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them. In front of the group, grandmother calls to him to not be afraid and to come to them for love and safety - come to his family at last. Jamie remains motionless and afraid, still, then runs for his cradle, but at this point several of the seals herd him towards his family, and prevent him from returning to the cradle boat and the sea. He reluctantly makes his way into his grandmother's open arms and they make their way inside. Seeing that Jamie is safe, the seals depart.
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She gathers her husband, Eamon and Fiona, they pack what they need, and climb into the curragh and make their way to Roan Inish. Racing inside, they see that Jamie is not there and the wind is rising in power and the rain has begun. The grandparents are, however, astonished and grateful to Fiona and
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Jamie's tiny cradle bobs to shore and he jumps out, heading for the cottages to escape the storm, shepherded to safety lovingly by the seals, as they'd probably been doing all along. But then he stops and runs back - he sees his grandparents and Eamon and Fiona, his big sister, and has no memory of
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They get the idea that her grandparents should move back to Roan Inish and, when they do, the seals will return Jamie to them. The grandparents' current landlord is selling their home and they will need to move soon, but won't move to Roan Inish due to the sadness they feel at losing Jamie. Without
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As she meets other villagers, Fiona hears from a distant cousin, Tadhg, about an ancestor who married a beautiful selkie (seal-woman). The story goes that although theirs was a marriage full of happiness, success and many children, there was always the mysterious seal-bond to the ocean. Tadhg tells
315:, is about Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents and her cousin Eamon near the island of Roan Inish, where the selkies are rumored to reside. It is a family legend that her younger brother was swept away in his infancy and raised by a selkie. Part of the film takes place in
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They live in the
Ireland of tiny fishing villages, places where everyone knows one another. People live close to nature, and animals are respected and live alongside the villagers. Seals are especially respected for their special human-like spirit. It is said to be terribly wrong to harm a seal.
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Soon, on one of the visits to Roan Inish, Fiona believes that she has found Jamie romping on the strand and again, in the grass. She confides in Eamon, who warns her to not tell the grandparents for now. She observes that the seals seem to care for him, helping to feed him and play with him.
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After returning to her grandparents, a terrible storm rises and Fiona fears for Jamie's safety in the strong winds. She wonders aloud: "I hope he thinks to go inside the cottage." Her grandparents hear her and are in utter disbelief at her explanation.
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Set in 1946, the story is told from the point of view of Fiona (Jeni
Courtney), a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents in an Irish fishing village, after the death of her mother, illness of her father, and her own failing health.
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describes it as being "a lot like the island it's named after: It seems to occupy a time of its own, cut off from the speed and overload of contemporary life and drifting to its own ancient rhythms." Critic
Stephen Holden, film critic for
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In creating the film, John Sayles drew on original research of Celtic island lore and language, including the
Blasket memoirs, a series of vernacular memoirs collected in the 1920s and '30s from residents of the
378:- fishing boat - on daily errands to the islands including Roan Inish. Quickly the bright and older Eamon becomes a partner in Fiona's plans, as the day's adventures on the sea and shore become more interesting.
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Fiona hears details about how the sea seemed to steal her infant brother, Jamie, during the departure from Roan Inish, bobbing out of sight in his little cradle boat, some years earlier, never to be seen again.
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an effortlessly elemental look. Without ostentation or self-consciousness, the film immerses you in the spume, fog and glare of the seaside life, with its temporal mysteries and its organic metamorphoses.
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Her grandmother is wise and unhesitant - rising to her feet and to the moment, her body and actions say: if there is any chance the child lives, when thought dead these years, rescue must be immediate.
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Indoors, the victorious family are elated at the return of the child they thought dead. They wrap Jamie in a blanket and sit in front of a warm dry fire. Fiona rocks him to sleep in her arms.
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Saying nothing to anyone about their plan, Fiona and Eamon set to the hard work of reclaiming the long-abandoned cottages on Roan Inish. They clean and restore the cottages, give them new
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on
Ireland's rugged northwestern seacoast, it is a cinematic tone poem in which man and nature, myth and reality flow together in a way that makes them ultimately indivisible."
455:
565:, the filmmakers decided to have the film take place in Ireland for practical reasons. According to John Sayles in the director's commentary, most of the film was shot in
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In the evenings, her grandfather tells tales about the family's history, including the evacuation from their generational home on the tiny island of Roan Inish during the
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her that the selkie's blood remains in their family tree, and once in a generation, there is a "dark one" in the family, like himself, and Fiona's baby brother Jamie.
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John Sayles, Filmmaker: A Critical Study of the
Independent Writer-director : with a Filmography and a Bibliography
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Her cousin, Eamon, who also lives near the grandparents for his health, often accompanies the
Grandfather in his
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telling them, Fiona and Eamon reason: if they must move again, why not back to the cottages they loved best?
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is the first film directed by Mr. Sayles that could be described as visually rhapsodic. Photographed by
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Over 1,000 girls were tested for the role of Fiona, which required the actress to be "Thin,
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coast evacuated by the Irish government in 1953 and made a national park in 1989.
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803:"'Secret of Roan Inish' a windswept mystery (Milwaukee Sentinel, Mar 3,1995)"
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Eamon for their secret restoration of the cottages these past few weeks.
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in the north of
Ireland, with some scenes being filmed on the
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Gerry
Molyneaux, "John Sayles", Renaissance Books, 2000 p 216
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The
Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children's Literature
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The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children's Literature
561:. Although in the original novel the story takes place in
621:
It holds a 96% average rating of 7.8/10 on review site
728:"Seaweed Soup: The Secret (ingredients) of Roan Inish"
699:"Seaweed Soup: The Secret (ingredients) of Roan Inish"
775:"'Secret of "Roan Inish" is a slow, magical page'"
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347:", Roan Inish is a real location near
1308:Films with screenplays by John Sayles
1303:Films shot in the Republic of Ireland
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809:. CNET Networks, Inc. Archived from
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393:, paint, gardens, and furnishings.
194:Toronto International Film Festival
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1333:English-language independent films
861:"Hammer's American Cinematic Icon"
434:Richard Sheridan as Eamon Coneelly
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351:, a village on the west coast of
859:Kim, Louise (21 February 2020).
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606:UCLA Film and Television Archive
284:. It is based on the 1957 novel
1273:Films based on Celtic mythology
1258:Films about legendary creatures
1049:The Brother from Another Planet
1338:English-language fantasy films
1268:Films based on Canadian novels
1223:1990s children's fantasy films
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832:Ryan, Jack (1 January 1998).
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286:Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry
184:September 12, 1994
63:Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry
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753:An Old Woman's Reflections
199:January 21, 1995
166:The Samuel Goldwyn Company
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546:The Secret of Roan Inish
280:written and directed by
266:The Secret of Roan Inish
24:The Secret of Roan Inish
1318:Irish independent films
625:, based on 45 reviews.
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1243:American fantasy films
1238:1994 independent films
295:It is centered on the
209:Sundance Film Festival
1263:Films about pinnipeds
1228:1994 children's films
1218:1990s adventure films
456:Mairéad Nà Ghallchóir
343:, meaning "Island of
311:in the north-west of
1328:1990s American films
1298:Films set in Ireland
751:, and Peig Sayers's
533:, an island off the
480:Michael MacCarthaigh
1313:Irish fantasy films
813:on 11 February 2009
506:as Nuala the Selkie
170:First Look Pictures
1233:1994 fantasy films
1004:Films directed by
882:The New York Times
747:, Sean O'Crohan's
637:The New York Times
510:Frankie McCafferty
156:Skerry Productions
18:1994 American film
1293:Films set in 1946
1200:
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1149:Casa de los babys
773:(17 March 1995).
749:A Day in Our Life
726:(December 2000).
697:(December 2000).
617:Critical response
518:as Jamie Coneelly
500:as Tadhg Coneelly
486:Fergal McElherron
452:as Oldest brother
425:as Fiona Coneelly
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815:. Retrieved
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220:Running time
140:Mason Daring
77:Maggie Renzi
62:
15:
1159:Silver City
1006:John Sayles
786:30 December
737:30 December
708:30 December
600:Restoration
590:underweight
504:Susan Lynch
468:Tony Rubini
335:. Known in
282:John Sayles
271:independent
258:$ 6,159,269
224:103 minutes
131:John Sayles
74:Sarah Green
71:Produced by
54:John Sayles
45:John Sayles
41:Directed by
1213:1994 films
1207:Categories
652:References
594:complexion
524:Production
498:John Lynch
474:Mick Lally
458:as Barmaid
444:Pat Slowey
438:Dave Duffy
269:is a 1994
255:Box office
203:1995-01-21
188:1994-09-12
147:Production
100:John Lynch
90:Mick Lally
1109:Lone Star
755:. …'
612:Reception
446:as Priest
229:Countries
149:companies
128:Edited by
921:AllMovie
583:Scotland
563:Scotland
494:as Flynn
341:RĂłn Inis
301:Orcadian
239:Language
136:Music by
83:Starring
59:Based on
1172:(2007)
1132:(1999)
1059:Matewan
969:YouTube
592:, pale
376:curragh
313:Ireland
305:selkies
274:fantasy
242:English
234:Ireland
201: (
186: (
1192:(2013)
1182:(2010)
1162:(2004)
1152:(2003)
1142:(2002)
1122:(1997)
1112:(1996)
1102:(1994)
1092:(1992)
1082:(1991)
1072:(1988)
1062:(1987)
1052:(1984)
1042:(1983)
1032:(1983)
1029:Lianna
1022:(1980)
906:
842:
780:SFGate
631:SFGate
579:Argyll
571:Ulster
559:SFGate
544:gives
512:as Tim
440:as Jim
391:thatch
357:Ulster
309:Ulster
247:Budget
207: (
192: (
1179:Amigo
1129:Limbo
349:Narin
345:Seals
337:Irish
297:Irish
288:, by
904:IMDb
840:ISBN
819:2008
807:BNET
788:2017
739:2017
710:2017
683:IMDb
416:Cast
323:Plot
299:and
951:at
935:at
919:at
902:at
681:at
629:of
577:in
569:in
557:of
339:as
1209::
880:.
863:.
805:.
777:.
762:^
741:.
730:.
701:.
660:^
585:.
581:,
359:.
319:.
292:.
997:e
990:t
983:v
867:.
821:.
790:.
712:.
276:-
211:)
205:)
196:)
190:)
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