Angela's Ashes (5 Stars)

This is a film that was pushed upon me at a certain point in my life. It was one of the favourite films of my girlfriend Leslie when I lived in America. We watched it more than once. It was also one of the favourite films of my second wife Nicola. We also watched it a few times. It's not the sort of film I would have watched, at least not at that time in my life. It was during my marriage to Nicola (2002 to 2006) that I first became a film fan. I bought "Angela's Ashes" on DVD to please her rather than for myself. As far as I remember I didn't watch it again after since splitting up with her.

Not until today. Over the last few weeks I've felt the urge to watch it again. I can't explain why.

The film is based on the autobiography of Frank McCourt, about his childhood in Ireland. It's not accurate to call him an author. He only wrote three books, and all three were about stages in his own life. He never wrote books about other topics.

Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn in 1930. In 1935 his family moved to Limerick in Ireland. In 1949 he moved back to America. The film starts shortly before moving to Ireland and ends with his return to America. His family lived in dreadful poverty. They rented a house, but they only used the upstairs rooms because the lower floor was flooded every time it rained. In Limerick it rained a lot, so we frequently see Frank and his brother Malachy running into the house and kicking water at one another. It was a way of life.

Frank was the oldest of seven children. Three of his younger siblings died as children. That's something that's disturbing about the film. There are three deaths in the first 25 minutes, the first after only three minutes. We only see things like that in true stories. No screenwriter would have written a film that starts on such a tragic note.

It's fascinating to see Frank's relationship with his father. He was a drunk, spending whatever little money the family had available on beer and whiskey. Frank was disgusted by his father, but he couldn't help loving him because he always told such interesting stories. I can relate to that. My own father had many faults, and at times I felt that I hated him, but deep down I wanted to share my life with him. Today when I talk about him I present his faults as cute, denying the negative feelings I had about them while he was still alive.

Why does the film appeal to me so strongly now, even though I only grudgingly watched it 15-20 years ago? Probably it's because my tastes have matured as a serious film fan. I can appreciate true stories now, more than I used to. The anti-English sentiments in the film bothered me when I watched it in the past, but now I can laugh at them. I don't need to take them seriously because they're so ridiculous. The film offers a window into another time, a picture of Ireland during the war years, when it remained neutral. The war is mentioned, but why should Ireland have taken sides, because the Irish hated the English and the Nazis equally?

"Angela's Ashes" was a box office failure. I don't understand that. There's a lot in the film that should appeal to audiences. Maybe the subject matter was just too foreign and detached from the lives of anyone who wasn't Irish.

Until today I always assumed that the film's title refers to the ashes of Angela's dead children who were buried in quick succession. That's not correct. Today I read that Frank McCourt called his book "Angela's Ashes" in reference to the cigarette ash from her constant smoking. That doesn't come across in the film.

Success Rate:  - 1.9

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