SYNOPSICS
Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) is a English movie. Aisling Walsh has directed this movie. Aidan Quinn,Iain Glen,Marc Warren,Dudley Sutton are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2003. Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) is considered one of the best Drama,History movie in India and around the world.
In 1939 William Franklin, an anti-Franco veteran of the bloody Spanish Civil War, arrives as first-ever lay teacher in a strict Catholic Reformatory and Industrial School for wayward boys. He soon learns the academic challenge is formidable, many boys being still illiterate, but gradually earns their trust, respect, in time almost devotion, with 'paternal' kindness, making the layman the opposite of the cruel prefect, brother John, who frequently administers painful and humiliating punishments, even the gentle, old superior Father Damian has no authority against his disciplinary mandate from the grim bishop Conlon. Slowly even class rebel Liam Mercier is turned around, trough his gift for literature. After Franklin dares stop the sadist's penny-weighted strap severely striking 'sinful scum' for a futility, the whole dorm is treated to an icy night outdoors, arms outstretched wearing only shorts. Brother Mac's mind may mean to educate well, his flesh is too weak for celibacy, so the ...
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Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) Reviews
A great film made brilliant by the sheer power of acting
A great film made brilliant by the sheer power of acting. I have never experienced anything quite like it. We have here a film, a story, so convincingly told that something inside me wishes it were not true and that the abuse of authority that this film exposes does not still exist in the political and religious leaders of toady. The story is that of Franklin, a teacher in an Irish reformatory school who takes up the cause of the ill treated and neglected children being brutalised by Brother John, a rising star in the catholic church hierarchy, with the tacit approval of the other brothers, each labouring over their own guilty secrets. Of course the story is a harrowing one, and does not spare the viewers feelings, at times I wondered why I was putting myself through this gruelling history lesson, but than I knew, that guiding me through the film, like a guardian angel, is the consumate acting of absoutly all the cast. I knew they would see me through. Aidan Quinn and Iain Glen are magnificently convincing both giving the best perfprmances of their careers to date. The young boys are all wonderful in their roles. Their acting is pure realism, such mature performances from young teenagers are a glowing tribute to the directing of Aisling Walsh
Rattling and shocking.
Late last night I was watching Foxtel and I came across Song For A Raggy Boy. This movie shook me so hard that I could cry at the drop of a hat. I have no idea why this movie would rattle me more than most other movies I have seen recently - there are far more graphic and shocking movies than this. But the cruelty of the violence coupled with the students' passion and hope (as well as the inspiring school teacher) left me to turn off the TV and sit in complete darkness for what felt like hours, literally trembling. Also, as a result, I shall forever look upon Ian Glen as The Sadist Headmaster Who Thrashed The Kids Senseless. He was almost TOO good in this role. Aidan Quinn, however, has proved himself once again to be a fine actor, worthy of much more acclaim than he has received. He's not an A-lister, by any means, but he has an art, an impeccably developed craft. He blew me away in Two Of Us and...well, if I wore a hat, i'd take it off to you.
Men may cry.
An outstanding film from Ireland that is playing to strongly moved and even angry audiences in many parts of Europe as well as competing at the box office in its own territory favourably with such more obviously commercial movies as Intermission and Veronica Guerin. It has won either jury or audience awards at Ghent, Copenhagen, Cherbourg and Slovenia festivals. It tackles the tough and difficult-to-film subject of child abuse and manages to uplift your emotions before devestating and dashing them. All the performances, particularly those from Iain Glen as the sadist priest Brother John and from John Travers as the lead boy Mercier are outstanding and achieving widespread recognition, and many people think this is Aidan Quinn's best role ever. Skillfully and humanely handled by director Aisling Walsh, the film has more conviction than others in its family of films such as The Magdalene Sisters or Conspiracy of Silence and deserves to be seen anywhere it hasn't yet received a distribution. Anyone still interested in honest, highly moving drama or anyone whose youth was not a bed of roses will appreciate this film. An unusual film in that, just possibly, men may cry at it.
A very powerful, moving film that sees the humanity in all of us.
Saw this at Tribeca Film Festival and was genuinely moved by the power and passion of the story, the acting and above all the directing. The filmmakers took care to show each person as a combination of good and bad.The casting of the kids was outright fabulous. Aidan Quinn was born to play this part and brings to his acting a deepfelt conviction of righting certain wrongs with tremendous power and feeling.
Powerful movie
I watched this movie with tears in my eyes. No other movie until know was able to make me feel such pain almost physical just from watching the story that unfolds on the screen. With risk to repeat myself I must note that this was probably the hardest movie to watch from all I have seen until the moment. I made few notes when it started there were about the interesting characters, the song of Libera I noticed but now I can not really write about that. Shocking, painful, cruel, realistic to the core I can go on like this for a long time. The fact that "Song for a raggy boy" is based on a true story contributes to the powerful effect this movie has on its viewers. The acting is quite good as well so good that I felt like I knew some of the characters in person. The young actors were really convincing and I felt Delaney and Mercier almost like my friends. But let me tell you a bit more about the movie it is set in a reformatory school run by the catholic church as it often happens the boys who are send there find anything , but help and support instead they are beaten and abused mentally and physically ( some even sexually ) from the priests. One of them Brother John is in charge of discipline here is the line with which he tells the new teacher for the kind of job he is expected to do: "The creatures you are going to teach are not to be confused with intelligent human beings." Only this line itself was enough for me to imagine the horrible manner in which the boys are treated. The new teacher however tried to change all that and as the story unfolds I began to really like him he was strict, but at the same time caring with the boys he taught. Brother John becomes his enemy almost from the very beginning and after failing to persuade the superior at the institution to dismiss the new teacher he directs his anger to the school pupils. You will have to watch the movie to find out how it all ends This movie gets 10 out of 10 for me since it is sure one of the best ones I have ever watched. Similar movies: Sleepers, Dead Poets Society