My Left Foot

[박대선]

최근에 본 아버지의 이름으로의 감독과 주연이 출연한 영화다. 뇌성마비 연기는 괜챦았다. 실화에 입각했고 일부 각색을 했다고는 했지만 내용은 나의 타입은 아니었다. 물론 내가 예술에 일가견이 없다는데 가장 큰 원인이 있는지도 모른다. 그의 그림이 얼마나 뛰어난지는 모르지만 설사 피카소급이라고 해도 간호사와 결혼에 이르는 과정은 별다른 감흥을 주지않는다.

원시시대에 여자가 자신과 그들이 낳을 아이들에게 먹이를 공급할 능력이 높은 남자를 좋아하는 것은 본능적인 일이다. 그러나 남자가 예쁜 여자를 좋아하는 것은 호사스러운 일이고 여자가 돈 많은 남자를 좋아하는 것은 적어도 현대의 선진사회에서는 그만큼 필수적이지는 않다. 주인공은 나보다 한세대가 빠른 사람이고 아버지가 해고되었을 때 꿀꿀이죽으로 때우고 난방도 제대로 못했기는 했지만 그래도 추억이라는 끈없이 처음본 여자에게 수작을 걸어서 혼인에 이르는 것이 사실과는 얼마나 다른지는 몰라도 적어도 공감을 주지는 못했다.

My Left Foot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see My Left Foot (disambiguation).

My Left Foot
Theatrical Release poster
Directed by	Jim Sheridan
Produced by	Noel Pearson
Screenplay by	Shane Connaughton Jim Sheridan
Based on	My Left Foot by Christy Brown
Starring	Daniel Day-Lewis Ray McAnally Brenda Fricker Cyril Cusack Fiona Shaw Hugh O'Conor Adrian Dunbar Ruth McCabe Alison Whelan
Music by	Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography	Jack Conroy
Edited by	J. Patrick Duffner
Distributed by	Granada Films (UK) Miramax Films
Release dates	24 February 1989 (premiere)[1]
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Ireland United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£600,000
Box office	$14.7 million[2]

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown is a 1989 Irish-British biographic drama film co-written and directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally and Fiona Shaw. It tells the story of Christy Brown, an Irishman born with cerebral palsy, who could control only his left foot. Christy Brown grew up in a poor, working-class family, and became a writer and artist. The film also stars Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Fiona Shaw, Julie Hale, Alison Whelan, Kirsten Sheridan, Declan Croghan, Eanna MacLiam, Marie Conmee, and Cyril Cusack. It is a partly fictional biography, adapted by Shane Connaughton and Jim Sheridan from the book of the same name by Christy Brown.^[3]

The film was well received by critics and audiences alike, with Daniel Day-Lewis being universally commended for his performance as a man with cerebral palsy, and many crtics and film watchers ranking his performance as one of the greatest in all of film. Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively, and the film was additionally nominated for three other awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Shane Connaughton and Jim Sheridan, Best Director for Sheridan and the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Plot
• 2Cast
• 3Production
• 4Reception
  • 4.1Critical response
  • 4.2Accolades
• 5See also
• 6References
• 7External links

Plot[edit]

The film opens with Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), who has cerebral palsy, being taken to a charity event, where he meets his handler, a nurse named Mary Carr. She begins reading his autobiography. Christy could not walk or talk, but still received love and support from his family, especially his mother. One day when he was still a young boy, Christy was the only one home to see his mother fall down a flight of stairs while in labor, and he was able to alert some neighbors and summon them over to help. His father, who had never really believed in him, becomes a supporter the day nine- or 10-year-old Christy uses his left foot, the only body part he can fully control, to write the word "mother" on the floor with a piece of yellow chalk.

Consequently, Christy seeks a hobby in painting. The neighborhood youngsters include him in their activities, like street football. But when he paints a picture and gives it to a girl he likes, she returns it. When his father loses his job and the family faces exceptionally difficult hardships, Christy devises a plan to help his brothers steal coal (to their mother's dismay). His older sister, who was always very nice to him, gets pregnant and must marry and leave home. Christy's mother, who had been gradually gathering some savings in a tin in the fireplace, finally saves enough to buy him a wheelchair.

Christy meets Dr. Eileen Cole, who takes him to her school for cerebral palsy patients and persuades a friend of hers to hold an exhibition of his work. Christy falls in love with Dr. Cole, but when he learned during the dinner that she is engaged to be married, he considers suicide. His mother helps him build a private studio for himself, but soon afterward his father dies of a stroke, and during the wake Christy instigates a brawl. At this point, Christy starts writing his autobiography, My Left Foot. Dr. Cole returns and they resume their friendship. Meanwhile, at the fete, Christy asks Mary Carr to go out with him and they leave the fete together.

Cast[edit]

• Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown
  • Hugh O'Conor as young Christy Brown
• Brenda Fricker as Bridget Fagan Brown, Christy's mother
• Ray McAnally as Paddy Brown
• Fiona Shaw as Dr. Eileen Cole
• Kirsten Sheridan as Sharon Brown
• Alison Whelan as Sheila Brown
• Eanna MacLiam as Benny Brown
• Declan Croghan as Tom Brown
• Marie Conremme as Sadie Brown
• Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland
• Phelim Drew as Brian
• Eileen Colgan as Nan
• Ruth McCabe as Mary Carr

Production[edit]

Day-Lewis first became interested in the film when he read the opening scene, which features him, as Brown, using his left foot to place a record on a player and then placing a needle onto it so that it will play. ^[4] Lewis would later state of the scene "'I knew it couldn't be done...and that intrigued me".^[4] Many scenes were filmed through a mirror, as Daniel Day-Lewis could only manipulate his right foot to perform the actions seen in the film. Day-Lewis spent some time preparing for the film at Christy Brown's alma mater in Dublin. He later returned there for a visit, with his Oscar.^[5]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Upon its initial release, My Left Foot received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 97% of 34 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8.1 out of 10.^[6]

Accolades[edit]

It won the Academy Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Brenda Fricker). It was also nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. It also won the NYFCC Best Picture Award for 1989.

List of awards and nominations
Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Academy Awards[7]	26 March 1990	Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Brenda Fricker	Won
		Best Picture	Noel Pearson, producer	Nominated
		Best Director	Jim Sheridan	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Shane Connaughton & Jim Sheridan	Nominated
BAFTA Film Awards[8]	1990	Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Ray McAnally	Won
		Best Film	My Left Foot	Nominated
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Shane Connaughton & Jim Sheridan	Nominated
		Best Makeup	Ken Jennings	Nominated
European Film Awards[9]	25 November 1989	Young European Film of the Year	My Left Foot	Nominated
		Best Director	Jim Sheridan	Nominated
		Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[10]	20 January 1990	Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Brenda Fricker	Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards[11]	24 March 1990	Best Foreign Film	My Left Foot	Won
Los Angeles Film Critics[12]	16 January 1990	Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Brenda Fricker	Won
National Film Critics[11]	8 January 1990	Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Won
New York Film Critics[13]	14 January 1990	Best Film	My Left Foot	Won
		Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis	Won
Young Artist Awards[14]	March 1990	Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Motion Picture	Hugh O’Conor	Won
		Best Motion Picture: Drama	My Left Foot	Nominated

See also[edit]

• BFI Top 100 British films

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ Jackson, Laura. Daniel Day-Lewis: The Biography. John Blake, 2005. p. 137.
2. Jump up^ "My Left Foot (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
3. Jump up^ The Irish Filmography 1896-1996; Red Mountain Press; 1996. Page 43
4. ^ Jump up to:^a b Hirschberg, Lynn. "Daniel Day-Lewis: the perfectionist". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
5. Jump up^ Jordan, Anthony J. Daniel Day Lewis, Gentleman, A Memoir. pp. 1–22.
6. Jump up^ "My Left Foot – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
7. Jump up^ "The 62nd Academy Awards (1990) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
8. Jump up^ "BAFTA Awards Search – My Left Foot". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
9. Jump up^ "European Film Awards". European Film Academy. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
10. Jump up^ "Daniel Day-Lewis". Film4. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
11. ^ Jump up to:^a b "My Left Foot (1989)". NY Times. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
12. Jump up^ "15TH ANNUAL LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS". lafca. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
13. Jump up^ "Critics' Award to 'Drugstore Cowboy'". NY Times. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
14. Jump up^ "11th Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Retrieved 2011-03-31.

External links[edit]

• Official website
• My Left Foot at the Internet Movie Database
• My Left Foot at the TCM Movie Database
• My Left Foot at Rotten Tomatoes
• My Left Foot at Box Office Mojo

[hide]

• v
• t
• e

Films directed by Jim Sheridan

• My Left Foot (1989)
• The Field (1990)
• In the Name of the Father (1993)
• The Boxer (1997)
• In America (2003)
• Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)
• Brothers (2009)
• Dream House (2011)
• The Secret Scripture (2016)

Categories: 

• 1989 films
• English-language films
• 1980s drama films
• Biographical films about artists
• British films
• British drama films
• Irish films
• Irish drama films
• Directorial debut films
• Film scores by Elmer Bernstein
• Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics
• Films about people with cerebral palsy
• Films about writers
• Films based on biographies
• Films directed by Jim Sheridan
• Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance
• Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award-winning performance
• Films set in Dublin (city)
• Films shot in the Republic of Ireland
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film winners
• Miramax films