The Railway Station Man is a 1992 British drama film directed by Michael Whyte, and starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland and John Lynch. It was based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Irish writer Jennifer Johnston.[2] It was filmed on location in Glencolmcille, County Donegal, Ireland.
| The Railway Station Man | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Shelagh Delaney[1] |
| Produced by | Andree Molyneaux |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bruno de Keyzer |
| Music by | Richard Hartley |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Language | English |
Plot
editNorthern Irishwoman Helen Cuffe (Julie Christie) has her life upturned when her husband is mistakenly killed by the Irish Republican Army. Ten years later, we learn that she and her young son, Jack (Frank MacCusker), moved to a tiny town in the south to start life anew. Jack resented his mother’s lack of love for his father and the pair became alienated as he moved to university in Dublin. Helen is now an amateur painter.
There, Helen meets a mysterious American named Roger Hawthorne (Donald Sutherland), who is in the area to refurbish an old railway station. He has a false arm from a shrapnel injury and he gradually explains a difficult family relationship behind his frequent relocations. Helen also meets Damian Sweeney (John Lynch), a young man helping Roger with the building work. Seeing Damian enjoying a naked swim inspires Helen’s painting to a new level.
A romance slowly blossoms between Roger and Helen, and both find love and passion unexpectedly. However, Jack has become involved with Manus Dempsey (Mark Tandy), organiser of a violent political group, who sees an opportunity to use the old engine shed at the disused station to store explosives. In the climax, lives are lost. Helen is left alone, to paint.
Cast
edit- Julie Christie - Helen Cuffe
- Donald Sutherland - Roger Hawthorne
- John Lynch - Damian Sweeney
- Mark Tandy - Manus Dempsey
- Frank McCusker - Jack Cuffe
- Ingrid Craigie - Mary Heron
- Johnny O'Doherty Craig - Young Jack Cuffe
Production
editIt was filmed on location in Glencolumbkille, County Donegal, Ireland. The house was the former Cashelnagore railway station, the line closed in 1947.[3]
Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland previously worked together on Don't Look Now and there had been various attempts to get them together on a project again but their schedules did not line up. Sutherland was critical of TNT for one of the love scenes from the film being cut, in contrast to violence shown on television.[4][5]
Reception
editRay Loynd of the Los Angeles Times praised the "depiction of the beautiful, foggy, damp Irish west coast" but was otherwise critical of the film.[6] The film has a score of 6.1 out of 10 on IMDb [2]
References
edit- ^ Leonard, John (19 October 1992). "The Railway Station Man: Bad luck of the Irish". New York. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Fantastic Fiction: 'The Railway Station Man'", by Jennifer Johnston, fantasticfiction.co.uk; accessed 10 June 2014.
- ^ Alanna Gallagher (21 December 2020). "A picture perfect Co Donegal station house for €299,000". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020.
long after the line closed in 1947.
- ^ "SUTHERLAND ON ... THE ACTOR TALKS ABOUT POLITICS, HIS SON KIEFER, WORKING WITH DIRECTORS AND HIS NEW CABLE-TV MOVIE". Sun Sentinel. 17 October 1992. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020.
- ^ "BBC celebrates literary adaptations with season of classics". BBC.
Twenty years after their pairing in Don't Look Now
- ^ Loynd, Ray (17 October 1992). "TV REVIEWS : 'Railway' Veers Off Track". Los Angeles Times.
External links
edit- The Railway Station Man at IMDb
- The Railway Station Man, irishfilm.net; accessed 10 June 2014.
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