The release of hostage John McCarthy may be described as my Kennedy moment - everyone is supposed to remember where they were when they heard Kennedy was shot,and I clearly remember where I was on August 8th 1991 when I heard that McCarthy was released in Beirut.Couple that with the privilege of attending a Film Education screening of the film attended by John McCarthy and director John Furse and you've got what can only describe as a very personal and intense experience. The performances by the leading actors Ian Hart and Linus Roache were both superb. There was an acute feeling of time passing and the relationship between Keenan and McCarthy was real and almost tangible - the bleak look on Roache's face as McCarthy when Keenan was taken away from him (he didn't know where) was heartrending. The film was apparently shot over 28 days, yet the months and years seemed to unfold before us in what was an agonising wait for resolution. The film contained an almost Pinter-esque fascination with the relationship between two men in a room, and I could imagine that at times the conversation between McCarthy and Keenan was very much on the same lines!
I have to say it meant less to some of the 17 year old students I'd taken with me, one remarked that it didn't seem to have much story, but to anyone with a interest in current affairs in the nineties and the realisation of a moment in history on film it is a fascinating and well crafted film. All credit to the make up artists too who made the body changes very believable too, especially when you realized the short time scale the film was shot in.
I have to say it meant less to some of the 17 year old students I'd taken with me, one remarked that it didn't seem to have much story, but to anyone with a interest in current affairs in the nineties and the realisation of a moment in history on film it is a fascinating and well crafted film. All credit to the make up artists too who made the body changes very believable too, especially when you realized the short time scale the film was shot in.