Biographical Note:
Neil Jordan was born in 1950 in Sligo, Ireland. He has directed a number of films as well as written several books, many of which are set in Ireland. The two most widely known films he has directed, other than Michael Collins, are the Crying Game and Interview with a Vampire. These were released in 1992 and 1994, respectively, and were followed shortly after by the release of Michael Collins in 1996. Jordan's films have brought him numerous awards, including an Oscar for best Original Screenplay for the Crying Game.
Background:
Michael Collins was born on October 11, 1890. He grew up on the family farm in the Clonakilty district of West Cork. In 1906 Collins moved to London and lived there for nine years, working at different jobs in the city. Collin's nationalist feelings were fostered, at least in part by his sister Mary Collins; and they led him to become actively involved with the Irish Republican Brotherhood. In early 1916 Collins moved to Dublin, and shortly after was involved in the Easter Rising. Collins was imprisoned afterwards but he was eventually released.
In the years afterwards Collins stepped up his leadership in the struggle for Irish independence. One of the most important was his establishing an intelligence-gathering network. Collins employed a wide range of people, mostly lower class working people, and used them to gather information about British activities and agents working in Ireland. He then used his "Squad," a select group of what were essentially hit men, to take action against British agents who were discovered. Collins made use of guerrilla tactics, enabling him and the members of the IRA to fight against the superior numbers and weapons of the British.
In 1921 the British began peace negotiations and Collins was sent as the Irish representative. He signed the treated that divided Ireland into the North and the independent South. The man leading Sinn Fein, Earnon De Valera, who had sent Collins to negotiate for him, disagreed with his choice and rejected the treaty. The following dissention within Ireland over the Treaty and the division of Ireland eventually led to civil war. As a result of this, Collins was killed on August 22, 1922. He was assassinated in the same district in West Cork were he grew up.
Précis of work:
The release of the Michael Collins film caused a great deal of heated discussion in Ireland. Many strongly opposed the film, saying it was attempting to ignite violence during a time when a ceasefire had just begun in Northern Ireland. It also prompted massive interest in the life of Michael Collins, the man who contributed to the forming of the IRA which figured so prominently in the news at the time of the movies release and still today.
One of the other complaints about the film was that it was historically inaccurate. Many historians accused Jordan of abandoning the actual story of Michael Collins in order to create a better movie. There are some characters who have been created from the lives of several separate historical figures. Events are not always portrayed as they are actually recorded, included details about Bloody Sunday. The movie depicts a car bomb being used before it was even invented.
One of the biggest complaints of historical inaccuracy centers around the depiction of De Valera. Jordan portrays him almost as a kind of "bad guy" in the film; the character is not a very likeable person. De Valera is widely respected and honored in Irish history, and his portrayal in the movie was not well liked by many people. Another point is that the movie suggests that De Valera knew about and support the killing of Michael Collins, something that has no historical foundation at all. De Valera's granddaughter Sile de Valera called this aspect of the film, "outrageous."
Annotated Bibliography:
This book focuses mainly on the history of the struggle for Irish independence, known as the troubles. It discusses Michael Collins' role in that struggle including his use of guerilla tactics, but it also provides additional information outside of his participation. Many of the figures who are important to the troubles are mentioned and discussed.
The book contains a good deal of information about the actions of the British police forces in Ireland, as well as information about the negotiations for peace. It specifically discusses the actions of the "Black and Tans" and the "Auxiliaries" and the laws imposed by the British in Ireland. Excerpts from a number of letters written by Michael Collins are included in the book. Collins' fight against the British, his attempts to end the fighting and bring independence to Ireland, and the fighting of the civil war that followed are discussed in depth.
This book is the most informative about the events of Michael Collins life. It traces the course of his lifetime from his childhood to his death. It logically focuses mainly on the events relevant to Collins struggle to gain independence for Ireland. The author attempts to provide insight into Collins' influences and beliefs. This book focuses more exclusively on Collins than the others and is the only one that discusses his childhood experiences.
This site contains a review of the film Michael Collins directed by Neil Jordan. It contains a brief summary of the film and the author's opinions regarding the actor's performance and of the film as a whole. Most notably it discusses the discrepancies between the film and the history it is based on and the reaction of the public to those discrepancies. It also discusses the public reaction in Ireland and Britain to the release of the film.
This website provides a discussion of the film Michael Collins including the reaction to the film, historical inaccuracies, and it's merits and demerits. The fact that the film was seen as an apology for terrorism is mentioned on the site. It also mentions several of the inaccuracies in the film just as the previous website does, including the portrayal of de Valera as responsible for Collins' death.
This website contains biographical information about Neil Jordan, the director of the film Michael Collins. It talks about the other movies he has directed and books he has written.
by James McKenna
for HONR 209V
Autumn 2002