Some Things to Think About

What did you think of the end of the movie?  Did you find it hopeful or disappointing?  Do you think this says anything about Irish culture and society?

The Commitments was wildly popular in Ireland, winning numerous critical awards and being voted Best Irish Film of All Time in a poll conducted by Jameson Irish Whiskey.  Why do you think this film drew so many fans in the early nineties and why does it remains so popular?

What differences and similarities can be drawn between the lives of the band members of The Commitments and the originators of soul music in America in the 1950s and ‘60s?

How do you think music unites the people of Ireland in both this film and real life?

Finding an Irish Identity in Soul Music

Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.

-          Jimmy Rabbitte, The Commitments

From the beginning of the movie, The Commitments, Jimmy Rabbitte is committed to assembling an Irish band that plays Soul music.  Despite its roots in African-American culture, Jimmy sees soul as capturing and Irish identity in a way that even traditional Irish music does not.  While explaining this line of thinking to his fellow band mates he says:

Soul is the music people understand. Sure it's basic and it's simple. But it's something else 'cause, 'cause, 'cause it's honest, that's it. Its honest. There's no fuckin' bullshit. It sticks its neck out and says it straight from the heart. Sure there's a lot of different music you can get off on but soul is more than that. It takes you somewhere else. It grabs you by the balls and lifts you above the shite.

In thinking of soul music in this way, Jimmy points out its universal appeal and its inherent accessibility to people of all walks of life and in all cultures.  But why would a group of Irish guys in the early nineties be so interested in the genre?  And why would their music appeal to so many in the working class neighborhood of Northside, Dublin?

                Prominent in the 1960s, soul music is defined by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as, “Music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying.”  The use of gospel-style rhythms and instruments with distinctively secular lyrics takes the genre out of the church and into the mainstream in a way that appeals to anyone looking for a catchy tune and relatable lyrics.  The genre of soul remains a primarily African-American endeavor despite its widespread popularity, suggesting to a certain level that it finds its roots in social oppression.

                If this is the case, then it’s easy to find a connection between the social history of the African-Americans who developed the genre and the Northside Dubliners who made it their own.  After presenting the idea of soul music to his band mates, Jimmy is met with some apprehension.  “Do y'not think, uh - we're a little white for that sort of thing?” is the first response to a video of James Brown that Jimmy is using as an example of what he wants the band to do.  Jimmy is not deterred, however, asserting, “Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.”  While the Irish were not enslaved by the British, they were stripped of their lands and oppressed for generations in much the same way that African-Americans were.  For years, Irish citizens inhabited much of the working class and strove to get up to speed with the rest of Europe.  By drawing on the similarities between the African American experience in contemporary America and the Irish experience in Europe, Jimmy is able to get his musicians on his side, and they respond with an enthusiastic, “I’m black and I’m proud!”

Contexts

The Commitments is an Irish film that was released in 1991.  Director Alan Parker was known for making films where different people from an ethnic group come together as one group to try to accomplish something.  The Commitments was one of those films (the ethnic group being the Irish).  In the 1980’s Ireland was in a miserable state economically and also politically unstable.  Since Ireland was in an awful state economically and politically during the 80’s the group of people tried to bring soul music to help the people and culture. 

  The actors in The Commitments were real musicians (except for Joey and Bernie).  All the musicians continued their music careers after the movie was made, some more successful than others.  Andrew Strong (Deco) was the most successful out of the actors touring with the likes of Prince, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones.
Another fairly successful member was Bronagh Gallagher (Bernie) who is regarded as one of Ireland’s most productive musicians, became leader of the Frames.  Another member of the Frames was Glen Hansard (Outspan) who also is the star of Once!Mostly all of the actors also continued their acting careers finding their way into roles in such films as Pulp Fiction (Gallagher), Angela’s Ashes (Johnny Murphy), and the sequel to My Girl (Angeline Ball).

  Surprisingly the film was based on a novel which was based on a true story.  The author of the novel was Roddy Doyle.  The Commitments by Roddy Doyle was actually a part of a trilogy of books called The Barrytown Trilogy.Doyle’s way of representing cities like Dublin in his writings were opposite of the famous James Joyce.  Joyce's representations made Dublin out to be an urban area instead of a high class place.  Doyle represented Dublin as a suburban working class town unlike Joyce, which made it parallel to the book.  Parker’s film and Doyle’s novel were strange in the way that they were very similar.  Doyle set his novel into an urban setting and the influences of modern culture are easily recognizable in it are two reasons why the novel was easily converted to film.  A small difference between the two was the book was comprised of mostly dialogue, so the setting was partly Parker’s ideas. 

Working Class of North City Dublin as presented in the film The Commitments

The setting of the film The Commitments is in a fictional neighborhood on the North Side of Dublin called Barrytown. The characters are from working-class families and that idea is reflected over the course of the movie.  There are run-down and deserted areas, streets with debris all over, and small, cramped housing throughout. Children are frequently seen playing in alleys and streets, and often are participating in dangerous activities. Based on the film, the North Dublin Irish working-class citizens were crowded and cramped into run down areas in the early 1990’s, when this movie was filmed. The main character, Jimmy Rabbitte, lives in a small house with his large family. One of the backup singers, Bernie, has a large family that she has to help provide for and take care of, all the while living in a small apartment. A large family seems to be a theme with the Irish working-class at this time. With a modest amount of space and a lower quality of life, the Irish working-class did not have it easy.

The majority of the working-class citizens of Dublin were concentrated in the North Side. However, the North side of Dublin is not solely consisting of working-class citizens. There are many famous churches, theaters, companies, parks, and streets that are landmarks in this area. In the film we see very little of this, giving the impression of a dilapidated neighborhood with little to offer except for the gem of a band that comes out of it. The cramped and low-quality lifestyle that is presented in the film depicts the areas that do not have landmarks such as churches and parks. When the band leaves their neighborhood to play shows the contrast of the quality of the buildings and spaces is incredibly obvious. Just by comparing the working-class Dubliners to the other areas of the city, and other parts of Ireland, it becomes very clear just how difficult it must be to be a working-class North city Dubliner.

While watching this film, the viewer will notice that the houses look alike. As in modern day housing developments the easiest and fastest way to build is to have similar features. This housing was built by the government in an effort to build cheaper houses for those who need them and needed something affordable.  There aren’t really any colorfully painted homes in the film- mostly we see gray, dark, dirty homes. There is a lack of privacy that is present when the homes are shown. This emphasizes one of the main points in the film- creativity and individuality have to be worked at in this type of environment. The North Dublin working-class won’t have the time or means to spruce up their homes or even to make their home a little different from the one next door.

Importance of Music

                            

The Commitments is a motion picture that focuses on the trials and tribulations of an Irish band attempting to make it out of obscurity. This movie gives us deeper insight on the importance of music within Irish culture. Ireland’s history has been involved with its fair share of struggles and oppression. Because of Ireland’s troubles the people often use music as comfort from the harsh world that they lived in. 

The Irish have a profound appreciation for music. They have used this art form as an outlet to air their grievances about problems affecting their country for many centuries. Musical artists such as U2, Sinead O’ Conner, and The Pogues have been able to take some of the troubles within Ireland and bring them to the global forefront, shedding light on these events to an international level. With the immense audience that follows these Irish musicians the people of Ireland feel as if they can use their stardom to help inform the world about the pain and suffering that has existed on this island for many years.

Shane MacGowan
of "The Pogues"

U2

This form of communicating to the world was especially effective during the period of Irish history known as “The Troubles”.  This period consisted of vast amounts of violence and bloodshed over the political oppression the Irish were facing within their own country.  Songs like U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, about the shooting of Irish citizens at the hands of British Army soldiers during a peaceful civil rights protest, and “Peace on Earth”, about the car bombing in the Northern Ireland city of Omagh by members of the Real Irish Republican Army that resulted in the deaths of twenty-nine people, even “Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six” performed by The Pogues, about the bombing of the Birmingham Pub, tell the world about some of the horrific events that have transpired.

Sinead O’Connor’s song entitled “This Is a Rebel Song” takes a different perspective on the problems that were occurring. She does not sing about any specific event that happened; however she compares the relationship between England and Ireland to a troubled relationship one might witness between a boyfriend and girlfriend. In her song she is asking for the violence to stop when she sings “And please talk to me Englishman/ What good will shutting me out get done/ Meanwhile crazies are killing our sons Oh listen, Englishman/ I've honoured you hard Englishman/ Now I am calling your heart to my own/ Oh let glorious love be done”.  In order for it to end both sides need to stop trying to hurt each other, but need to sit down and discuss their problems; similar to how a couple would try and solve their differences.

Any person can read about events, like those previously mentioned, in newspapers, or textbooks, but they will only receive an objective viewpoint about certain situations; they will not gain any specific understanding how people on either side of the issue felt during these events.  Music takes these events and attaches emotional meanings. Only after you have listened to a song and hear the emphasis expressed in their voices can you gain deeper insight into the situation. The Irish appreciate this art form because for them it is a way in which they can escape, even if it is only for the duration of that specific song. They also understand that when utilized effectively music can educate the masses. Bono said it best on U2’s “Rattle and Hum” DVD when asked about the importance of music when he said “Rock 'n' roll stops the traffic!”

in the beginning

The man behind the novel.

Some favorite lines from the movie.

 Jimmy Rabbitte: Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud. 

Jimmy Rabbitte: Soul is the music people understand. Sure it's basic and it's simple. But it's something else 'cause, 'cause, 'cause it's honest, that's it. Its honest. There's no fuckin' bullshit. It sticks its neck out and says it straight from the heart. Sure there's a lot of different music you can get off on but soul is more than that. It takes you somewhere else. It grabs you by the balls and lifts you above the shite

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101605/   for some basic info on the film