Taking a step back in time
Saturday November 28 2009
Last week the Irish Film Institute released two landmark DVDs from the vaults of the Irish Film Archive. One of these was the restored silent drama, Irish Destiny, and to mark the occasion the film will be screened at the IFI, Temple Bar next Wednesday (December 2), with live piano accompaniment from composer Micheal O Suilleabhain. Released in 1926 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Easter Rising, Irish Destiny is a love story set against the turbulent backdrop of the War of Independence, and its plot includes the burning of Cork and the fire at the Customs House in Dublin. The film also uses newsreel footage of the hated Black and Tans.
The other DVD is Seoda, a fascinating compilation of short films that give a flavour of Irish life in the middle of the last century. Comprising films from 1948 to 1970, the collection includes an account of the visit of John Fitzgerald Kennedy to Ireland in 1963, a film about the ailing village of Crookhaven in the late 50s, a drama about a man's slow recovery from TB, a government film about Dublin that shows how much the city has changed, and a documentary about the final days of the last of the Dublin trams.
The gala screening of Irish Destiny will take place at the IFI on Wednesday, December 2 at 6.30pm. Tickets available at www.ifi.ie
Irish Independent
