''The Boy from Mercury'' (1996) is an
Irish film, the debut of writer and director
Martin Duffy. The film concerns the science-fiction daydreams of a young boy in 1960
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. Upon release, the film received international critical acclaim, and several awards, though was commercially unsuccessful. It was the first time actors
Rita Tushingham
Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including ''A Taste of Honey'' (1961), ''The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965), ...
and
Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of ...
had appeared on screen together since ''
Doctor Zhivago
''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations.
Description
The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago
Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...
'' thirty years earlier. The film was also the debut of the Irish actor
James Hickey.
The book of the making of the film, ''
The Road to Mercury'', written by the director and released in 2006 by
Ogma Press.
Cast
*
Rita Tushingham
Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including ''A Taste of Honey'' (1961), ''The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965), ...
*
Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of ...
*
Hugh O'Conor
Hugh O'Conor (born 19 April 1975) is an Irish actor, writer, director, and photographer. In 2020, he was listed as number 49 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Career
His first film appearance was opposite Liam Neeso ...
*
James Hickey
Release
The film opened on 5 screens in Ireland on 6 December 1996 and grossed
IR£
The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin ...
3,806 in its first week.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy from Mercury
1996 films
1996 drama films
Films about children
Films about families
Films about school violence
Films set in 1960
Films set in Ireland
Irish drama films
English-language Irish films
1990s English-language films