Kells...The Secret of:
(From February 2009)
The Saturday vision of cameras carried through with me to Sunday evening as I trod the red carpet at the premiere of Paul Young’s animated film ‘The Secret of Kells’ at the Savoy cinema in Dublin. Paul Young is the son of Sean and Anne Young of Boyle. With Tom Moore they run an animation studio in Kilkenny called Cartoon Saloon. They are responsible for a current series, which young people may be familiar with called Skunk Fu. However 'The Secret of Kells’ is a huge endeavour which has been in the making for a number of years. On Sunday evening we assembled in the Gresham Hotel, which, with the competition in hotel pricing, plebs such as I can now enter. There many of those involved in the film gathered. The Young family were out in force with Sean and Anne, their children, Joseph, Liam, Katherine, Aileen and the grandchildren and other family members. There also were two of the principal voices, of the films characters, Brendan Gleeson and Mick Lally. Then it was time to transfer to the nearby cinema. A battery of paparazzi was on hand to record the entrance of Messrs Gleeson, Lally and the other principals. I kept a discreet distance and then like a corner forward made the mistake of scurrying over the red carpet instead of doing a slow deliberate walk and milking the moment. Finally the film hit the screen. I was more than a little anxious that the film was good and well received. In describing the film subsequently I arrived at a one line response which I repeated a number of times in the post film discussions; “The Book of Kells is one of the great works of art, this film is also a work of art". The finale was met with sustained applause.
In summary the film is based around the production of the final part of The Book of Kells by a young Brother Brendan under the guidance of Brother Aidan (voiced by Mick Lally). Brother Brendan needs an extra empowering dimension to enable him to be able to do this –the secret - and survives adventures in its acquisition while constantly drawing down the wrath of his superior brother abbot who is preoccupied with building a defensive wall for the community, in anticipation of a destructive Viking raid. The Abbot superior is initially afraid to embrace the beauty of the book. All this activity is enhanced with a strong theme music and magical graphics. I have to draw the veil over the film’s progress so you will have to pursue the secret yourself. It is said of the Book of Kells, that it was produced, not by man, but by angels. Its trauma of its birth is well represented by the artists of Cartoon Saloon.
Afterwards it was on to a post film reception in the Long Library of Trinity College, once the home of the Book of Kells for over four hundred years. A new custom adapted exhibition area is now its home adjacent to the library. If this film gains the broad distribution that it deserves then Trinity College should benefit in terms of visitor numbers as is the case where successful films have raised profiles. This is an Irish film produced by Irish artists of whom we can be proud. That pride is multiplied by the fact that we know these people. Another interested party, the Mayor of Kells, was also present with his chain of office drawing the welcoming curiosity.
Brendan Gleeson on Monday’s R.T.E. afternoon Seoige Show commended the film as follows: “It is stunning to look at and may be something of an antidote to the present times. It shows what we are creatively capable of and now what the movie-going public need to do is to support that effort, in their own way, by just going to see it”.
Perhaps we will have a local premiere in nearby Carrick-on-Shannon. In any event it was great to be part of the launch of The Secret of Kells and smile as one’s name rolled on the extended credits!
In summary the film is based around the production of the final part of The Book of Kells by a young Brother Brendan under the guidance of Brother Aidan (voiced by Mick Lally). Brother Brendan needs an extra empowering dimension to enable him to be able to do this –the secret - and survives adventures in its acquisition while constantly drawing down the wrath of his superior brother abbot who is preoccupied with building a defensive wall for the community, in anticipation of a destructive Viking raid. The Abbot superior is initially afraid to embrace the beauty of the book. All this activity is enhanced with a strong theme music and magical graphics. I have to draw the veil over the film’s progress so you will have to pursue the secret yourself. It is said of the Book of Kells, that it was produced, not by man, but by angels. Its trauma of its birth is well represented by the artists of Cartoon Saloon.
Afterwards it was on to a post film reception in the Long Library of Trinity College, once the home of the Book of Kells for over four hundred years. A new custom adapted exhibition area is now its home adjacent to the library. If this film gains the broad distribution that it deserves then Trinity College should benefit in terms of visitor numbers as is the case where successful films have raised profiles. This is an Irish film produced by Irish artists of whom we can be proud. That pride is multiplied by the fact that we know these people. Another interested party, the Mayor of Kells, was also present with his chain of office drawing the welcoming curiosity.
Brendan Gleeson on Monday’s R.T.E. afternoon Seoige Show commended the film as follows: “It is stunning to look at and may be something of an antidote to the present times. It shows what we are creatively capable of and now what the movie-going public need to do is to support that effort, in their own way, by just going to see it”.
Perhaps we will have a local premiere in nearby Carrick-on-Shannon. In any event it was great to be part of the launch of The Secret of Kells and smile as one’s name rolled on the extended credits!
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