Poitín

  • 120分钟
  • Poitínwastherecipientofthefirstscript… Poitínwastherecipientofthefirstscriptgrantfromthenewly-formedArtsCouncil.ThelegitimacythatsuchagrantmightbestowwasquicklydispelledwhenPoitínwascompletedintimetobeairedonSt.Patrick'sDay,1979.TheIrishpublicwasoutraged,andcallstobanthefilmrangout.Thereasonsforthiskindofagitationarenothardtosee:Quinn'staleofahermeticdistillerpaintsapictureoftheWestofIrelandutterlyopposedtoconventionalromanticnotionsofthearea(henotes,inFilmIreland,thathemadethefilmasaresponsetoTheQuietMan).QuinnhereseekstoexposetheelementsoftheCelticidentitythataremostunappealingtothebourgeois/EuropeanisedsectorofIrishsociety.However,Quinngoesoutofhiswaytoavoidromanticisingthisexistence,showingittobedefinedbyalienationandfrustration. ThestoryfocusesaroundPoitín,anincrediblystrongIrishliquor(roughlyequivalent,culturallyandalcoholically,tomoonshine).CyrilCusackplaysanolddistillerwholivesontheConnemaraislandswithhisgrowndaughter(MairéadNíConghaile)andemploystwooutcaststosellthestuff.Whenabunchoftheliquorentrustedtothesellingagentsisseizedbythepolice,thetwostealitbackandsellitoff,gettingdrunkontheproceeds.Whentheygetthrownoutofthepubwheretheyhadbeensloshingthemselvesallnight,theymakeforthedistiller'shouseinsearchofyetmoreliquor.TheygenerallyabuseCusack'scharacterandattempttorapehisdaughter,buthehasthelast,darklaughwhenheconvincesthemtorowoutintothemiddleofthewateroutsidehishouseinaleakyboat. ThefilmdoesstrikesablowforIrishnationalisminthewaythatQuinninsistsonprivilegingtheperspectiveofthemarginalized,allinthenameofshowinguswhatitsliketolivein'therealIreland',whichishowheidentifiestheWesternShore.Againacritiqueofmodernityisimplicit:itisthepolice,theonlyrepresentativesof'respectable'societyintheentirefilm,whoinitiateallthistrouble.Itendsupthatthepoitínmakerhashisownmechanismstodealwiththesetreacherousemployees,andthiseventuallyworksquitewell.ThesocietythatQuinnevokesisharshandfrequentlyviolent,butitisadistinct,fullyfunctioningonenotrecognisingthelawsof'civilized'Ireland.MartinMcClooneironicallynotesthat"PoitínofferadeliberatelyunromanticviewoftheWestofIrelandwhich,inculturalnationalism,wastherepositoryofallthoseGaelic,ruralvalueswhichweretobethebasisofIreland'santi-modernistutopia".Quinncertainlyrepudiatestheromanticismattachedtothose'Gaelic,ruralvalues',butwhatthisfilmisaboutisrecognitionthatsuchvaluesexistandcontinuetoexist,notjustinthewayimaginedbymainstreamrepresentation.Thefilmceratinlydoesnotcelebratethisruralwayoflife,butitdoesinsistonitsaccuraterepresentation,andinsodoingvalidatesitinawaythatnoromantictaleofmanagainstnatureevercould. Poitínhasbeendigitallyremasteredandanew35mmprintproducedbyFramestoreinLondonandWindmilllaneinDublin.AmusicscorehasbeencomposedbyBillWhelan(composerofRiverdance).Originallytherewasnomusicusedinthefilm-apartfromonebriefinterjectionofArabicmusicfromaradio.