Richard Harris was nominated for several awards (including the Oscar and Golden Globe) for his performance in The Field. The time is the mid-1930s; the place, western Ireland. For many years rugged individualist Bull McCabe (Harris) has been cultivating a small plot of rented land, nurturing it from barren rock into a fertile field. Now, however, the widow who owns the land plans to sell it at auction. The infuriated Bull shows up at the bidding, secure in his belief that none of his neighbors
will dare bid against him. But Bull has not taken into consideration a wealthy Irish-American (Tom Berenger), who intends to pave over the land and bring new industry to the area. "This is deep, very deep, deeper than you think" warns Bull, as he sends his grown son (Sean Bean) to "persuade" the American to withdraw his bid. Armed with the foreknowledge that Bull's tenacity has caused heartbreak and tragedy in the past, the audience steels itself for the awful consequences still to come. Punctuating the storyline are the periodic appearances of the toothless village idiot, played by John Hurt. Originally produced for British television, The Field was based on the landmark play by John B. Keane, and directed by My Left Foot's Jim Sheridan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Field is a grim allegory of hard life on the land -- a symbolic play, transplanted uneasily to the greater realism of the film medium, where what we might accept on the stage now looks contrived and artificial.
There are no special features in the first-time DVD edition (April 2006) but it offers a chance for those interested in Sheridan's career to see a film that, despite Oscar nomination for lead Richard Harris, was both an artistic and commercial flop.
One of Jim Sheridan's weakest and most propagandistic films, this Iriah social melodrama was made between two highlights: My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father.
Predictable and interminably slow-moving, The Field appears at times to be an uneven blend of John Ford's The Informer and David Lean's Ryan's Daughter.
Seen Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood? Thought he was good? Me too, till I saw Richard Harris in this. The film itself is very good but it's Harris' stunning performance that grabs you and holds you taught right to the very end when it seems as though even the film can't keep up with him. This is the finest and
most powerful performance by an actor I have ever seen. Outstanding.
Actors and cinematography where all in rhythm... John Hurt is outstanding. A rather underestimated jewel of filmmaking about hardship and humanity in the emerald island. An underdog movie that'll kick anyone of those"must see movies of the year" mediocre flicks ass.
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