The Snapper (film)

The Snapper is a 1993 Irish television film which was directed by Stephen Frears[1] and starred Tina Kellegher, Colm Meaney and Brendan Gleeson. The film is based on the novel[2] by Irish writer Roddy Doyle, about the Rabbitte family and their domestic adventures. For his performance, Meaney was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

The Snapper
GenreDrama
Written byRoddy Doyle
Screenplay byRoddy Doyle
Directed byStephen Frears
Starring
Theme music composerStanley Myers
Country of originIreland
Original language(s)Hiberno-English
Production
Executive producer(s)Mark Shivas
Producer(s)Lynda Myles
Ian Hopkins (associate producer)
Production location(s)Dublin, Ireland
Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
CinematographyOliver Stapleton
Editor(s)Mick Audsley
Running time91 minutes
Production company(s)BBC
DistributorMiramax
Release
Picture formatColour
Audio formatDolby
Original release4 April 1993
Chronology
Preceded byThe Commitments
Followed byThe Van

Plot

Young Sharon Curley becomes pregnant, but refuses to tell anyone who the father is.[3] She decides to keep the baby ("snapper") and her family, each in their own way, eventually decides to support her. Her father particularly studies up on childbirth and female anatomy (with gratifying results for his wife as a bonus).

Soon after a wild night at the pub, twenty-year-old Sharon Curley (Tina Kellegher) finds herself expecting a little "snapper" by a man she loathes. Her refusal to name the father sets in motion a family drama involving her three brothers, two sisters, and her parents, along with her employers and all her friends. Kellegher, playing the role as a coarse, earthy, yet remarkably sensible young woman (with the exception of her excessive drinking during her pregnancy) soon discovers who her friends really are, as some people tease and torment her, some make remarks to her siblings, some force her father to take direct action in her defence, and all spread gossip.

Des Curley[4] (Colm Meaney), Sharon's father, shows the whole world in his face, his emotions ranging from outrage toward Sharon for embarrassing the family to tender concern as her time draws near. As the eight-member family trips all over each other emotionally (symbolised in their battles for the one bathroom, often occupied by Sharon), the tensions within the family grow more intense. Widespread speculation about who the father is disrupts the neighbourhood, with some hotheads visiting their own brand of justice on the Curleys. The arrival of the baby offers a chance at resolution.

It turns out that Sharon's friend's father, Georgie Burgess (Pat Laffan), got her pregnant after a night of heavy drinking. Sharon's story is that it was a Spanish sailor, but the whole town suspects the truth.

Production

The surname of the Rabbitte family in the book had to be changed to Curley as 20th Century Fox owns the rights to the Rabbitte name from The Commitments (1991), which featured the same characters. The film was shot in many familiar locations around Dublin including Raheny, Kilbarrack, Ballybough, Dún Laoghaire & The Old Shieling Hotel.

References
  1. "The Snapper – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  2. Ebert, Roger. "The Snapper movie review & film summary (1993) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. "The Snapper". Empire. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  4. "The Snapper". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 2 March 2020.


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