Athlone audiences of all ages are in a for treat on Tuesday November 9 at 8pm in the Dean Crowe Theatre, as Athlone Film Club presents an historical and comedy gem from the Irish Film Archive, This Other Eden.
Unique to film clubs across the country, this is a continuation of the IFI, Irish Film Archive collaborating with Access Cinema making films from the national heritage collection available to groups around the country.
The IFI, Irish Film Archive collection comprises amateur and professional material, fiction and non-fiction, newsreels, feature films, animations, travelogues, and educational films. The material dating from 1897 to the present day is preserved in custom design vaults in the IFI premises in Temple Bar.
The first Irish feature film to be directed by a woman, This Other Eden is a caustic comedy set in 1945 where the erection of a statue of a patriot martyr, Jack Carberry creates problems in a small town.
The film, shot in Chapelizod, Wicklow town, and Ardmore Studios, has now been digitally re-mastered from original elements.
The film explores the traumatic legacy of the Civil War and in particular the impact of the death of Michael Collins in successive generations. Given that the producer, Emmet Dalton, was with Michael Collins the day he was shot, some critics have speculated that the film was an attempt to redress, even rewrite the history of the time.
However, with a fine supporting cast of Abbey Players and star turns from Leslie Philips as a hapless romantic Englishman, Audrey Dalton as a wonderfully independent-minded young woman, Milo O’Shea and Hilton Edwards, This Other Eden is not just a critique of the past but a witty and complex comment on an emergent modern Ireland.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see this historical and comedic masterpiece on the big screen. Members are free or you can come along as a temporary member on the night. There will be a complimentary wine reception in the theatre bar at 7.30pm before the film commences at 8pm.
For more information email [email protected] or log onto www.athlonefilmclub.com
