Who the heck is Harrison Birtwistle? He's an English modern composer who was respected but not well known. No, not another Michael Nyman composing piano ditties for people drinking in Starbucks! Think the opposite. In the mid'90s his new work was performed at the televised Proms. For those who don't know the Proms is the Late Late Show of British classical music! All bland, sing-a-long predictable music - the kind of stuff you hear on TV commercials and performed in public parks by brass bands. Nice music for the family! The only problem was that Birtwistle's new composition was the opposite - loud, angry, out of tune, energetic, and original. A near riot erupted! People were shocked, switchboards were jammed, and pet dogs lying near the family TV started whining! It was the kind of stuff most 'lovers' of classical music had never heard before. It was the best publicity any modern composer could get! So what's my point? Well that's what we need in Irish Cinema. A filmmaker here who can do the visual equivalent of Birtwhistle's 'Panic' composition!
Another famous movie with an Irish theme. Set in Africa a TCD graduate heads off alone to find a diamond mine. His daughter gets an explore...