'Hunger'

[Main Street]

The camera is neutral in this film which is why the Film critics can have little problem with politics or bias when it comes to appraising the film.
The film can be judged on it's merits without any ideologies conflicting.

The only people who interact with Bobby Sands once he takes the decision to go on Hunger strike are the priest who challenges Bobby,
the 2 orderlies, one of whom is sympathetic to the human condition that he was witnessing, the other orderly was not sympathetic.
The parents were also witnessing but are deliberately kept distant in the room by the camera.

[girt_giggler]

I havent seen it advertised as being shown on any cinema yet in the north...

[Donagh]

It's on at the QFT and Movie House cinemas.

[bridgegael]

i'm near sure its on in newry omniplex

[el_cuervo_fc]

i'm near sure its on in newry omniplex

It is

[tkeitdwn]

A bit too arthouse for my liking but still a good watch.Never delves to deeply into the backround of the hunger strikes , leaves you with more questions than answers.

[Doogie Browser]

Some Welsh Tory (theres an oxymoron) was complaining that they were given £120,000 in funding from the Welsh film board for this film, slow news day in the Valleys.

[Main Street]

The "whiney voiced fella" was Eamonn Mallie the journalist. Not a bad fella and as  far as I can tell, one of the few that's trusted by all sides. Spotted him in a good Irish language programme on TG4 the other night about the Vallely family from Armagh. 

That's him. Some things he said are not suitable for this thread.
But as Hunger is a central part of this thread
O'Mallie made a bit of a show at the end of the program of stating excitedly his understanding of the medical report leak, that from the 45th day onwards there is a (physical) deterioration from which there is no point of return.
That medical observation was based on, amongst others, Lawrence McKeown, who as we know was taken off his  hunger strike after 70 days when he lapsed into a coma in an extremely feeble deteriorated state close to death.
Lawrence was asked the question by PK, if he had any lasting effects from his hunger strike.
He replied that the only lasting effect is with his eyesight.
I presume O'Mallie was listening to the interview, I wondered why would he not pay attention to that information but chose later to state his understanding of a flatly contradictatory medical observation which did not credit that there is a point of return even up to death's door, where the body with proper care and attention can repair and restore itself almost to the previous level of function.

[Tony Baloney]

A bit too arthouse for my liking but still a good watch.Never delves to deeply into the backround of the hunger strikes , leaves you with more questions than answers.

This is probably deliberate on the part of the filmmaker as it would be an interesting, tragic story no matter what country or back story is driving it. It obviously takes a dedicated individual with nuts of steel to put themselves on hunger strike never mind sticking it for over 2 months.

[Donagh]

The "whiney voiced fella" was Eamonn Mallie the journalist. Not a bad fella and as  far as I can tell, one of the few that's trusted by all sides. Spotted him in a good Irish language programme on TG4 the other night about the Vallely family from Armagh. 

That's him. Some things he said are not suitable for this thread.
But as Hunger is a central part of this thread
O'Mallie made a bit of a show at the end of the program of stating excitedly his understanding of the medical report leak, that from the 45th day onwards there is a (physical) deterioration from which there is no point of return.
That medical observation was based on, amongst others, Lawrence McKeown, who as we know was taken off his  hunger strike after 70 days when he lapsed into a coma in an extremely feeble deteriorated state close to death.
Lawrence was asked the question by PK, if he had any lasting effects from his hunger strike.
He replied that the only lasting effect is with his eyesight.
I presume O'Mallie was listening to the interview, I wondered why would he not pay attention to that information but chose later to state his understanding of a flatly contradictatory medical observation which did not credit that there is a point of return even up to death's door, where the body with proper care and attention can repair and restore itself almost to the previous level of function.

I'm not sure MS but I think Mallie came late to the discussion. I think what he might have been getting at, and I've heard big Lawrence say this himself, there was/is a suspicion that the Hunger Strikers had things (vitamins and such) put into their water to make sure that they didn't die at politically difficult times for the Brits. McKeown suspects that because he lasted 70 days and survived, a week longer than anyone else, that he was one of those that was kept alive, hence the attempts to have the medical records from the time released. When you think of the likes of Pat Beag and the Dark (Hughes) who died young as a result of the damage done to their bodies after being on hunger strike and then McKeown who has had relatively few problems since, their suspicions do seem valid.

[milltown row]

i dont know about that Donagh. again we are hung up on conspiracies. Pat Sheehan lasted nearly 60 days. a clubman of mine and is in real good health. some people died a lot earlier because of organ failures. do we presume that they had been tampered with? body's reacted differently just.

having read McKeowns book Nor meekly serve my time (think thats the title) my years ago there was no mention of it then

[Main Street]

Who knows exactly what they did. I'd be interested to read the medical reports.
Lawrence did drop into a coma and was close to death by the time he was taken off the strike.
If he had been liquidated secretly with nutritional supplements then his descent into that physical coma would just have been delayed further.
But essentially, the coma is evidence of his distinct physical deterioration.
It is a possibility that he received nutrition so some of his organs might have retained some essential vitality.

What may be also the case is that Lawrence had a stronger constitution to begin with, whereas other hunger strikers had some weaker organs, liver/ kidneys/heart which after prolonged fast were damaged beyond repair.

[ardmhachaabu]

i dont know about that Donagh. again we are hung up on conspiracies. Pat Sheehan lasted nearly 60 days. a clubman of mine and is in real good health. some people died a lot earlier because of organ failures. do we presume that they had been tampered with? body's reacted differently just.

having read McKeowns book Nor meekly serve my time (think thats the title) my years ago there was no mention of it then

milltown, I have heard the same rumours myself but that's all they are is rumours.  I asked Sean Sands years ago if he thought there was any truth to it and he was emphatic in his denial of that.  As regards Lawrence McKeown, he is the only person who was on hunger strike who has escaped relatively unscathed when you look at all the other men it affected long term.  I stand to be corrected on that though it is my understanding Lawrence is a lucky man.

[milltown row]

i dont know about that Donagh. again we are hung up on conspiracies. Pat Sheehan lasted nearly 60 days. a clubman of mine and is in real good health. some people died a lot earlier because of organ failures. do we presume that they had been tampered with? body's reacted differently just.

having read McKeowns book Nor meekly serve my time (think thats the title) my years ago there was no mention of it then

milltown, I have heard the same rumours myself but that's all they are is rumours.  I asked Sean Sands years ago if he thought there was any truth to it and he was emphatic in his denial of that.  As regards Lawrence McKeown, he is the only person who was on hunger strike who has escaped relatively unscathed when you look at all the other men it affected long term.  I stand to be corrected on that though it is my understanding Lawrence is a lucky man.

like i said, the only striker that i know well, is pretty fit for his time on the strike. lucky? i'm sure he is

[Fluffy Che]

Typical unbiased review from Guardian Film Critic...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2008/nov/03/hunger-bobby-sands