Michael Collins

UPC: 085391420521

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Questionable for Children]

Summary: The rise and fall of one of the most important and controversial figures in Ireland's struggle for independence is chronicled in this biographical drama. In 1916, the British government ruled Ireland with a firm and cruel hand, as they had for 700 years. When a group of Irish rebels staged a six-day siege at Dublin's General Post Office, only one of the leaders was able to escape execution -- Eamon De Valera (Alan Rickman), an American citizen of Irish blood. A number of De Valera's followers are sent to prison, and one of them, Michael Collins (Liam Neeson), walked out of jail convinced that a new approach was needed to free his homeland from British rule. With his compatriot Harry Boland (Aidan Quinn), Collins formed the Irish Volunteers, who used a combination of terrorist violence and guerilla warfare to attack the British where their defenses were weakest, and employed espionage and a key inside informant (Stephen Rea) to learn what the British planned to do next -- and what they knew about Collins and his supporters. Collins' strategic skills and talent for warfare made a major impact on the British, and he became the hero of the new-born Republican Movement, which seemed to offer a real hope of freedom, despite the violent reprisals of the vicious paramilitary police, the Black and Tans. De Valera, however, was often in conflict with Collins in terms of the methods and approach of their struggle. Collins also found himself in a different sort of conflict with Boland when he fell in love with his girlfriend, a strong-willed advocate of Irish freedom named Kitty Kiernan (Julia Roberts). Eager to gain support for the Republican cause, De Valera sought economic and military support from the U.S.; when he returned, the Volunteers seemed to have finally won a real victory, as the British government announced that they were willing to formally negotiate with them. While Collins was once the radical and De Valera was the moderate, once negotiations began, Collins sought to end the violence that he saw killing so many young people and was willing to agree to a compromise that would create the Irish Free State. While the agreement would still leave final political control with the British, it would bring a greater self-determination to Ireland, and Collins believed that it was a crucial first step that could lead, in time, to true freedom for his people. De Valera, however, was strongly opposed to the treaty with Britian, and this led to violence among pro- and anti-treaty factions; soon Ireland's most loved leader was now branded a traitor by many of his countrymen. Michael Collins was voted Best Picture at the 1996 Venice Film Festival, and Liam Neeson was awarded the prize for Best Actor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Cinematography – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Dramatic Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Golden Lion – Venice International Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actor – Venice International Film Festival Best Cinematography – American Society of Cinematographers

Features: Filmographies
Documentary
Production notes
Trailers

Michael Collins

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/08/1997

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 133 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Side A
0. Jump to a Scene
7. Making an Army. [2:22]
13. First Blood. [1:38]
17. Dressed for Flight. [2:38]
20. All the King's Men. [1:11]
24. Flower Delivery on Bloody Sunday. [9:46]
25. The Black and Tans Retaliate. [3:51]
30. Kitty's Choice. [1:38]
33. Save the Country. [3:15]
37. June 1922: Rebel Holdouts. [2:52]
Side #2 -- Side B
0. Jump to a Scene
1. A New Wave of Bloody Mayhem. [2:03]
2. Death of a Friend. [3:42]
3. "I Don't Know Anything Anymore." [1:14]
4. Setting Up a Summit. [1:26]
5. The Convoy to Cork. [1:06]
6. The Dark Path to Hell. [4:32]
7. August 22, 1922 ("She Moved Through the Fair"). [4:34]
8. No Regrets. [:47]
9. Newsreel Epilogue. [1:13]
10. End Credits ("Macushla"). [6:12]

Brendon Hanley

Writer-director Neil Jordan's most remarkable strength might be his ability to create a rich sense of time and place. The best of his films seamlessly combine story and atmospheric visuals, a quality evident in Michael Collins, his biopic about the legendary Irish freedom fighter. With the help of cinematographer Chris Menges and production designer Anthony Pratt, Jordan splendidly re-creates Ireland of the 1910s and 1920s, refurbishing actual locations to realistically evoke the era. Some felt that Jordan misrepresented certain events, mythologizing a man whom many consider a terrorist; it's clear, however, that his is a very subjective, personalized portrait. Liam Neeson's portrayal of the charismatic title character is as strong as his work in 1993's Schindler's List, though he would be all but forgotten in the year-end awards races. Menges would receive an Academy Award nomination for his camerawork. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Malcolm Douglas  Actor 
Peter O'Brien  Actor 
David Wilmot  Actor 
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers  Actor 
Gary Powell  Actor 
Tony Clarkin  Actor 
Richard Ingram  Actor 
Owen O'Neill  Actor 
Frank O'Sullivan  Actor 
Stuart Graham  Actor 
Michael Dwyer  Actor 
Colm Coogan  Actor 
Aidan Kelly  Actor 
Dave Seymour  Actor 
Ian McElhinney  Actor 
Michael James Ford  Actor 
Barry Barnes  Actor 
Paraic Breathnach  Actor 
David Gorry  Actor 
Vinnie McCabe  Actor 
Martin Murphy  Actor 
Gary Whelan  Actor 
Frank Patterson  Actor 
Don Wycherley  Actor 
Cafe Orchestra  Actor 
Joe Hanley  Actor 
Gary Paul Mullen  Actor 
Michael McCabe  Actor 
Alan Stanford  Actor 
Paul Hickey  Actor 
Paul Bennett  Actor 
Liam D'Staic  Actor 
John Kenny  Actor 
Brendan Gleeson  Actor 
Ger O'Leary  Actor 
Gerard McSorley  Actor 
Aisling O'Sullivan  Actor 
Martin Phillips  Actor 
Denis Conway  Actor 
Jim Isherwood  Actor 
Sean McGinley  Actor 
Gary Lydon  Actor 
Tom Murphy  Actor 
Laura Brennan  Actor 
Max Hafler  Actor 
Roman McCairbe  Actor 
Owen Roe  Actor 
Charles Dance  Actor 
Mal Whyte  Actor 
Aiden Grennell  Actor 
Frank Laverty  Actor 
Claude Clancy  Actor 
Luke Hayden  Actor 
Brian "Joker" Mulvey  Actor 
Jean Kennedy Smith  Actor 
Elliot Goldenthal  Composer (Music Score) 
Neil Jordan  Director 
Neil Jordan  Screenwriter 
Redmond Morris  Producer 
Stephen Woolley  Producer 
Liam Neeson  Actor 
Aidan Quinn  Actor 
Stephen Rea  Actor 
Alan Rickman  Actor 
Julia Roberts  Actor 
Ian Hart  Actor 

Country: UK,USA,Ireland