystery strong enough to captivate any age group..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (02/03/1995)
"...John Sayles and Haskell Wexler, who has photographed the movie with great beauty and precision, have ennobled the material..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (03/03/1995)
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