My Left Foot
My Left Foot | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jim Sheridan |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | My Left Foot by Christy Brown |
Produced by | Noel Pearson |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Jack Conroy |
Edited by | J. Patrick Duffner |
Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Palace Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes[2] |
Countries | |
Language | English |
Budget | £600,000[4] |
Box office | $14.7 million[5] |
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown, also known simply as My Left Foot, is a 1989 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan adapted by Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from the 1954 memoir of the same name by Christy Brown. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Hugh O'Conor, Fiona Shaw, and Cyril Cusack. The film tells the story of Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy, who could control only his left foot. Brown grew up in a poor working-class family, and became a writer and artist.[6]
My Left Foot was theatrically released on 24 February 1989 to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised the film's screenplay and direction, its message, and especially the performances of Day-Lewis and Fricker, while the film grossed $14.7 million on a £600,000 budget. At the 62nd Academy Awards, the film received five nominations, including for the Best Picture, with Day-Lewis and Fricker winning Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively. The British Film Institute ranked it as the 53rd greatest British film of the 20th century.[7]
Plot[]
In 1932, Christy Brown is born into a family of 15. Doctors discover he has severe cerebral palsy. Christy is unable to walk or talk. He is loved and supported by his family, especially his mother. One day, Christy's mother trips down the stairs while in labour and Christy was the only person home to see it. He was able to alert some neighbours and summon them over to help. Christy's father, who never believed Christy would amount to anything, starts to become proud after witnessing him use his left foot, the only body part he can fully control, to write the word "mother" on the floor with a piece of chalk.
Consequently, Christy seeks a hobby in painting. The neighbourhood 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. Later, his father loses his job and the family faces exceptionally difficult hardships, so Christy devises a plan to help his brothers steal coal to their mother's dismay. 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 is then introduced to 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 Cole, but when he learns 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. Cole returns and they resume their friendship. Later on, Christy attends a charity event where he meets his handler, a nurse named Mary Carr. She begins reading his autobiography. He asks Mary to go out with him and they then happily leave the fete together.
Cast[]
- Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown, a man born with cerebral palsy
- Hugh O'Conor as young Christy Brown
- Brenda Fricker as Bridget Fagan Brown, Christy's mother
- Ray McAnally as Patrick Brown, Christy's father
- Fiona Shaw as Eileen Cole, Christy's carer
- Kirsten Sheridan as Sharon Brown, Christy's sister
- Alison Whelan as Sheila Brown, Christy's sister
- Eanna MacLiam as Benny Brown, Christy's brother
- Declan Croghan as Tom Brown, Christy's brother
- Marie Conremme as Sadie Brown, Christy's sister
- Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland
- Phelim Drew as Brian
- Eileen Colgan as Nan
- as Mary Carr, Christy's handler and eventual wife
- Adrian Dunbar as Peter, Cole's fiancé
Production[]
Day-Lewis 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.[8] Day-Lewis said of the scene: 'I knew it couldn't be done...and that intrigued me."[8] 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.[9]
Reception[]
My Left Foot received widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 98% of 41 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8.20/10. The site's critical consensus states, "No doubt most will come to My Left Foot for Daniel Day-Lewis' performance, but the movie's refusal to go downbeat will keep it in viewer minds afterwards."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 97 out of 100 based on 17 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and stated, "My Left Foot is a great film for many reasons, but the most important is that it gives us such a complete picture of this man's life. It is not an inspirational movie, although it inspires. It is not a sympathetic movie, although it inspires sympathy. It is the story of a stubborn, difficult, blessed and gifted man who was dealt a bad hand, who played it brilliantly, and who left us some good books, some good paintings and the example of his courage. It must not have been easy".[12]
In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter polled hundreds of Academy members, asking them to re-vote on past controversial decisions. Academy members indicated that, given a second chance, they would award the 1990 Academy Award for Best Picture to My Left Foot instead of Driving Miss Daisy.[13]
Accolades[]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
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Academy Awards[14] | 26 March 1990 | Best Picture | Noel Pearson | Nominated |
Best Director | Jim Sheridan | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Brenda Fricker | Won | ||
Best Adapted Screenplay | Shane Connaughton & Jim Sheridan | Nominated | ||
BAFTA Film Awards[15] | 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[16] | 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[17] | 20 January 1990 | Best Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress | Brenda Fricker | Nominated | ||
Independent Spirit Awards[18] | 24 March 1990 | Best Foreign Film | My Left Foot | Won |
Los Angeles Film Critics[19] | 16 January 1990 | Best Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis | Won |
Best Supporting Actress | Brenda Fricker | Won | ||
National Society of Film Critics[18] | 8 January 1990 | Best Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis | Won |
New York Film Critics[20] | 14 January 1990 | Best Film | My Left Foot | Won |
Best Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis | Won | ||
Young Artist Awards[21] | 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[]
References[]
- ^ Jackson, Laura. Daniel Day-Lewis: The Biography Archived 31 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. John Blake, 2005. p. 137.
- ^ "MY LEFT FOOT (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ a b "My Left Foot (1989)" Archived 26 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine. BFI.
- ^ "Hollywood: 15 low-budget movies that did well at the Box Office". Gulf Daily News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ "My Left Foot (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ The Irish Filmography 1896-1996; Red Mountain Press; 1996. Page 43
- ^ British Film Institute - Top 100 British Films Archived 12 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine (1999). Retrieved August 27, 2016
- ^ a b Hirschberg, Lynn. "Daniel Day-Lewis: the perfectionist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ Jordan, Anthony J. Daniel Day Lewis, Gentleman, A Memoir. pp. 1–22.
- ^ "My Left Foot – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "My Left Foot Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (2 February 1990). "My Left Foot Movie Review & Film Summary (1990)". Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ "Recount! Oscar Voters Today Would Make 'Brokeback Mountain' Best Picture Over 'Crash'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "The 62nd Academy Awards (1990) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards Search – My Left Foot". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ "European Film Awards". European Film Academy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Daniel Day-Lewis". Film4. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ a b "My Left Foot (1989)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "15TH ANNUAL LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS". lafca. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Critics' Award to 'Drugstore Cowboy'". NY Times. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "11th Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
External links[]
- 1989 films
- English-language films
- 1980s comedy-drama films
- Biographical films about painters
- Biographical films about writers
- British films
- British comedy-drama films
- Irish films
- Irish drama films
- Films scored by Elmer Bernstein
- Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics
- Films about people with cerebral palsy
- 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
- 1989 directorial debut films
- 1989 comedy films
- 1989 drama films
- Mother and son films