Beyond the Pale (Film)
Encyclopedia
Beyond the Pale is a 1999 biographical film
directed by George Bazala starring Patrick Clarke
.
) enters the US illegally with his wayward friend Seamus (Conn Horgan). Landing in New York, the pair start with dreams of striking it rich but soon find themselves in dead-end jobs and drifting apart. As Seamus pursues various get-rich schemes, the more cautious Patrick finds himself devoting time to looking after Tom (Malachy McCourt), an Irish author down on his luck, and courting Helen (Beverley Elder), a struggling actress caught in sordid relationship with a much older man (Roger Davis).
and George Bazala wrote a screenplay based on the life of a modern-day Irish immigrant. Like most first-time screenwriters, they had little hope of catching the attention of a big-time agent or producer, so they decided to take the self-reliant route and make the picture themselves. The process began when Clarke invited Jack Alvino to become his partner, Clarke and Alvino having worked together on the multiple award-winning short film, The Last Actor. When Alvino came aboard, Maiden Voyage Pictures was established and preparations got under way to shoot the film's opening segment in Clarke's hometown of Dublin, Ireland. This would prove to be an extremely ambitious undertaking considering that they had only managed to raise a mere $20,000 USD; it was also decided that Clarke would play the title role.
Clarke flew to Dublin alone on December 2nd to find accommodation for the crew and to scout locations. A week later, Bazala flew in to round up the actors. By the time Alvino and the rest of the crew arrived, everything was miraculously in place. The five-day shooting schedule was tight and with a small crew everyone performed multiple tasks. Clarke’s friends and relatives were drafted in to help with locations, transportation, catering and the horse needed for one of the scenes. On December 19th, 1996 the opening eleven minutes of Beyond the Pale was in the can.
Bazala recalled, “We were all very anxious to see the results of our adventure in Dublin. Unfortunately, we would have to wait until February 1997, when we had raised the funds to process, sync and transfer the film. It was mid-March before Michael Sullivan, our editor and saviour over the coming years, had completed a rough cut
. We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome”.
Armed with an opening sequence, Clarke and Alvino hit the streets of Manhattan in search of completion funds. It took them 15 months to raise enough money to begin principal photography in New York City. During that period Alvino quit his job at HBO opting for a part-time waiter's gigs while Clarke worked as limousine driver and Bazala picked up the occasional piece of writing work for the USA cable network. During this time Clarke and Bazala also completed their second screenplay together; another Irish-themed piece entitled, The Lughill Boys, a story about a small town in central Ireland struggling to preserve its way of life.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
directed by George Bazala starring Patrick Clarke
Patrick Clarke
For the Scottish footballer, see Pat ClarkePatrick Clarke is an Irish filmmaker and actor.A graduate of Hunter College, New York City, Clarke’s career in film began in 1994 when he took up acting studies at David Mamet's Atlantic Theatre Company...
.
Plot
A young Irishman Patrick Shaw (Patrick ClarkePatrick Clarke
For the Scottish footballer, see Pat ClarkePatrick Clarke is an Irish filmmaker and actor.A graduate of Hunter College, New York City, Clarke’s career in film began in 1994 when he took up acting studies at David Mamet's Atlantic Theatre Company...
) enters the US illegally with his wayward friend Seamus (Conn Horgan). Landing in New York, the pair start with dreams of striking it rich but soon find themselves in dead-end jobs and drifting apart. As Seamus pursues various get-rich schemes, the more cautious Patrick finds himself devoting time to looking after Tom (Malachy McCourt), an Irish author down on his luck, and courting Helen (Beverley Elder), a struggling actress caught in sordid relationship with a much older man (Roger Davis).
Development
Beyond the Pale began its life in spring 1996 when New York-based writers Patrick ClarkePatrick Clarke
For the Scottish footballer, see Pat ClarkePatrick Clarke is an Irish filmmaker and actor.A graduate of Hunter College, New York City, Clarke’s career in film began in 1994 when he took up acting studies at David Mamet's Atlantic Theatre Company...
and George Bazala wrote a screenplay based on the life of a modern-day Irish immigrant. Like most first-time screenwriters, they had little hope of catching the attention of a big-time agent or producer, so they decided to take the self-reliant route and make the picture themselves. The process began when Clarke invited Jack Alvino to become his partner, Clarke and Alvino having worked together on the multiple award-winning short film, The Last Actor. When Alvino came aboard, Maiden Voyage Pictures was established and preparations got under way to shoot the film's opening segment in Clarke's hometown of Dublin, Ireland. This would prove to be an extremely ambitious undertaking considering that they had only managed to raise a mere $20,000 USD; it was also decided that Clarke would play the title role.
Clarke flew to Dublin alone on December 2nd to find accommodation for the crew and to scout locations. A week later, Bazala flew in to round up the actors. By the time Alvino and the rest of the crew arrived, everything was miraculously in place. The five-day shooting schedule was tight and with a small crew everyone performed multiple tasks. Clarke’s friends and relatives were drafted in to help with locations, transportation, catering and the horse needed for one of the scenes. On December 19th, 1996 the opening eleven minutes of Beyond the Pale was in the can.
Bazala recalled, “We were all very anxious to see the results of our adventure in Dublin. Unfortunately, we would have to wait until February 1997, when we had raised the funds to process, sync and transfer the film. It was mid-March before Michael Sullivan, our editor and saviour over the coming years, had completed a rough cut
Rough cut
In filmmaking, the rough cut is the second of three stages of offline editing. The rough cut is the first stage in which the film begins to resemble its final product...
. We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome”.
Armed with an opening sequence, Clarke and Alvino hit the streets of Manhattan in search of completion funds. It took them 15 months to raise enough money to begin principal photography in New York City. During that period Alvino quit his job at HBO opting for a part-time waiter's gigs while Clarke worked as limousine driver and Bazala picked up the occasional piece of writing work for the USA cable network. During this time Clarke and Bazala also completed their second screenplay together; another Irish-themed piece entitled, The Lughill Boys, a story about a small town in central Ireland struggling to preserve its way of life.
Cast
- Patrick ClarkePatrick ClarkeFor the Scottish footballer, see Pat ClarkePatrick Clarke is an Irish filmmaker and actor.A graduate of Hunter College, New York City, Clarke’s career in film began in 1994 when he took up acting studies at David Mamet's Atlantic Theatre Company...
as Patrick Shaw - Malachy McCourtMalachy McCourtMalachy Gerard McCourt is an Irish-American actor, writer and politician. He was the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor in New York State, losing to the Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer. He is the younger brother of Frank McCourt.-Personal life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, McCourt was raised...
as Tom Finegan - Conn Horgan as Seamus O'Sullivan
- Roger DavisRoger DavisRoger Davis may refer to:*Roger Davis , American actor*Roger Davis , American actor in television series Dark Shadows and Alias Smith and Jones...
as Jeffrey - Ruth MillerRuth MillerRuth Blanchard Miller was an American artist.Miller was born to Kempster Blanchard Miller and Antha Miller in Chicago, Illinois...
as Miss Mooney - Valentina Olmos as Conchita
- Beverley Elder as Helen
Awards
Beyond the Pale won for best drama at the 2000 Houston Film Festival.Filming locations
- Dublin, Ireland
- ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York - BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York - QueensQueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York - Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
External links
- Beyond the Pale trailer
- Beyond the Pale news item in the New York Times
- Beyond the Pale at Houston Film Festival news item
- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beyond_the_Pale_DVD_Poster_.jpg