| Four Days in July | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Mike Leigh |
| Directed by | Mike Leigh |
| Starring | Brid Brennan Stephen Rea Paula Hamilton Charles Lawson Eileen Pollock |
| Composer | Rachel Portman |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Kenith Trodd |
| Cinematography | Remi Adefarasin |
| Editor | Robin Sales |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One,BBC HD |
| Release | 29 November 1984 (1984-11-29) |
Four Days in July is a 1984[1][2][3][4] television film byMike Leigh. Set and filmed inBelfast, the film exploresthe Troubles by following the daily lives of two couples on either side ofNorthern Ireland's religious divide, both expecting their first children.[5] The film's action unfolds over 10–13 July 1984; the two couples' children are both born on 12 July, the date of a Protestant celebration in Northern Ireland known asthe Twelfth.[6] Despite the politically charged setting, the film is uniquely uneventful, at least on the surface; Paul Clements writes that "It is hard to identify any full length work by Leigh in which less of consequence seems to happen."[7] Broadcast only once, it was Leigh's last film for theBBC.[8][9]
The film stars Paula Hamilton andCharles Lawson as the Protestant couple, Lorraine and Billy, andBrid Brennan and Des McAleer as the Catholic couple, Collette and Eugene.[8]Stephen Rea,Eileen Pollock, B.J. Hogg, andShane Connaughton appear in secondary roles.[8][9] The film's music was composed byRachel Portman.[9]
In 2009The Times' Kevin Maher praised the film as a "must-see movie for anyone with a compassionate interest in an 800-year-old political sore."[10]
Clements, Paul."Four Days in July (Mike Leigh)."British Television Drama in the 1980s. Comp. George W. Brandt.Cambridge University Press, 1993. 162–176.
