A TERRIBLE BEAUTY (NIGHT FIGHTERS)

US, 1960, 90 minutes, Black and white.
Robert Mitchum, Anne Heywood, Richard Harris, Cyril Cusack, Dan O’ Herlihy, Niall Mac Ginnis.
Directed by Tay Garnett.

A Terrible Beauty is a film about Irish troubles. This title is taken from Yeats' poem, 'A Terrible Beauty'. The film portrays the background of fighting and the troubles in Ireland and focuses it in a human story, a way in which audiences can understand emotionally the issues in Ireland. Robert Mitchum is at home in this kind of adventure.

Other films on this theme include 'The Gentle Gunman', 1952 with John Mills and Dirk Bogarde and 'Shake Hands with the Devil' with James Cagney of 1959. Direction is by veteran Tay Garnett, a prominent film-maker in the thirties and forties. An interesting emotional view of important troubles of our century.

1. The significance of the title? Is Night Fighters a complimentary description of the I.R.A.? The impact of a film like this today with I.R.A. activities in recent years? What is basic audience attitude towards the I.R.A.?

2. How successful a film was this? As a war adventure? As an exploration of the I.R.A., its cause and impact? How real was the film? In its communication of feeling, and in the truthfulness of the incidents?

3. How were the incidents in this small town a microcosm of the whole I.R.A. and its cause? Did the film communicate the reality of the cause of the I.R.A.? Irish hostility towards England? The desperate attempts to throw off English rule? The importance of allying with the Nazis? Using the German invasion for Irish purposes? How
clearly were the issues presented? The sense of justice of the Irish people? The I.R.A.? The British?

4. Where were audience sympathies during the film? With the Irish or English? With Dermot or with the members of the I.R.A.? How did attitudes and sympathies change during the film? Why?

5. How important was it for the film to focus on the character of Dermott O'Neill? How suitable a hero for the film was he? Was he presented well as a man, as an Irishman? What was his sense of values? Why did he join the I.R.A.? Why did he allow himself to be used for raids and killing? What happened to him after the failure of the raid and his helping of Sean Reilly? Why did he change when he got back to his town? The reality of the I.R.A. and its grandiose ideals and plans? The impersonality of revenge? The killing of women and children? Was the audience sympathetic to Dermot's change later In the film?

6. What did Sean Reilly stand for as an I.R.A. man? His role in the village life, his relationship with Dermot? His going on the raid and his suffering In being wounded?' His arrest and trial? Comradeship and the values of the I.R.A. compared with going to prison? What insight Into the I.R.A. mentality did he give?

7. How real a person was McInnes? The intensity of his hatred of the English? His pride in leading the I.R.A., his wanting to be in the field? His single-handed hatred and ruling of the I.R.A. men? His dislike for Dermot O'Neill? His unwillingness to help Sean Reilly in prison? His eventual moving into action for the impersonal and merciless raid? His dislike for O'Neill and his vengeance on him? What judgement was being made on the I.R.A. via this character? How did he contrast with Ned O’Reilly? the ordinary man at home, non-violent, wanting to live his life, yet roused into action against him when there was need? Old Mr. O'Neill and his attitude towards his sons and the British? The various I.R.A. men like Malone? The young man left on guard? Bravery and fear?

8. How did Jimmy contrast with these people? His pacifist point of view, another way for justice? How sympathetic and reasonable was he? His helping of Dermot at the end? What insight into the Irish Rebellion did this character give?

9. The women in the film: the attitude of Mrs. O'Neill, her hatred of the war etc.? Bella and her devotion to her brothers, the irony of her death? Neeve as a heroine - her support for Dermot, her dislike of the I.R.A. methods, her final helping him and going off with him? The comment that these characters made on Ireland and the I.R.A.?

10. How sympathetically were the British presented? The police? The details of the raiding of the ammunition from the army headquarters? The trial condemning Reilly? The role of the Church in Ireland and the pulpit condemnations of violence? How did this all add to the complexity of the film?

11. How did the film move to a convincing climax Dermot and his drunkenness, the confrontation with McInnes?, the rousing of his conscience, the choices to be made about informing? Was he right to be an informer? What else could he do? The ensuing suffering and having to leave? How was this offered in the film as an ideal?

12. How convincing was the escape? The irony of McInnes's shooting the bike rider? That as a final judgement on him? How happy was the ending, did it seem too contrived? How valuable a film is this in its portrayal of recent political problems?