Sir, - In reply to Andy White's objections ("Those Riverdance feet") to my film Some Mother's Son, perhaps I might ask Andy a few questions through this page.
Hey Andy, of course you're right that we didn't show the shards of glass in schoolgirls' faces or the dismembered bodies of soldiers, nor did we show the blanket protesters being wire brushed clean, or the maggots and lice in the cells, or the innumerable atrocities committed by each side against the other; but then, Some Mother's Son is a film. And films have boundaries, and in our case the boundary, according to the Irish Censor Seamus Smith,"was a couple of swearwords and two shootings.
This was enough for him to give us an over 18 certificate (a decision reduced by the Appeal Board). Can you imagine if we'd have included the shards of glass and the guts you so crave for? We might have been banned! Though if shards of glass and brain matter are Seamus Smith's measuring stick he might, instead, have sent another letter to all the press (as he did recently concerning Michael Collins) to announce that he, the Censor, your protector of cinematic morality; could alert said press that he'd give us a general release because of our "historical significance and because he wanted to make us available to "the widest possible audience".
Don't get me wrong. Michael Collins is a great film and should be seen by all, but boy, would I like Some Mother's Son to be available to the "widest possible audience". Can you see the greedy Hollywood eyes light up at those gorgeous words?
Anyway, we were trying to tell a story of two mothers and I collaborated with Bill Whelan, in my opinion one of the best score composers in the world, and a small budget to bring music to that mothers' story. We didn't have enough for helicopters to fly to Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, indeed we didn't have enough for Tommy Lee Jones to prance around playing demented IRA man to U2's Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, or for Clannad to lament as Harrison Ford defended the British monarchy from the psychos of the IRA. We used original Irish music in film. We weren't the first, but apparently it's the first time that you've noticed. Or were the others less offensive?
I think it's very hard to have one moral measuring stick for all one's pronouncements on the arts. By the way, Andy, it sounds as though you speak from experience as to how these Hollywood greed merchants just love this new big synthesiser, Celtic Dawn. - Yours, etc,
New York.