A Conversation with Peter Mullan

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He won the award for Best Actor at Cannes in 1998 for that performance. With the release of <A HREF="id1979.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Magdalene Sisters.....reviewed by Ge"><U><B>"The Magdalene Sisters,"</B></U></A><A HREF="id1979.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Magdalene Sisters.....reviewed by Ge"><U> </U></A>his first major directing effort, Peter brings great depth, realism and intensity to the portrayals of working middle class people, dealing with many of life's challenges. And he may get a few nods as best director as well. </div> <bR> <div> Rather than taking a jab at an easy target, like a governmental social services adoption agency, Mullan raises many hard and controversial questions about organized religion, always a sticky issue. In "The Magdalene Sisters" we see how capitalism in the name of moral values is subverted. And Mullan examines the mind and heart's turn from the desire for freedom to "loving" the master's oppressive rules, and how the collusion of all these led to the ultimate exercise of sexism. </div> <bR> <div> Peter grew up in Glasgow and said, "If a girl became pregnant, they would often just disappear, never to return." For this mortal sin, the punishment was for a lifetime. After the Catholic Church understood that boys will be boys when it came to having sex with girls, "they decided to control the boys by controlling the girls." Those girls considered "too pretty" were banished to places like the convent depicted in the film. </div> <bR> <div> "The Magdalene Sisters" is based on a true story about young women who were "incarcerated" for "moral crimes" against society. They paid for their sins by working, for no pay, 8-10 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, in a commercial laundry that served Ireland's largest institutions. The last Magdalene Asylum closed its doors in 1996. Although this film is set in the early 1960's, Peter said that "the women would have been released sooner but for the most part, they had no social skills nor knew how to function in society." The funds that were earned from their slave labor have never been accounted for but it is thought that the amount was enough to build a large cathedral.</div> <bR> <div> Peter acknowledged that these types of events are as "unrecognizable now to Ireland as it is to us right now sitting in this hotel room." The change in Ireland was not driven by morality but by "economics and capitalism," he said. Part of capitalism is "a grand hypocrisy." The laundries were "closed down because they were no longer economically viable. What drove the change was the huge market that women presented for fashion magazines, make-up, clothing, etc. It was not a liberalization because it was the progressive thing to do." </div> <bR> <div> "Are you willing to put your faith ahead of your family?" The answer to that question is the core issue, said Peter. It's conceivable to us that a pregnant teenager could be an embarrassment and that she may go "visit a distant aunt" for awhile. If the baby did not come back home with her and was put up for adoption, the family would try to put her sins behind her and move on. It's inconceivable to us that a daughter who was raped or who was just "too pretty" would receive the same punishment. Three of the four girls focused on in the film were institutionalized by their families, usually by the father because his thinking was "this is for my faith, my daughter and for God."</div> <bR> <div> As Denzel Washington was able to do with the factually based story "Antwone Fisher," Mullan also digs deep into family issues. In George's interview with the real Antwone Fisher, Fisher made it clear in a calm, soft-spoken way that the film toned down the events in his life. After seeing this film, survivor Mary-Jo McDonagh stated, "It was worse, much worse than what you see. I don't like to say it, but the film is soft on the nuns."</div> <bR> <div> Proof continues to surface that abuse of human rights with respect to child labor and adults working for sums well below a livable wage continues. This allows consumers in industrialized countries to enjoy shopping bargains from Wal Mart to Nordstroms. There is a new immorality in the name of living well. If we don't have to see it, we can pretend it does not exist. Any person who sees "The Magdalene Sisters" should ask questions of corporate America about where products outside of the US come from and care enough not to buy them if the people are not treated with the respect the US working force demands. If we are going to export our jobs, it should not be to make slaves of others.</div> <bR> <div> The story of the Magdalene Laundries has been told in Europe with an award winning stage play and an acclaimed British documentary, "Sex in a Cold Climate," but Mullan believed strongly that the asylums should be known across the world. There is enough love, humor and caring in the film that even with the unpleasant events on these fallen angels, the world will know the story and be glad they saw it. This movie is filmmaking at its best.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> George O. Singleton  © 2003</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="George@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="George@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>