11 thoughts on “TBT: Michael Collins (1996)

      1. Yes! I also want to see the whole movie again, both for the costuming and because I’d forgotten that there’s a whole quartet of divos: Dance, Neeson, Rea and Rickman.

  1. Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Eamon de Valera was one of the reasons I couldn’t stand him. And then, of course, I saw him as Severus Snape. Ahh, that voice… Meanwhile, I didn’t realize Julia Roberts was that tall! I would barely come up to Liam Neeson’s chest (5ft. nothing). :)

  2. I quite enjoy the movie, performances, costumes, atmosphere. Stirring use of Elliot Goldenthal’s “Coda” which he actually wrote for Heat 1995 but didn’t get to use.

    The account of Michael Collins’ death by a first hand witness (a soldier on Collins’ side) is slightly more chilling than in the film, but you have to wonder what sort of accounts existed at the time the movie came out.

    One side bit of trivia is that British director John Boorman filmed a behind-the-scenes shot for his short in the series Lumière and Company (1995). Top name directors were given an actual vintage Lumière cameras and replica film stock and asked to make whatever with it (with some constraints). Boorman’s resulting footage in my opinion looks like genuine WWI-era footage if it weren’t for the modern actors. I think it’s a good demonstration that you can mimic the look of vintage film if you use genuine vintage material:

  3. I remain sad that Mr Liam Neeson never managed to make LINCOLN with Mr Stephen Spielberg – he’d have fit the role quite superbly (Though in all fairness Mr Daniel Day Lewis is more than merely adequate as his replacement).

    MICHAEL COLLINS? I prefer to draw a veil of tactful silence over this era, so I’ll only say that the fact Mr Brendan Gleeson has played General Collins AND Sir Winston Churchill is one of the more amusing accidents of showbiz history.

  4. I’ve never seen it. As an Irish person it seems like it would be a bit depressing with all the executions and assassinations.

  5. Liam Neeson was at the height of teh Hotness (sic), here. Lordy.

    (also, Charles Dance is still surprisingly ripped!)

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