Lamb
1985
A Catholic priest struggling with his faith is moved by the mistreatment of a deeply troubled boy at a school for delinquent youths on the Atrim Coast of Ireland. Renouncing his vows and taking the boy with him, the two head toward an uncertain fate. Read more
| Starring | Liam Neeson, Ian Bannen, Frances Tomelty, Dudley Sutton |
|---|---|
| Director | Colin Gregg |
| Genres | Drama |
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Lamb
A Catholic priest struggling with his faith is moved by the mistreatment of a deeply troubled boy at a school for delinquent youths on the Atrim Coast of Ireland. Renouncing his vows and taking the boy with him, the two head toward an uncertain fate.
| Starring | Liam Neeson, Ian Bannen, Frances Tomelty, Dudley Sutton, Hugh O'Conor |
|---|---|
| Director | Colin Gregg |
| Studio | CINEMA CLUB |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 45 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: not available Production year: 1985 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Although the central characters are a Christian Brother and one of his unruly students, this is one of the most sensitive “father and son” studies since Bicycle Thieves. Liam Neeson gives a dedicated performance as the religious teacher who finds a new vocation when he “kidnaps” epileptic Hugh O'Conor to spare him from the vindictive violence of headmaster Ian Bannen. Bernard MacLaverty adapts his own novel with care and genuine concern for his characters, without letting the action get bogged down in either spirituality or sentimentality. Director Colin Gregg makes London look disturbingly unwelcoming and handles the tragic conclusion with delicacy and truth.
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Lamb (Neeson), a Catholic priest teaching at a grim remand home for boys on the Irish coast, focuses his charity upon a... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Very unsettling but worth seeing
This film seems to have divided opinion right down the middle, given the reviews I have seen and read. I, personally, found it to be very well done. It takes a controversial situation as its topic, as, after the death of his father, a priest rebels against the oppression of a remand home in southern Ireland by taking a young boy under his wing, who has been abused by his mother and also by the priests and pupils at the school. Because Neeson has taken a vow of poverty, the Holy Order to which he belongs lays claim to the family farm, which forms his inheritance. Instead, he opts to abscond with the child, along with some money, abandon his religious calling and live as a refugee by escaping to England. As the film goes on, he becomes more and more tormented as those conducting the investigation into the abduction close in on him and the boy, and he realises that there is no way out. The ending leaves you wondering whether the sympathy you felt for Neeson's character, after he apparently rescued the boy from danger, was truly deserved.
Ian Bannen is suitably sinister as the lead Brother, the young actor playing the boy is more convincing than most child actors and Liam Neeson is always good, providing a solid lead. It is a terribly bleak tale, without a happy ending, with all of the main characters tormented by some demon or other.
The bitter cold of the environment at the remand school could almost be felt through the screen, both in terms of its atmosphere and the actual climatic conditions. In particular, you couldn't help but despise the boy's mother.
The general approach, particularly the ending, was extremely uncomfortable to watch but, like many Film Four funded movies, such as 'Priest' and even, bizarrely, 'Purely Belter', you almost come to expect it. Whilst the film left many questions unanswered, it was very well executed. -
Most recent members' review
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Customer Review
Although the DVD itself does not do the story justice, I think this is a film which everyone should watch.
Very heartwarming. A real eye opener.
Recommended. -
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Lamb
A Catholic priest struggling with his faith is moved by the mistreatment of a deeply troubled boy at a school for delinquent youths on the Atrim Coast of Ireland. Renouncing his vows and taking the boy with him, the two head toward an uncertain fate....
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