The Ballroom of Romance

An Irish film maker I met years ago- Keiran Liddy- gave me a copy of this film that he had 'happened' across years earlier and swore me to return it(which I did!). He told me it had influenced him deeply in his approach to film and that the director, Pat O Connor, for his money left the more well known Irish directors in the shade. He was right. This is a funny, touching and tender hour long movie that deserves to be aired over here. It was superb, the acting( including a young Brenda Fricker) uniformly outstanding, the photography impressive but overall the humanity of the piece was what was touched me the most. Get to see it, whenever you get a chance.

I haven't seen this film in years, but this is one of the most memorable lines from a movie that stick in my mind even today spoken by the character Bowser Egan who may just be poor tragic Bridie's last hope of getting herself a man before she finally resigns to being left on the shelf as an old maid. In another part of his charm offensive Bowser tries to entice her back to the house with "American cigarettes".

By all accounts from the commentary of those of my parents generation who lived through the period and in the culture portrayed in this movie, this is a wonderfully accurate representation of what it was really like. Even the band in the movie led by a real life local "showband" legend Tony Chambers, cut their real life teeth in small rural dance halls just like this one.