A superb screen version of John B. Keane's Irish classic that somewhat alters the original and actually improves on it. "The Field" of the title is a piece of Irish land, no more than three acres, owned by a dour widow but farmed by her tenant, the 'Bull' McCabe, (a magnificent Richard Harris). When she decides to sell it at public auction, 'The Bull' assumes no-one will bid against him but an outsider, a returning American, (Tom Berenger), outbids him. leading to tragedy for all concerned.
The theme, of course, is an Irishman's love of, or passion for, the land to the exclusion of all else, a cliche perhaps but like so many cliches, one founded in a kind of truth. Filmed on locations around Leenane in County Galway, director Jim Sheridan's use of landscape is integral to the plot and while he has assembled a first-rate cast, it's 'the Bull' who anchors the film. He's an Irish Lear, complete with his own Fool, a little hang-dog man nicknamed 'the Bird' and brilliantly played by John Hurt and Harris was robbed of an Oscar for his performance but then there really isn't a bad performance in sight. Now all we need is for Sheridan to film Keane's masterpiece "Sive".
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