Front Row Dress Circle

I recently bought a stash of DVD’s from Amazon - very addictive I have to say. And one of them was one of my fave films; Waking Ned Devine.

This is a charming, heart warming film made back in 1998 starring the late, great Ian Bannen along with David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan and James Nesbitt.

The film centres around a small village (supposedly in Ireland but the movie was actually filmed on location on the Isle of Man) and what happens after one of the villagers, Ned Devine, dies from shock after winning first prize on the Lottery. His friends discover that ’someone’ in their village has won the big money…but who?

Jackie & Micheal (Ian Bannen and David Kelly) decide to find out only to discover Ned in his cottage by the sea…dead in front of the TV with the winning ticket in his hand. After a dream, which features Ned and himself, Jackie claims Ned wants his friends to claim the money and share it among themselves. Micheal is drawn into impersonating Ned when the Lottery official arrives…and so the fun, both funny and sad, begins.

This is a wonderful film with characters you will warm to…and NOT warm to - the local ‘witch’ Lizzie threatens to blow the lid on their scheme when she is not promised a bigger share of the money than everyone else…what eventually happens to her is not only shocking but the climax to the story…you will be cheering in your chair.

Everything ends well in this film…and you find out something about Ned towards the end that provides a nice little twist in the tale…I’m not telling

Trivia:

* Ian Bannen, the highly respected and brilliant British actor, died one year after completing this film. He died in a road accident in Scotland when the car, driven by his wife Maggie, overturned. He was on a break during work on the film ‘Simply Sinatra’.

* The film was actually shot on location on the Isle of Man. The village in the film, ‘Tullymore’ was actually called ‘Cregneash’. The local people from the village were the extra’s in the village scenes.

* The Jackie’s House interiors for the ‘chicken dinner’ scene and bedroom and bathroom scenes, were sets built in the old mill in Laxey, the Glen Road.

* Neds House: Ned’s house exterior was a cottage at Niarbyl. The ‘nude swim’ scene was at Niarbyl down below Cregganmooar on White Beach.

* The ‘Fatal Phone Box’ was on the Marine Drive outside of Douglas.

* The final memorable scene was shot on top of Cronk ny Irree Lhaa.

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