THE SNAPPER
Ireland, 1993, 91 minutes, Colour.
Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth Mc Cabe, Brendan Gleeson.
Directed by Stephen Frears.
The Snapper is the second in the Barrytown Trilogy by acclaimed Irish novelist, Roddy Doyle.
The first book in the series, coming from the 1980s, is The Commitments, made into a very successful film, about life in Barrytown, about families, about music – with touches of the Catholic Church and confession.
The Snapper is the second in the series, more of a television film, continuing the story of the family, focusing on the pregnancy on the unmarried daughter, the parents and how they deal with it, the attitude of the daughter – not concerned about public opinion gossip. And, finally, joy in the prospect of the coming baby, the Snapper. Colm Meaney embodies the father, with his family, with his wife, the excellent Ruth Mc Cabe, his pregnant daughter and his friends down the pub, including Brendan Gleeson.
The third in the series was The Van, with further stories about the family.
This film and The Van were both directed by Stephen Frears, an extraordinarily versatile director, for cinema and television, making almost a film a year for over 40 years. Later film with an Irish context was his well-received Philomena.
1. The novels of Roddy Doyle, the Barrytown Trilogy? An Irish family? In Dublin, in its neighbourhood? Serious, comic, ironic?
2. The Commitments, the sequel, followed by The Van?
3. Barrytown, Dublin, the city, homes, pubs? The atmospheric musical score?
4. The family, Dessie and Kay, the extended Curley family? Husband and wife, Sharon, brothers and sisters? Ordinary, appearance, language…? Sharon’s pregnancy, the effect?
5. The sketch of the brothers and sisters, the boy and the bicycle, the girl and the foam, the band? The detail of family life?
6. Sharon, her age, pregnant, drinking while pregnant, coach? Not revealing the father? Not wanting an abortion? The gossip, her not caring?
7. Dessie, his having to accept the situation, the pub and his friends, eventually joyful about the situation, referring to the baby as the Snapper? The sketch of his friends? Kay, mother, love, concern, strong woman?
8. Ireland, the Catholic tradition, morals, single mothers, motherhood?
9. The end, the breast, the belch – and audiences taking it with humour rather than to seriously?
