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| Dancing at Lughnasa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pat O'Connor |
| Screenplay by | Frank McGuinness |
| Based on | Dancing at Lughnasa 1991 play byBrian Friel |
| Produced by | Noel Pearson |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kenneth MacMillan |
| Edited by | Humphrey Dixon |
| Music by | Bill Whelan |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics (United States) FilmFour Distributors (Ireland and United Kingdom)[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Countries | Ireland United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,361,632 |
Dancing at Lughnasa is a 1998 Irish-British-Americanperiod drama film adapted from the 1990Brian Friel playDancing at Lughnasa, directed byPat O'Connor.
The film competed in theVenice Film Festival of 1998. It won anIrish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Female Role by Brid Brennan. It was also nominated for six other awards, including the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Feature Film and the Best Actress Award for Meryl Streep.
Kate Mundy (Meryl Streep) is the eldest of five sisters living together in a small house in Ireland in 1936. The only one with a steady job, Kate oversees the various conflicting personalities. Though none of the women is married, Christina (Catherine McCormack) has a young son named Michael. The household works well in its fashion, but after the sisters' addle-minded brother, Jack (Michael Gambon), shows up, then Michael's father, Gerry (Rhys Ifans), things are unlikely to stay the same.
Although the film received average reviews (60% 'Fresh' rating onRotten Tomatoes from 35 reviews[3]), most critics praised the performances of the entire cast.Janet Maslin, critic of theNew York Times said that "Meryl Streep has made many a grand acting gesture in her career, but the way she simply peers out a window inDancing at Lughnasa ranks with the best. Everything the viewer need know about Kate Mundy, the woman she plays here, is written on that prim, lonely face and its flabbergasted gaze."[4] Peter Travers ofRolling Stone magazine wrote that "a luminous cast reveals long-buried feelings. Meryl Streep finds the expansive soul behind prim schoolteacher Kate. And she is matched by Kathy Burke's bawdy Maggie, Brid Brennan's secretive Agnes, Sophie Thompson's slow-witted Rose and Catherine McCormack's bold Christina, who never married the father of her son."[5]
Kathy Burke received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Drama from theInternational Press Academy (Satellite Awards).
Mementos from the filming are on display at theSt. Connell's Museum inGlenties.