Eat the Peach

I saw this on its release in 1986 and really enjoyed. Nothing spectacular just a film on the struggle of 2 men who have been made redundant and decide to do something different. I was a little bit reminded of Eat the Peach when I watched Take Shelter. A bit of stretch maybe but it did remind me. Yesterday I saw footage from 1979 on the real life men who the film was based on and who actually built a Wall of Death in Granard County Longford. It reminded me of the film and I have ordered a copy. I hope it is as good as I remember from all those years ago

Don't expect an Oscar winner but it is hard not to watch and enjoy

Thanks

Oh Dear God! This was on the TV again the other day and it served to remind us just what a truly appalling specimen of film making looks like. It's hard to believe that, back when Irish films were a rarity (and a film not about the IRA even rarer), there was actually a stirring of excitement about this films release.

This film would be quite good were it not for the lame plot, dull characters, and feeble dialogue. Oh and the sets, actors, production, and weather were all a let down as well. How did the great Eamonn Morrissey (and others who deserve better) get caught up in this mess.

The sheer crapness of this film alone was enough to convince people that nothing of any cinematic worth would ever emerge from this island. Thankfully this view has been proved wrong, thanks to visionaries such as Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and many others who have given us many great films over the past decade.

However, this film's place in cinematic history should be guaranteed thanks to The Most Spectacular Piece of Miscasting in the History of Film - Niall Toibin (venerable comedian, character actor, and professional Corkonian) demeaning everyone concerned with his hilarious "American Businessman" routine.

Still, it's better than The Courier.

The 'Eat the peach' of the title comes from a poem by T.S. Eliot: 'The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock' and is about doing whatever you want to do and not worrying about what other people think.

There have been worse Irish films inflicted on the world. Especially those dealing with historical figures and events yet unconcerned with accuracy. INTNOTF and (no names) the one which insulted peoples intelligence by, among other anomalies, having booby trapped cars go off in the middle of Dublin castle in 1919 ???????? Hardly visionary.

Eat the peach, on the other hand, is a solid little film. A work of pure imagination. Set in the early eighties it captured the reality of life for a lot of people with a lot of time on their hands and little money in their pockets, a full ten years before the tiger struck, when there were few prospects other than to go abroad. So here you have a film about a guy that wants to do something different and stand out from the crowd.

Both times I saw it I was abroad and as it was filmed in the area I am from (having watched some of it being filmed when I was a kid) there could be an element of bias borne of sentimentality to this review. though, my partner, an Aussie of eclectic taste, also thinks its a good film. And its hard to please her.

Filmed in the same year as another excellent Irish film, 'Lamb', it may not have a big budget but it has a lot of heart and a lot of honesty. The soundtrack is excellent. Hopefully they release it on DVD at some point soon.

It may look a bit bleak but it was filmed during the wettest summer I can remember, 1985. I love the opening scene of the boys tearing about on the bikes across the bog past the peat machines with the uileann pipes on the soundtrack. It may not be the 'Torres del Paine' or 'the Flinders ranges' but it is home.

In a way, "Eat the Peach" is a classic. The catch is that this film never attempted to pander - or even explain itself - to an international audience. You had to be Irish - and probably rural Irish at that - to understand much of the humour and many of the characters (especially Niall Toibin's "faux returned Yank").

Similarly, the peat industry references and the sub-plot revolving around cross-border smuggling are likely to have been lost on overseas viewers. "Eat the Peach" was made before the Irish film industry had truly found its feet and so, perhaps unintentionally, seemed to have been aimed mostly at domestic movie-goers.

This, IMHO, is why this movie is remembered fondly in Ireland but has never received the international exposure it may otherwise have enjoyed. At heart this is a film about courage and optimism. About pitting one's wits against a hopeless situation. About living as a pawn yet trying to turn the tables on "the man."

And in those terms, "Eat the Peach" is a runaway success. It deserves to become more widely known.

As an Irish person, I like to catch as many home-made films as possible when they are in the cinema. In the case of this one, I wish I'd stayed home in front of the TV. There's a hackneyed storyline which falls back on every Oirish cliche in the book, cardboard characters and nothing to keep you watching. Stay away my friends.