Friday 31st August 2007

Willy Reilly and His Colleen Bawn

Feature by Angie Mezzetti. Irish Times

If they could see it now…

It hasn’t had a public outing since 1923 but this Friday 31^st August in Meeting House Square in Dublin’s Temple Bar, an historic Irish 8 minute silent movie will be shown on the big screen. Made in secret at in 1919, “The Republican Loan” film features Michael Collins reading a letter from the Bishop of Limerick encouraging people to sign up for the fundraising  bonds saying, “we have to build up a new Ireland”. A procession of “interesting Sinn Féin Notables” are shown endorsing the scheme. It includes Padraig Pearce’s mother and sister and several widows of those executed in 1916. All T.D’s from the First Dáil ‘not in jail’ including Des Fitzgerald, Erskine Childers and Joseph McDonagh walk into frame signing on the block ‘where Robert Emmet was beheaded’.

It was made at Saint Enda’s during the filming of the rare Irish 90 minute silent film “Willy Reilly and his Colleen Bawn,” which will be shown directly afterwards. It was directed by John McDonagh brother of Thomas who was executed in 1916. When the ‘Republican Loan’ film was made no cinema owner would risk running it so volunteers were dispatched to interrupt features and force operators at gunpoint to show it.

This time out it will be a more pleasurable experience as it’s also the premier for a new score by Bernard Reilly commissioned specially for the event. He’ll be conducting the CineTheatre Ensemble ‘live to screen’. Reilly also composed the score to the main feature which has only been heard once before in 1999. “Normally with film scores you work with a director, but in this case it’s more difficult as the director is dead,” says Reilly. In the feature, he uses a different musical theme or instrument to enhance and flag each character. Composing for the Republican Loan Film was more difficult. “Because there is no drama I’ve concentrated on the occasion to make it an elegant salute to the new state.”

“Without music the experience of watching silent film is less engaging. When a composer anticipates the action with music, the enjoyment of the film increases ten fold,” according to Sunniva O’Flynn of the Irish Film Archive. “Bernard’s score brings it to life.” Both films were shown in 1991 at an exhibition at St Enda’s where the audience was mostly academic.

This time about 500 people will be able to see the films and The Ark is being used to house the orchestra. “There is magic as you watch and listen, a combination of theatre and film,” says O’Flynn. “Public events like these are one of the benefits of the Celtic Tiger because years ago they couldn’t afford to be put on. Nowadays audiences come from all walks of life and it is not just for elites anymore.” The Big Fella would have  been proud.