Editing In the Name of the Father

{{short description|1993 film by Jim Sheridan}}
{{Other}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = In the Name of the Father
| image          = In the name of the father ver1.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Jim Sheridan]]
| producer       = Jim Sheridan
| screenplay     = {{ubl|[[Terry George]]|Jim Sheridan}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four''<br>1991 book|[[Gerry Conlon]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist| 
* [[Daniel Day-Lewis]]
* [[Emma Thompson]]
* [[Pete Postlethwaite]]}}
| music          = [[Trevor Jones (composer)|Trevor Jones]]
| cinematography = [[Peter Biziou]]
| editing        = [[Gerry Hambling]]
| studio         = Hell's Kitchen Films
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]] (through [[United International Pictures]])
| released       = {{film date|df=yes|1993|12|27|Ireland|1994|2|11|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 133 minutes
| country        = {{ubl|Ireland|United Kingdom}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $13 million
| gross          = $65.8 million<ref>{{cite web | title=In the Name of the Father at Box Office Mojo | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=inthenameofthefather.htm | access-date=29 September 2010}}</ref>
}}
'''''In the Name of the Father''''' is a 1993 [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[crime drama]] film co-written and directed by [[Jim Sheridan]]. It is based on the true story of the [[Guildford Four and Maguire Seven#Guildford Four|Guildford Four]], four people falsely convicted of the 1974 [[Guildford pub bombings]] that killed four off-duty British soldiers and a civilian.<ref>{{Cite web | last=Pallister | first=David | title=An injustice that still reverberates | work=The Guardian | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/oct/19/davidpallister1 | date=19 October 1999 | access-date=12 July 2011}}</ref> The screenplay was adapted by [[Terry George]] and Jim Sheridan from the 1990 autobiography ''Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four'' by [[Gerry Conlon]].<ref>''[[The Irish Filmography]] 1896-1996''; Red Mountain Press; 1996. Page 59.</ref>

The film grossed $65 million at the box office and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. It was nominated for seven Oscars at the [[66th Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] ([[Daniel Day-Lewis]]), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] ([[Pete Postlethwaite]]), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] ([[Emma Thompson]]), [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].

==Plot==
In [[Belfast]], [[Gerry Conlon]] is mistaken as an [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] [[sniper]] by British security forces and pursued until a [[riot]] breaks out. Gerry is sent to [[London, England|London]] by his father Giuseppe to dissuade an IRA reprisal against him.

One evening, Gerry burgles a prostitute's flat and steals £700. While he is taking drugs in a park with his friend Paul Hill, alongside homeless Irishman Charlie Burke, [[Guildford pub bombings|an explosion in Guildford]] occurs, killing four off-duty soldiers plus a civilian as well as injuring many others. Returning to Belfast sometime later, Gerry is captured by the [[British Army]] and [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] and arrested on terrorism charges.

Gerry is flown to England, where he and his friend Paul together with two others are dubbed the [[Guildford Four and Maguire Seven|Guildford Four]] and are subjected to police torture as part of [[Prevention of Terrorism Acts|their interrogation]].

Gerry maintains his innocence, but signs a [[forced confession|confession]] after the police threaten to kill his father, who is later arrested along with other members of the Conlon family, later dubbed the [[Maguire Seven]]. At his trial, although Gerry's defence points out numerous inconsistencies in the police investigation, he, along with the rest of the Guildford Four, is sentenced to life imprisonment.

During their time in prison Gerry and Giuseppe are approached by new inmate Joe McAndrew, who informs them that he was the real perpetrator of the bombing and had confessed this to the police. The police, in order to save face, withheld this new information.

Though Gerry warms to Joe, his opinion changes when Joe sets a hated prison guard on fire during a riot. Giuseppe later dies in custody, leaving Gerry to take over his father's campaign for justice.

Giuseppe's lawyer [[Gareth Peirce]], who had been investigating the case on Giuseppe's behalf, discovers vital evidence related to Gerry's original alibi with a note attached that reads: "Not to be shown to the defence." Through a statement made by Charlie Burke, at a court appeal, it totally exonerates Gerry and the rest.

The film ends with the current activities of the wrongly accused being given, and also by stating that the police who investigated the case were never prosecuted for any wrongdoing. The real perpetrators of the Guildford Bombing have not been charged with the crime.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Daniel Day-Lewis]] as [[Gerry Conlon|Gerard Patrick "Gerry" Conlon]]
* [[Pete Postlethwaite]] as Patrick "Giuseppe" Conlon
* [[Emma Thompson]] as [[Gareth Peirce]]
* [[John Lynch (actor)|John Lynch]] as [[Guildford Four and Maguire Seven|Paul Hill]]
* [[Corin Redgrave]] as Inspector Robert Dixon
* [[Beatie Edney]] as [[Guildford Four and Maguire Seven|Carole Richardson]]
* [[John Benfield]] as Chief PO Barker
* [[Paterson Joseph]] as Benbay
* [[Marie Jones]] as [[Sarah Conlon]]
* [[Gerard McSorley]] as Detective Pavis
* [[Frank Harper]] as Ronnie Smalls
* [[Mark Sheppard]] as [[Guildford Four and Maguire Seven|Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Armstrong]]
* [[Don Baker (musician)|Don Baker]] as Joe McAndrew 
* [[Tom Wilkinson]] as an Appeal Prosecutor
* [[Anthony Brophy]] as Danny
{{div col end}}

==Production==
To prepare for the role of Gerry Conlon, Day-Lewis lost over {{convert|50|lb|order=flip}} in weight. To gain an insight into Conlon's thoughts and feelings at the time, Day-Lewis also spent three days and nights in a jail cell. He was prevented from sleeping by a group of thugs, who would bang on the door every ten minutes with tin cups through the night, then he was interrogated by three different teams of real Special Branch officers for nine hours. He would also insist that crew members throw cold water at him and verbally abuse him. He also kept his Belfast accent on and off set.

Day-Lewis has stated in an interview that he went through all this because otherwise "How could I understand how an innocent man could sign that confession and destroy his own life."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4qRs2U_890| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/H4qRs2U_890| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Daniel Day-Lewis - 'Movies 101' Part 3|last=EmmaGennaro|date=7 May 2008|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKfGU3vKjvc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/RKfGU3vKjvc| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Daniel Day-Lewis - 'Movies 101' Part 4|last=EmmaGennaro|date=8 May 2008|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Reception==
The film received very positive reviews from most critics. The review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave the film a score of 94% based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's consensus states: "Impassioned and meticulously observed, ''In the Name of the Father'' mines rousing drama from a factual miscarriage of justice, aided by scorching performances and director Jim Sheridan's humanist focus."<ref name="rt">{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_the_name_of_the_father/ | title=In The Name Of the Father Reviews | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | access-date=28 February 2012 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 84 out of 100 based on 16 reviews indicating "universal acclaim".<ref name="meta">{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/in-the-name-of-the-father| title=In the Name of the Father Reviews | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=CNET Networks, Inc. | access-date=28 February 2012 }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=[[CinemaScore]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

The film was the second highest-grossing ever in Ireland (behind ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]])'', and the highest-grossing Irish film, beating the record set by ''[[The Commitments (film)|The Commitments]]'' in 1991, with a gross of [[Irish pound|IR£]]2.91 million ($4.5 million).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=March 7, 1994|title=Oscar Boosts Films O'seas|page=38|last=Harris|first=Mike}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=25 April 1997|page=27|title=Ireland flocks to the flicks}}</ref>

=== Year-end lists ===
* 2nd&nbsp;– [[James Berardinelli]], ''ReelViews''<ref>{{cite web|last=Berardinelli|first=James|url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/010295.html|title=Rewinding 1994 -- The Year in Film|date=January 2, 1995|website=ReelViews|access-date=July 19, 2020}}</ref>
* Top 10 (not ranked)&nbsp;– Dennis King, ''[[Tulsa World]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=King|first=Dennis|date=December 25, 1994|title=SCREEN SAVERS In a Year of Faulty Epics, The Oddest Little Movies Made The Biggest Impact|newspaper=[[Tulsa World]]|page=E1|edition=Final Home}}</ref>
* Honorable mention&nbsp;– Dan Craft, ''[[The Pantagraph]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Craft|first=Dan|date=December 30, 1994 |title=Success, Failure and a Lot of In-between; Movies '94|newspaper=[[The Pantagraph]]|page=B1}}</ref>

===Accolades===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Subject
! Result
|-
|[[AACTA Awards|Australian Film Institute Awards]]
|[[Australian Film Institute Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
|rowspan=4|[[Jim Sheridan]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=8|[[66th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Terry George]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|[[Daniel Day-Lewis]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|[[Pete Postlethwaite]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
|[[Emma Thompson]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
|rowspan=2|[[Gerry Hambling]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[American Cinema Editors|ACE Eddie]]
|[[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[47th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
|rowspan=2|[[BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
|Jim Sheridan
|{{nom}}
|-
|Terry George
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor]]
|Daniel Day-Lewis
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Berlin International Film Festival]]
|[[Golden Bear]]<ref name="Berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1994/03_preistr_ger_1994/03_Preistraeger_1994.html |title=Berlinale: 1994 Prize Winners |access-date=15 June 2011 |work=berlinale.de |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726021403/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1994/03_preistr_ger_1994/03_Preistraeger_1994.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|Jim Sheridan
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Boston Society of Film Critics|BSFC Award]]
|[[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|Daniel Day-Lewis
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association|DFWFCA Award]]
|colspan=2|[[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[David di Donatello|David di Donatello Awards]]
|[[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor|Best Foreign Actor]]
|Daniel Day-Lewis
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
|rowspan=2|Jim Sheridan
|{{won}}
|-
|[[European Film Awards|European Film Award]]
|European Film of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Evening Standard British Film Awards|Evening Standard British Film Award]]
|Best Film
|rowspan=2|Jim Sheridan
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=6|[[51st Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama]]
|Daniel Day-Lewis
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]
|Emma Thompson
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]<br><small>("[[You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart]]")</small>
|[[Bono]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Gavin Friday]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Maurice Seezer]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Humanitas Prize]]
|rowspan=2|Feature Film Category
|Terry George
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|Jim Sheridan
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Nastro d'Argento]]
|European Silver Ribbon
|{{nom}}
|-
|Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
|Best Supporting Actress
|Emma Thompson
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association|LAFCA Award]]
|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|Daniel Day-Lewis
|{{won|2nd place}}
|-
|[[National Board of Review|NBR Award]]
|colspan=2|Top Ten Films
|{{won}}
|-
|[[National Society of Film Critics|NSFC Award]]
|[[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|rowspan=2|Daniel Day-Lewis
|{{won|2nd place}}
|-
|[[New York Film Critics Circle|NYFCC Award]]
|[[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|{{won|3rd place}}
|-
|[[Producers Guild of America Award|PGA Award]]
|[[Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture|Best Theatrical Motion Picture]]
|Jim Sheridan
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Political Film Society|PFS Award]]
|colspan=2|Exposé
|{{won}}
|-
|colspan=2|Human Rights
|{{nom}}
|-
|colspan=2|Peace
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Writers Guild of America|WGA Award]]
|rowspan=2|Best Adapted Screenplay
|Jim Sheridan
|{{nom}}
|-
|Terry George
|{{nom}}
|-
|}

==Controversy==
Upon its release, the film proved controversial for some historical inaccuracies and for fictionalising parts of the story. Jim Sheridan defended his choices in 2003, stating: "I was accused of lying in ''In the Name of the Father'', but the real lie was saying it was a film about the Guildford Four when really it was about a non-violent parent."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2003/oct/12/features.review27|title=In the pain of the father|first=Stephanie|last=Merritt|newspaper=The Observer |date=11 October 2003|via=The Guardian}}</ref>  In the film Gerry and his father Giuseppe (in the closing credits, the name is misspelled "Guiseppe") share a cell, but this never took place; they were usually kept in separate prisons. The real perpetrators of the Guildford pub bombings were the IRA's [[Balcombe Street Gang]], who admitted to the Guildford and [[Woolwich pub bombing|Woolwich bombings]] during their trials, rather than the fictional character of Joe McAndrew. The courtroom scenes featuring Gareth Peirce were also heavily criticised as clearly straying from recorded events and established English legal practices since, as a [[solicitor]] and not a [[barrister]], she would not have been able to appear in court at the time. Furthermore, Peirce did not represent Giuseppe Conlon. Investigative journalist [[David Pallister]] wrote: "The myriad absurdities in the court scenes, straight out of ''[[L.A. Law|LA Law]]'', are inexcusable."<ref>{{cite news |last=Pallister |first=David |author-link= |date=Spring 1994 |title=In the Name of the Father |url=http://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/vertigo_magazine/volume-1-issue-3-spring-1994/in-the-name-of-the-father/ |newspaper=Vertigo Magazine |publisher=Close-Up Film Centre |location=London |access-date=28 March 2016}}</ref>

In a 1994 radio interview, Anne Maguire, a member of The Maguire Seven who, along with her husband, brother and two young sons, went to prison because of the false confessions of her nephew Gerry Conlon and Paul Hill, revealed her lingering anger and bitterness at the pair for wrongly incriminating them, as well as her dismay at the film for, in her view, depicting Conlon as a hero. (She and her family were all officially exonerated by the British government in 1991.) She also criticised director Jim Sheridan for, as she claims, never reaching out to her or her family for their side of the story, and sharply castigated the film for alleged inaccuracies, including a scene showing Conlon and Hill visiting her prior to their arrests, as she adamantly maintains that Hill never once set foot in her home—a key point in her defence at trial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://freshairarchive.org/guests/anne-maguire| title=Fresh Air with Terry Gross: A "Miscarriage of Justice" Wrongly Imprisons an Innocent Family| date=26 October 1994| access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Album ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-name-of-the-father-mw0000107903|title=In the Name of the Father Original Soundtrack|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=28 April 2025}}</ref>
| rev2      = ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''
| rev2score = (favorable)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1994/BB-1994-01-22.pdf|title=Album Reviews: Spotlight|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=22 January 1994|page=60|access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref>
| rev3      = ''[[Music Week]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Alan|last=Jones|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-01-29.pdf|title=Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=29 January 1994|page=17|access-date=28 April 2025}}</ref>
}}

The soundtrack of the film includes the song "[[You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart]]", performed by [[Sinéad O'Connor]] and written by [[Bono]], [[Gavin Friday]], and [[Maurice Seezer]]. The soundtrack also includes "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" performed by [[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]]. However, the Bob Dylan Song "Like a Rolling Stone" was not included on the album due to licensing restrictions.

The soundtrack featured these songs:
# [[Bono]] and [[Gavin Friday]] - "In the Name of the Father" (5:42)
# [[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]] - "[[Voodoo Child (Slight Return)]]" (5:09)
# Bono and Gavin Friday - "Billy Boola" (3:45)
# [[The Kinks]] - "[[Dedicated Follower of Fashion]]" (3:00)
# [[Trevor Jones (composer)|Trevor Jones]] - "Interrogation" (7:11)
# [[Bob Marley and the Wailers]] - "[[Is This Love (Bob Marley & The Wailers song)|Is This Love]]" (3:51)
# Trevor Jones - "Walking the Circle" (4:42)
# [[Thin Lizzy]] - "[[Whiskey in the Jar]]" (5:44)
# Trevor Jones - "Passage of Time" (5:52)
# [[Sinéad O'Connor]] - "[[You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart]]" (6:21)

==Filming locations==
* [[South Lotts]], Dublin, [[Ireland]] (used for opening Belfast scenes)
* [[Sheriff Street]], Dublin, Ireland (Sheriff Street flats complex (now demolished) used for riot scene)
* [[Kilmainham Gaol]], Dublin, Ireland (as Park Royal Prison)
* [[Liverpool]], [[England]] (used for many London scenes)

==See also==
* [[Birmingham Six]]
* [[List of films featuring hallucinogens]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0107207|In the Name of the Father}}
* {{TCMDb title|79143|In the Name of the Father}}
* {{AFI film|59561}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=In the Name of the Father}}
* {{mojo title|inthenameofthefather|In the Name of the Father}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|in_the_name_of_the_father|In the Name of the Father}}

{{Jim Sheridan}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''In the Name of the Father''
|list =
{{Golden Bear}}
{{David di Donatello Best Foreign Film}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:In The Name Of The Father}}
[[Category:1993 films]]
[[Category:1990s biographical drama films]]
[[Category:1990s British films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s prison films]]
[[Category:1993 drama films]]
[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British courtroom films]]
[[Category:British legal films]]
[[Category:British prison drama films]]
[[Category:Political drama films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Films about lawyers]]
[[Category:Films about miscarriage of justice]]
[[Category:Films about the Irish Republican Army]]
[[Category:Films about The Troubles (Northern Ireland)]]
[[Category:Films directed by Jim Sheridan]]
[[Category:Films scored by Trevor Jones]]
[[Category:Films set in Belfast]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Golden Bear winners]]
[[Category:Irish biographical drama films]]
[[Category:Irish political drama films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:British political drama films]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
[[Category:English-language crime films]]
[[Category:Films set in 1974]]
[[Category:Films set in 1989]]