Hosted by writer and broadcaster John Kelly every Tuesday night on RTÉ 1, 'The View' casts an eye over new events in entertainment and the arts - with a varied panel of contributors including artists, writers, journalists, film-makers and critics offering their opinions on the books, films, plays and exhibitions of the moment.
Next Week on The View
On Tuesday, 9 February, John is joined by artist Hilary Orpen, playwright and novelist Declan Hughes and broadcaster Joe Duffy to review fashion designer Tom Ford's debut film in which Colin Firth is 'A Single Man', Edna O'Brien's play 'Haunted' at the Gaiety Theatre, starring Brenda Blethyn, Jon McGregor's novel 'even the dogs' and Jaki Irvine's new art film, 'City of Women', showing alongside Hogarth's prints 'A Harlot's Progress' at the LAB, Dublin.
2 February 2010
The Guests
This week's guests are journalist Edel Coffey, novelist and journalist Peter Murphy and actor and writer Joe Taylor.
The Film: Invictus
Directed by Clint Eastwood, 'Invictus' stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela at a time when, as the newly elected South African President, he manages something many would have considered impossible - uniting the entire country behind the national rugby team, The Springboks, at that point a potent symbol of Apartheid and utterly detested by the majority black population. The Rugby World Cup is about to take place in South Africa and Mandela, to the bewilderment of his own supporters, allies himself with the Springboks' captain, Francois Pienaar, played by Matt Damon, in a bid to win not just hearts and minds, but the World Cup as well. 'Invictus' is on general release nationwide.
The Film: Eamon
Written and directed by Margaret Corkery, 'Eamon' stars Robert Donnelly as a six-year-old boy on holiday with his considerably more childish parents, Grace, played by Amy Kirwan, and Daniel, played by Darren Healy. The trinity is a fraught one. It's raining all the time, they're broke and Eamon isn't allowed ice-cream or coke. One of the many little dramas being played out between them is a battle between father and son for the very limited attentions of the mother. 'Eamon' is on release at selected cinemas.
The Book: Tormented Hope: Nine Hypochondriac Lives
'Tormented Hope: Nine Hypochondriac Lives' is a new book from Brian Dillon, author of the award-winning memoir 'In the Dark Room'. The book is exactly what it says it is, an examination of hypochondria, as suffered by some very well-known people, among them Charles Darwin, Charlotte Bronte, Glenn Gould and Andy Warhol. 'Tormented Hope: Nine Hypochondriac Lives' by Brian Dillon is published by Penguin.
The Play: The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly
Directed by Rough Magic's Lynne Parker and written by Finegan Kruckemeyer, 'The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly' is actor Louis Lovett's first production as theatre-maker in residence in the Ark: The Cultural Centre for Children, in Dublin's Temple Bar. It's the story of the O'Hegartys, a family of skilled packers - people who can successfully pack a grand piano into a bottle. The father is patient, the mother is deaf and the daughter Peggy is a poor, but willing, singer. There's also a mouse, a goat, a bad guy and, much to delight of the children in the audience, a lot of blood. 'The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly' is at the Ark, in association with Theatre Lovett, until 7 March.
Irish Oscar Nominations
There was great news for three Irish films in the Oscars list today. Congratulations to 'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty' in the Best Animated Short Film category, 'The Door' in the Best Live Action Short Film category and 'The Secret of Kells' in the Best Animated Feature category.
The Performance: Boylan Buckley Trio
The Boylan Buckley Trio features Cian Boylan on Piano, Hugh Buckley on Guitar and Dan Bodwell on Bass. They perform a lunchtime concert at the National Concert Hall on Friday, 5 February and they're about to release their debut album. They perform for us 'These Are Soulful Days'.
