29/39
Synopsis
The series spans four tumultuous decades during the Northern Ireland conflict
The real Dolours Price was married to Irish actor Stephen Rea for two decades (1983-2003). During that time, Rea appeared in the film for which he is arguably best known in the United States: the 1992 romantic thriller The Crying Game. In that film, Rea plays Fergus, an extremely reluctant and ambivalent member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) — the same organization in which Price was active for many years. The book Say Nothing is an excellent and unbiased examination of the cause and its cost. The series follows the book very closely, conveying the main themes and the tragic lessons of that brutal period of occupation.
The show is art that is blunt and well-made
The acting and cast choices capture the essence of the people the show is about. It succeeds in both informing and entertaining, telling a story that has rarely been told. The detail of the people and places is fantastic. You can’t help but admire the production quality of each episode and the historicity of the production. Little things like a brand of cigarettes or the way you’re served takeaway fish and chips, combined with a certain character grabbing an Armalite AR18 was a really nice touch.
She turns out to be very likable
The real Dolours Price was known to be funny and charming and that comes through. Many of the characters are very likable, even the ones you think you’re not supposed to like. It’s a very human story, told humanly. It helps an outsider understand the motivations behind why someone would take up arms against someone else. It wasn’t really about Catholics versus Protestants.
There were immigrants fighting for a free and united Ireland
That was just the arbitrary line drawn to separate and pit the working class and working poor of Ireland against each other. Also, there was a comment in another review about immigrants invading Ireland. It was never about how your last name was spelled or what church you worshiped in. It was about poor people fighting for equal rights and freedom, and that’s what this story is about, and also the price paid for that fight. To compare an influx of immigrants from troubled lands to Oliver Cromwell is to dishonor the names of those who suffered and sacrificed.
There’s a lot to love about Hulu’s streaming offerings this month—look forward to brand-new series premieres and popular movies to watch at home
The moment we turn against those seeking refuge, or deny them comfort, we would be no better than those who sneered and derided our forefathers who left Ireland for other countries like America, where Irish people weren’t as welcome either.