Filmed in Ireland in 1962, The Quare Fellow brings up the debate of the time, whether capital punishment is right or wrong. Is it right to fight murder with murder?
A young, idealistic and inexperienced young warder arrives at his first prison. His head filled with the laws and ways of the land, he is ready to serve as he's always wanted to serve. Though nervous and wide-eyed as he follows his new mentor along with his routines, we see the strength with which Thomas Crimmin defends his beliefs, as Regan, a much more experienced Warder, tells of his. Regan has seen too many hangings in his time he says, as Crimmin is introduced to the faceless man behind the narrative, the quare fellow, the condemned man.
Crimmin goes home to his rented room to find that he is sharing the house with the quare fellow's wife. The character of Kathleen is a modern woman, seen as slightly unethical at the time. She drinks, she commits adultery, and she is a rebel in a largely religious country. There, our main plot begins, Crimmin's supposed affair with Kathleen. Will this liaison change him? As we find there is a chance of reprieve, what is the destiny of the quare fellow?
The final build up of tension is released with the very poignant scene of the hanging of the quare fellow. Split between two locations, we see reactions of all characters. Kathleen's tears, Thomas's quiet strength, the silence of the locals. Standing at the gallows with the rope already around his neck, the man starts to collapse. Crimmin catches him and steadies him. The clock strikes, and the trap door is opened. All characters cross themselves in prayer and stunned silence. Crimmin subtly does the same, while looking down at the man.
The elder warder, finally coming to terms with his own set of morals, leaves the prison. We see that the young warders career, despite everything, is just beginning.
Drama combined with gritty realism and light humour, the quare fellow is a showcase for talents shown in McGoohan, Sym and Macken.
A young, idealistic and inexperienced young warder arrives at his first prison. His head filled with the laws and ways of the land, he is ready to serve as he's always wanted to serve. Though nervous and wide-eyed as he follows his new mentor along with his routines, we see the strength with which Thomas Crimmin defends his beliefs, as Regan, a much more experienced Warder, tells of his. Regan has seen too many hangings in his time he says, as Crimmin is introduced to the faceless man behind the narrative, the quare fellow, the condemned man.
Crimmin goes home to his rented room to find that he is sharing the house with the quare fellow's wife. The character of Kathleen is a modern woman, seen as slightly unethical at the time. She drinks, she commits adultery, and she is a rebel in a largely religious country. There, our main plot begins, Crimmin's supposed affair with Kathleen. Will this liaison change him? As we find there is a chance of reprieve, what is the destiny of the quare fellow?
The final build up of tension is released with the very poignant scene of the hanging of the quare fellow. Split between two locations, we see reactions of all characters. Kathleen's tears, Thomas's quiet strength, the silence of the locals. Standing at the gallows with the rope already around his neck, the man starts to collapse. Crimmin catches him and steadies him. The clock strikes, and the trap door is opened. All characters cross themselves in prayer and stunned silence. Crimmin subtly does the same, while looking down at the man.
The elder warder, finally coming to terms with his own set of morals, leaves the prison. We see that the young warders career, despite everything, is just beginning.
Drama combined with gritty realism and light humour, the quare fellow is a showcase for talents shown in McGoohan, Sym and Macken.