An important piece of Irish cinema is about to get a new lease of life in both Dublin and New York.
Guests of the Nation is to be aired at the National Concert Hall in Dublin as well as in the Lincoln Centre in New York. The screenings of the silent classic will be accompanied by a live performance of orchestral music.
The music has been specially composed by Niall Byrne and will be performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra conducted by David Brophy.
Guests of the Nation was first released in 1935 at a time when silent movies were beginning to be replaced by talkies. The film was directed by playwright Denis Johnston who kept it silent due to budgetary restraints.
Guests of the Nation is based on the story by Frank O’ Connor about the friendship between British Soldiers and their IRA captors.
The film features early performances from Cyril Cusack and Barry Fitzgerald, who went on to win an Oscar ten years later for his performance in Going my Way.
Generations of Irish artists have been inspired by the film including director Neil Jordan who cited it as an influence in creating 1992’s The Crying Game.
The film with its live accompaniment will have its world premiere in the National Concert Hall at 8pm on Sunday September 11. The show will then travel to the famous Alice Tully Hall in New York’s Lincoln Centre where it will be performed on Thursday September 22.
