The Best 2000’s Children’s Folk Music Movies
Contents
The Best 2000’s Children’s Folk Music Movies
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression and follows the story of three convicts who escape from a chain gang and go on a journey in search of a treasure. Along the way, they encounter many interesting characters, including a group of musicians who perform traditional folk and bluegrass songs. The film features some great music, including the Grammy-winning song “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow.”
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
If you’re looking for a feel-good movie about children’s folk music, then look no further than The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Released in 2006, this movie is set in rural Ireland and follows a group of young friends who form a band and enter a local music competition. The film has an amazing soundtrack of traditional Irish songs, performed by both the cast and some well-known Irish musicians.
Into the West (1992)
Into the West is a 1992 Irish fantasy adventure film directed by Mike Newell. It stars Gabriel Byrne and Connie Nielsen. The film tells the story of two young boys who befriend a free-spirited white horse in Ireland during the late 19th century. It won the Best Children’s Film award at the 15th Moscow International Film Festival.
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
The Secret of Roan Inish is a 1994 American drama film directed by John Sayles. Based on the novel Secret of Ron Mor Skerry by Rosalie Fry, the film was produced by Maggie Renzi, Sayles’s long-time companion and producing partner. It stars Jeni Courtney, Jodhi May, John Lynch and Maeve Gearin.
The film is about a young girl named Fiona who goes to live with her grandparents in Ireland after her mother dies. While there, she becomes interested in the legend of a seal woman who lives in the nearby Roan Inish island. Fiona also discovers that her mother was born on Roan Inish and that she has a special connection to the island.
The Secret of Roan Inish received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.
Songcatcher (2000)
Songcatcher is a 2000 drama film directed by Maggie Greenwald. It stars Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman, and Catlin Fitzgerald. The screenplay by Kiss the Girls (1997) writer Jane Anderson is based on the historical research of musicologist Dr. Fiona Ritchie into the field recording archives of British Folk Song collector Cecil Sharp.
Set in 1917, the film follows Dr. Lily Penleric (Fitzgerald), a musicologist from England who journeyes to Appalachia to collect traditional folk songs. She develops a close bond with a local woman named Patsy Cline (Janet McTeer), who helps her to record the songs and teach them to others. Patsy also sings at the local church, which attracts the attention of Reverend Alec MacLachlan (Rickman). He offers to help Lily in her work, but she is reluctant to involve him because she does not want him to commercialize the songs or take credit for them.
The film was shot on location in North Carolina and Virginia, and features many traditional folk songs performed by both well-known and unknown artists. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Into The West”, written by Annie Lennox and performed by Emmylou Harris.
The Brothers McMullen (1995)
The Brothers McMullen is a 1995 American independent comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Edward Burns. The film depicts the lives of three Irish Catholic brothers living in Woods Hole on Cape Cod, Massachusetts as they deal with girls, drinking, and marriages.
The Brothers McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. The film was made for $23,000 and grossed over $10 million at the box office.
The Quiet Man (1952)
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story of the same name by Maurice Walsh, later published as part of a collection entitled The Kid Comes Back.
The Quiet Man won the Academy Award for Best Director for John Ford, his second consecutive year to win that award, and his fourth overall (he had previously won in 1941 for How Green Was My Valley, and in 1940 and 1935 for the documentaries The Grapes of Wrath and The Informer). It also won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (by Winton C. Hoch), and was nominated in five other categories: Actor in a Leading Role (John Wayne), Actor in a Supporting Role (Barry Fitzgerald), Actress in a Leading Role (Maureen O’Hara), Writing – Motion Picture Story, and Sound Recording.
Waking Ned Devine (1998)
This charming film from director Kirk Jones is set in the small Irish village of Tulaigh More. The residents are excited when they learn that one of their own, Ned Devine, has won the lottery jackpot. But Ned has a heart attack and dies before he can collect his winnings. His friends hatch a plan to claim the money in his name, but they must first convince the authorities that Ned is still alive.
With its delightful characters and gentle humor, Waking Ned Devine is a warm and charming film. The folk music score by Nigel Hess is an added bonus.
Once (2007)
Once is a 2007 Irish musical romantic drama film written and directed by John Carney. The film stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova as two struggling musicians in Dublin, Ireland. Hansard and Irglova wrote most of the film’s songs; it is notable for being almost entirely improvised.
The film was critically acclaimed and grossed $154 million worldwide. It received awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” as well as the 2007 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Audience Award.
The Pogues: If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988)
The Pogues: If I Should Fall from Grace with God is a 1988 folk music film directed by Chris Menges. The film centers on the Irish folk music band The Pogues and their album of the same name.
