''The Outcasts'', written and directed by

Robert Wynne-Simmons Robert Anthony Wynne-Simmons (born 18 August 1947) is a British composer, film director and screenwriter. Early life and education Wynne-Simmons began to make films and write plays, poetry and music while still at school. He attended Lancing ...

and starring Mary Ryan and

Mick Lally Mick is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in England as a derogatory term for an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. In Australia the meaning broaden ...

, is an Irish film completed in 1982 and broadcast in 1984 as part of UK's

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

Film on Four Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, it ...

series. It was the first Irish feature film in 50 years, and as such started the revival of the

Irish Film industry The Irish film industry has grown somewhat in recent years thanks partly to the promotion of the sector by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and the introduction of heavy tax breaks. According to the Irish Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review ...

Description

This 95-minute feature film was written and directed in 1982 by Robert Wynne-Simmons, starring Mary Ryan as Maura and

as Scarf Michael. Camerawork is by Seamus Corcoran and music by Steve Cooney. Because it was the first major movie to be funded in Ireland for half a century, it was given credit for initiating the revival of the

Cinema of Ireland The Irish film industry has grown somewhat in recent years thanks partly to the promotion of the sector by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and the introduction of heavy tax breaks. According to the Irish Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review ...

. This project by the film company Tolmayax was nearly prematurely ended in December 1981 when the film location became inaccessible due to snow 14 feet deep. Filming started again in February 1982, funded by the

Arts Council of Ireland The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally ga, An Chomhairle Ealaíon) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts." About It was established in 1951 by the Government of Ireland, to encour ...

and the

Irish Film Board Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board, is the Republic of Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. It provides funds for the developm ...

. It was bought by

Channel Four Television Corporation Channel Four Television Corporation is a British state-owned media company headquartered in London. Its original and principal activity is the British national television network Channel 4. The company was founded in 1982 as the Channel Four T ...

for its

series and first transmitted in 1984. It was the only feature film produced by Tolmayax.Zone-SF.com
/ref> The film has not been released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

, however it was released on VHS in 1983.WorldCat
/ref> This dreamlike film does not precisely fit any genre, except perhaps fantasy.

Plot

The plot is based on

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...

and history. and is set before the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852. Influences include ''

The Book of Thel ''The Book of Thel'' is a poem by William Blake, dated 1789 and probably composed in the period 1788 to 1790. It is illustrated by his own plates, and compared to his later prophetic books is relatively short and easier to understand. The metre ...

'' by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, and poetry by

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

. Maura is an apparently backward girl who is awakened by an outcast

fairy A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

r and

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

known as Scarf Michael. He becomes her lover and teacher.

Awards

''The Outcasts'' appeared at film festivals worldwide, and won the following awards. It got Best Film and Critics Prize at

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film (french: Festival international du film fantastique de Bruxelles, nl, Internationaal Festival van de Fantastische Fil ...

, and Best First Feature and Best Actress at the San Remo Film Festival. It had Special Prize for Originality and Jury Prize at Oporto Film Festival 1984, and Prix du Publique at

Geneva Film Festival The Geneva Film Festival is an annual event that takes place in Geneva, Illinois. The festival shows films from around the world and puts on a workshop for those interested in the technical aspects of the film making process. Official selec ...

. It has the

Award.

References

External links

Media reviews of The Outcasts on the RWS website

IMDb page for The Outcasts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Outcasts Irish fantasy films 1982 fantasy films 1980s English-language films