Watching the movie, we get aware of a detail that is unfortunately typical for movies made on the basis of novels – it is shortened in nearly every matter.
This includes the absence of some important scenes as Cal’s meeting with Skeffington in the pub or the blackberry picking scene and makes us almost unable to some degree understand Cal’s problems, his actions and his relationship to Marcella.
The meeting with Skeffington in Clones gives a somehow detailed insight in the IRA work and makes clear to the reader that Cal wants to but cannot quit this criminal organisation because then he would be in danger.
The blackberry picking scene shows how the relationship between Cal and Marcella gets more intense. It lets the reader feel sympathy for Cal when he is caring for Lucy in such a charming manner. But it also shows that his inner conflict gets more and more complicated. He wants to confess, but the longer and better he knows and in a way loves Marcella, the less he is able to confess because he is too anxious about losing her.
Another important scene, which is not shown properly in the movie, is the scene in the church. In the sermon, Matt Talbot is mentioned – a man who has lived in sin for many years but then shows repentance by wearing a chain around his waist that hurts him. By this and by Cal’s reaction the reader gets to know that Cal really regrets his deeds and wants to end everything, a fact which also incites to feel sympathy for him.
All over the novel it is reminded of the Northern Ireland conflict. A conflict which is in a way the origin of most of Cal’s problems. In the movie it represents some kind of background, it is still there but not as important as in the novel.
The lack of theses scenes creates in the viewer, who has not read the novel, a completely different image of Cal. For the reader, Cal was a young man, who was forced into violence, dislikes and even hates it, shows regret and wants to quit. But the viewer might think of Cal as simple criminal of many who falls in love with an older woman and because of that regrets being involved in the murder of her husband.
With the movie starting with the murder scene, the viewer knows from the beginning what Cal has done. That makes the plot less exiting and makes it a bit easier to understand. But at the same time it makes it hard for the viewer to feel sympathy with Cal.
Surprisingly, the movie is even less romantic than the novel. The relationship seems to be anything but emotional and Cal acts like an absolutely inexperienced moron. For the viewer it is not really conclusive why actually he falls in love with a ten year older lady. In the novel, his feelings and thoughts – not only those about Marcella – are told by the narrator. In the movie, these feelings and thoughts are simply left out, a fact which again makes us almost unable to understand Cal or which at least creates a less sympathetic image of him.
Jascha
Comments
Both the novel “Cal” (1983) and the movie (screenplay 1984) are written by the Irish author Bernard MacLaverty and treat the conflict in Northern Ireland and its influence on the outsider Cal, a young man who is unemployed and makes his first sexual experiences. Although screenwriter and book author are the same person, there are many and grave differences between the two productions.
The first serious change is the new order of scenes. For example, the audience is confronted with the murder without knowing the protagonist and his conflict of conscience. Later, when Cal and Marcella are making love, shortcuts of the killing are slotted in. This is not just confusing but also destroys the tension that was built up in the novel when the reader asks himself what Cal actually did. The reader is not informed until the end of chapter three, in the movie he asks himself what the screenwriter wants to say by this. An example for scenes that are left out is the match in Clones, where Cal meets Skeffington and again tells him that he wants to “get out”. Also the blackberry- picking is left out, which shows that Cal and Marcella are getting nearer. In the novel Skeffington makes some important statements about the IRA the viewer of the movie will not getting to know. And the ending of the film is completely different, as Cal, Crilly and Skeffington are not attacked in a house, but on a car trip at a police control. Cal is also able to flee, but in the movie he tells Marcella enough about his feelings of guilt to make her understand that he is responsible for the murder of her husband. He says that it would be for Lucy and that he would die for Marcella – a serious change, as the reader does not know such an emotive trait in Cal’s speech. There are more changes, mostly smaller ones, like Marcella having a white car instead of a yellow one, Cal having no breakfast before church and sleeping secretly in Marcella’s chamber. Some more important change is that Marcella has to go through a police control when Cal is helping her. This is an example for the emphasis the movie puts on the Northern Ireland conflict at the expense of religious themes, which are in contrast to the novel nearly lacking it– except the Grünewald picture. This picture leaves a better impression in the film as the audience clearly understands its meaning for Marcella and her religious attitude. In the novel, one may oversee the archaic moment of Grünewald’s work and underestimate its meaning.
The scene when Cal is beaten up has the same effect, because seeing someone brutally hurt is more impressive (at least in a visual way) than just receive a description however subjective the description may be. Still, in written form the insight in Cal’s mind and conscience is more informative, because pictures of him watching himself in a mirror or leaning at a wall with a cigarette in his hand do not really show the tension in his soul.
To sum these facts up one may say that the movie is a too radical abridgement of the novel, as there are lacking many important themes and actions that do not make sense but confuse and leave more questions open than in the book.
Marcel
Comments
It was perhaps the last sunny Saturday afternoon before the wet autumn would arrive. Lucy and I were on our way to the cottage to ask Cal whether he would like to go picking blackberries with us.
I was so happy to spend some time with Lucy and - what is even more - to be out of the reach of my mother-in-law. Yet on the way, the two of us had that much fun - nevertheless, I had the feeling that someone was watching us. Well, since Robert’s murder this feeling has become rather usual.
Lucy and I looked through the empty window frames - she always mimes me - and asked Cal whether he would come with us. He said yes and followed us after he had “puttied the windows in”.
While walking to the Buches, we had a chat mainly about Ireland. I noticed that Cal is rather anti-British. But I guess, you should be asking a united and free Ireland if you are a Catholic Irish…
When we picked the berries, I saw that Cal put some of his into Lucy’s container - like a father would do.
Later on, he asked me if I ever did something really bad. At first, I did not take his question all too serious but when he insisted on a serious answer I got the feeling that he had asked because of something he had done.
However, when I asked him he said something about beating up a boy at school. His face had shown his deeper feelings - he was obviously struggling with himself. Well, probably I am interpreting too much.
But what I do know exactly is that he develops strong feelings for me: When I accidentally took his hand instead of Lucy’s, I said sorry and he answered that it had been nice. He looked me as deep in the eyes as Robert used to do when we first met. I was not able to move and I felt the tension between the two of us. But then Lucy came running and the atmosphere changed.
(a re-writing of p.102, l.8 to p.106, l.8 - from Marcella’s point of view)
Katrinchen
Comments
What happened to the main characters?
Mr Morton:The operation in Belfast was not successful. Instead of an improvement his health problems increased. After he had received the news that the murderers of his only son had been arrested and would stand in trial, he was relieved and died in peace.
Mrs Morton: She returned to the farm with the corpse of her husband. His death had changed her through and through: The former tough and self-assured woman could not any longer bear to continue living in the farmhouse where her loved son and her husband had either been killed immediately or injured and subsequently died. Furthermore, her life did not seem to be worth anything any more: Her daughter-in-law distanced herself even more and finally moved away. Short time later, Mrs Morton decided to sell the farm - Dunlop was a lucky buyer - and moved to Belfast.
Skeffington: After he had been arrested in Crilly’s house, the IRA provided him a well known and successful lawyer. The trial took place half a year later and was the biggest media circus of the year in Ireland. The lawyer did his best but Skeffington was pronounced guilty in fifty cases of bribery and several complicities in murder. Thus, the court recognized his high criminal potential. Skeffington was sent to prison for twenty years. However, he participated in the hunger strikes and subsequently died.
Crilly: He was not as lucky as Skeffington. Obviously, the IRA did not think that he was worth any spending. Although his worst crime had “only” been the murder of Robert Morton, his assigned counsel could not achieve less than thirty years. In prison, Crilly gained power over the other convicts, who were no better or cleverer than he was. This is one of the reasons why he did not get free earlier. - After he had served his sentence, Crilly returned to the IRA because he did not know what else to do. His family did not want to see him any more and thus the IRA replaced them.
Marcella: When she got to know about Cal’s arrest the other day, Marcella collapsed. The only reason why she recovered was her daughter Lucy who needed her badly. - However, during the following five months she did not tell Mrs Morton about her affair with Cal. By then she had decided to leave Ireland, its memories and its violence. She and her daughter went to Italy and with the help of her family Marcella was able to life her own life. - In the warm Italian days she did not forget but she overcame her memories. About a year later she returned to social life and fell in love with a sensitive man who treated Lucy as if she were his own daughter. They married and had two more children.
Shamie: Although one could have expected that Cal’s arrest would have been the final disappointment, the event had contrary effects on Shamie: He realized that the essential was his son’s life. He supported Cal during the trial and did his best to get a good solicitor for him. Even during Cal’s time in prison he visited him regularly.
Cal: As Cal had regretted his weakness towards Crilly and Skeffington already in his time on the farm, he was relieved by the trail. Finally, he was able to tell the truth about his activities and to apologize in public. In secret, he had hoped that Marcella might forgive him and they could at least be friends but he had to accept that they were now separated for indefinite time. - After his imprisonment, both Mc Cluskeys moved to America, therefore they could have a new start. Cal got a job and finish college while his father engaged in the community.
Katrinchen
Comments
I woke up early that morning and was fulfilled with new courage and strong goodwill. It was the morning of Christmas Day and everything seemed quiet perfect to me.
That’s why I got up enthusiastically and started this day in a good mood and with many plans, took a shower, got clothed, went downstairs into the kitchen to prepare breakfast before waking up Lucy. Perhaps I should invite Cal for breakfast, too. Actually, we got closer to each other in the last few days, emotionally as well as physically, and without my parents-in-law we could have a nice day together, also because I haven’t seen him, yesterday.
But I suddenly got a bad feeling in my stomache and quashed this thought, immediately. This day should belong to Lucy and me and noone else.
I opened the refrigerator, fetched the bottle of milk and switched on the TV, searching the local TV channel. Again, there were riots between Catholics and Protestants messaged on the news, but this time, thank God, without any fatalities. But the following information shocked me for the rest of my life, so much that I let the bottle drop.
“… – Yesterday morning the British Army caught one of the three main suspects of the murder of Robert Morton. The 19-year-old Catholic Cal McCluskey was arrested yesterday morning, Christmas Eve, in a cottage nearby the Mortons’ farm after the police got some confessions of the other two suspects Crilly M. and Finbar Skeffington. But it is still indistinct whether the Morton family knew about Cal’s stay in the cottage and his real identity. It is unclear what his aims were. The suspect Cal McCluskey refused to confess since his attachment. It will be transpired today - …”
I couldn’t go on listening to this anymore and switched off the TV and began to wipe up the milk and the glas like a lunatic. In this horrible hecticness and during my shock I dindn’t realize that Lucy was standing behind me and, apparently, had heared everything.
My poor child! What shall I say now? What shall I do? I’m at the end of my tether. I’m not even able to help myself. How shall I explain this to my little daughter?
She looked at me, horrified, and ran upstairs into her bedroom. I heared the door bang. I stood there in front of the TV in my little kitchen for a few minutes, unable to move; there were so many thoughts coming to my mind which I couldn’t arrange with my sanity and at the same time my head was filled with a terrible blankness which seemed to explode my head.
I broke down, fell onto the floor and everything became black in front of my eyes.
I had sex with my husband’s murderer!
What have I done?
The rest of the day passed by slowly and was full of self-reproaches and panic attacks. I couldn’t even think of Lucy and what she has done the whole day long; I was too absent-minded and paralyzed.
The days passed by and I spent most of the time in bed, ate rarely and sent Lucy, to whom I barely talked, to one of my friends.
I needed time to think.
How shall everything go on?
One day, I even decided to visit Cal in prison, because I wanted certitude and an answer to my question: “Why Robert?”
So I sat down in my car and drove downtown to the prison. After I had been rummmaged and my personal data noted I was led into a small waiting room which was only furnished with a table and two chairs. The jailer gave me the order to sit down and wait and then went out.
I can’t say whether only a few minutes or hours passed, until I heared silent signs of life coming from far away: steps of two persons and the clank of iron chains coming closer to me. The door was opened and Cal was sent in. The first look in his eyes psyched me out and I wanted to scream my pain out. He lowered his eyes immediately and sat down in front of me, shyly and pitifully. That’s how we both sat there, unable to start talking, I stared at him, he looked down. Minutes, hours or only seconds passed before I got a grip on myself.
I opened my mouth but was not capable to speak even one tone. Instead of asking all the open questions I had in mind durng the last few das, I began to cry, to scream, I couldn’t help it, I had to, it released me from my pain, somehow. That’s what I haven’t done since Robert’s murder. And now, after I got to know that Cal helped to kill him, all my feelings erupted.
After a few minutes, I calmed down again but couldn’t stop staring at him; I saw a tear rolling down his cheek.
I heard myself asking: “Why?”
I was whispering so hushed that I worried he might not have heared my question. But I dind’t dare to repeat it, though. Marcella, keep your temper! I noticed that he began to cry and it steadly got worse and I somehow felt a little sympathy for him but knew at the same time that I would never forgive him his deed. Never!
“I am so sorry for everything that happened. And I wish I could turn back the hands of time and make everything undone.” He waited for me to say something but my only reaction was silence. I didn’t know what to reply.
What is he expecting from me now? Saying: “Oh, yes Cal. I love you, let’s forget everything and go on living as if nothing has happened? No, Cal, don’t worry, I love you! And our love will give us the strength to protect us from the public behaviour…”
No, he couldn’t expect something like this seriously. I did not yet answer but looked at him and he did not dare to say anything else, did not even dare to look in my eyes.
Suddenly he began to tell me everything and I knew it was pure honesty.
He explained me how he entered the IRA, about Crilly’s and Skeffington’s threats, his despair, about his father and his mother, also about the murder of Robert and finally, his feelings for me. I listened carefully, sometimes angry as well as impressed by his honesty.
I tried to understand his actions and wanted to let him hear one positive word of mine.
I hesitated!
I couldn’t!
I was sure that he knew what I think about the slaying of innocents, we’ve talked a lot about such topics, and he could always comprehend my thoughts, so that I didn’t need to vocalize them.
Silence!
But before one of us could say anything, the jailer came in and said: “Time is up!” and took Cal away.
I didn’t say “Bye!”; I wasn’t able…
But now our eyes met and I could read “I am sorry; I love you!” in his eyes.
I knew that he was honest.
And at the same moment I realized that I didn’t have the power to judge him.
This was God’s task!
This encounter in prison was the last time I heard about Cal.
I decided to start a new life, and moved away from my parents-in-law to my so-called home, Italy.
I never talked to Lucy about Cal but I knew that the day would come when I would have to explain everything to her.
But not today! And not tomorrow… At first we must start living!
Irina
Comments
Last night – it must have been about eleven o’ clock – I lay down in bed and read a book because I couldn’t sleep; but I couldn’t really concentrate, either.
A lot has happened over the last few days and weeks, too much for me.
Cal’s presence has changed my life totally and I can’t even explain in how and why. He gives me the feeling of being understood; I can talk to him about almost everything and he does not judge me by my behaviour and thoughts. He does absolutely feel with me, that’s what I think at least.
Suddenly I heard a hushed knocking on my door and caught myself thinking of the chance that this could be Cal waiting for me. Marcella, restrain yourself! Think of Lucy, Robert and your parents-in-law; yes, even of them. The door was opened slowly – and there was Lucy standing behind it. I must admit that I felt a little bit disappointed, I can’t explain what is happening with me, I can’t.
Lucy looked so depressed and braced. I immediately began to fret about what was on her mind; I upbraided myself for being egoistic and for totally forgetting my own daughter. I asked her to come to me and she lay down on my bed without hesitating, her head on my shoulder.
“Mama, do you love Cal more than me?” This question was like a stab with a dagger into my heart. How could she ask something stupid like that? My daughter – the centre of my life. My reproaches became steadily worse and I was at the verge of tears. What kind of mother am I? “No darling. How can you even think of such a stupid question?” But I somehow could answer it by myself… “Because you are always next to him and that’s why you don’t have time left for playing with me. Sometimes you forget about me or pretend not to hear me and then I am all alone and don’t know what to do.” I heared a slight sob following. My little baby will break out into tears and, in the meanwhile, I too.
“Lucy, listen to me, please, darling. You are the most important person in my life and noone can change this. Noone, you hear me? Noone! Cal and me, we only like each other but this does not mean that I love him more than you. On the whole world, I could never love somebody more than I love you. Lucy, I promis! Don’t worry!” – “And I feared that Cal would become my new elder brother because he’s always nearby.” I recognized that Lucy sounded irritated. I have never thought how critically a child could question things. I think, I just underestimated my own child. It’s inconceivable to know what is on her mind.
“But what is so bad about Cal being always around us? He’s a funny yound man and we all like him.” – “No, we don’t!” And she jumped up so quickly, sat down next to my feet and began to cry and squall so that I worried about my mother-in-law’s coming in because of the noise.
“We don’t like Cal. He’s too strange and weird and he is wacky and grandma does not like him either, and he takes you away from me, and you don’t prevent it. You can’t stop it because you don’t even notice it. You just let it happen. Couldn’t he search another family to disturb? Hasn’t he got any friends? I want him to vanish into thig air fig and grandma, too!” She stopped abruptly and there was nothing but eery silence left in the room. She stared at me through her great blue eyes which were reddened by her crying. I was speechless. I have never thought or anticipated that a child could be capable of such imaginations and hatred. Has this been Lucy? Or has her grandmother been speaking out of her?
“I want my Daddy back!”
I was shocked, overextended with this situation. What shall I do now? Why haven’t I noticed earlier that Lucy didn’t even get over the death of her father to any extent? God, help me, what shall I tell her? What shall I do? I’m feeling so helpless. And I suddenly had the desire to scream my pain out, to cry with Lucy and forget everything else.
“Darling, come down next to me again. I think there are lots of things that have to be talked about first. What happened to your father, almost one year ago, was cruel and unjust. I don’t understand it, too. And I’m still missing him (- am I?). But our dear God decided to send his angels to take him up into heaven because he needed your brave Daddy up there.” – “But I need him more. I hate God! He is so selfish.” – “Lucy, things happen in our lives which we can’t stop or prevent, things which are only decided by God and he can’t ask us whether we are able to live with his decissions. We just have to cope with them, somehow, regardless whether we want it or not.” – “But nevertheless I want Cal to go.” Why is she always drawing a conclusion between the death of her father and Cal’s stay here? “Lucy, Cal has nothing to do with your father’s death. He’s only living here because he works on our farm. This won’t last forever.” – “Cal must go, Mama, I don’t like him. I hate him! Promise me that you will tell him to leave us. Promise! Right away!”
I knew that I could never say this to Cal but my daughter means so much to me. She gives meaning to my life. I must do what a mother needs to do in such a situation.
“Tell him tomorrow morning that he has to go, right after breakfast, - no even before. He must leave! Immediately, right away, as soon as possible.” She began to pummle and was so sure of her plan. She couldn’t be serious…
“Lucy, baby, stop this. I will tell him that we want him to leave – as soon as possible.” – “Really? Mommy, please!” – “Yes, I promise!”
Now there was nothing but silence. I could only hear how Lucy calmed down. She fell asleep and I felt her slow breath on my skin. Deep within me I was shocked, angry about myself and – desperate. I can’t just send him away. I can’t, no, I don’t want to!
This was one of the reasons for my insomnia last night and why I thought about my life. Me and Lucy. Me and Cal. My parents-in-law and Robert.
How will my life go on?
Who knows?
I don’t!
Irina
Comments
Shamie Mc Cluskey is fighting to live his life. He is known as a good man (page 5, ll.19 ) but he is a Catholic. The way he lives seems to keep him alive avoiding not to get crazy about his life. His first son died in a car crash and he had not enough money for attending the funeral (page 27, ll.8 ). Not enough, his wife died, too, and just because of his being a Catholic the UVF wants to burn down his home (page 21, ll.22). In this situation, any other man would probably get his stuff together and move out of the estate, but Shamie stays ( page 5, line 8, “No Loyalist bastard is going to force me out of my home. They can kill me first.”)
In this passage he seems to be very strong but the troubles just brake him in the course of the novel. On page 10, for example, the reader gets to know that in some way Shamie accepted the civil war because he tells Cal to ignore the “Yahoos” outside (ll. 4 ).
This is a good example of the schizophrenia of Shamie. On the one hand he cannot understand it and fights for his honor and for some fairness in his life. He said that it caused him a lot of embarrassment that Cal quit his job at the abattoir and therefore Crilly got it (page 13 ll.11). But on the other hand he does not seem to be interested and it seems that he has already given up the fight. The moment which finally brakes him was when his house is burned down (page 65). Shamie believed that he would lose his second son, and he would be left alone. This experience was too much for him, he started to cry on the street, maybe he cried for the first time in his life. After this occasion, he can’t go on, he isn’t able to work on, that’s why he spends so much time at his cousin’s home just sitting in an armchair and thinking about his life. During this time he gives up his fight, caused by the fact that Cal, left him. Although Cal did not die, it is really hard for Shamie, because he left without giving him an address.
Benny
Comments
Crilly is a Catholic and of the same age as Cal. He is described as a big boy with large ears, so his outward appearance is not really a positive one. Because of this he was often teased by others in his youth which might have had a strong influence on his later development.
Crilly and Cal know each other from school, they had even been in the same class for one year. During this year (they had been in the fourth class) Cal got to know Crilly better and realized that he has always been a violent and inconsiderate boy.
He was tolerated and feared by the other pupils as well as by the authorities, who abused him to do what they were not allowed to do, e.g. punish other students (page 14, ll.11, [Father Durkin:] ”We know the boy [who had brought a series of pornographic pictures into school] is in the fourth class, but it is such a serious offence…” [And then to Crilly:]”An intelligent pupil could find out who was passing these things around and most of the staff would be looking the other way if anything happened.”).
This exploitation continued in his later days: In the IRA Crilly is the man who is used to do the brutal jobs. His job is the one of a hangman and he likes what he does.
He seems to be a little sadistic. This becomes obvious when he and Cal raid the off-licence. Crilly enjoys the fear of his victims while Cal is afraid they could have hurt anybody (page 60, “’What did you do to those women?’[Cal asked.] ‘I told them to lie on the floor. [...] They were shaking in their fuckin’ high-heel shoes [...]’ He was laughing .“).
Cal fears Crilly for his being unscrupulous. In contrary to that there is Skeffington who despises him and only regards him as an instrument to reach his own goals and the ones of the IRA (page 61, “’There are not many aspects of our culture which interest Mr Crilly. But he’s a useful man. [...] If you’ve a burst pipe you send for a plumber. If you have a war on your hands you send for the Mr Crillys of this world.’”)
For he’s already been doing jobs like robbing shops or people very often, he has deployed some kind of a routine in those things. He has lots of experiences and knows exactly what he does (page 52, ll.20 [when they robbed the off-licence], “Crilly put on a pair of sunglasses and got out. ‘Keep the engine running’, he said. [… . He] stood on tiptoe, looking over the dulled and lettered half of the door. Cal saw him flip up the hood of his anorak and pull his scarf over his mouth. He pushed the door open with his foot and stepped in.”). Still after the robbery he is always self-conscious and “cool” (page 53, l.23 [when Cal reacts nervous], “Sink the boat, Cal boy.”).
Crilly was the one who shot Marcella’s husband Robert Morton, a Reserve Police man and of course a Protestant, one year ago, while Cal was, as usual, waiting in the car.
Another aspect in the relationship between the two young men is that Crilly know does the job in the abattoir Shamie, Cal’s father, wanted his son to do. This causes discussions between father and son again and again (e.g. on page 25, ll.23, [Shamie:]”You should never have left the abattoir. […] Crilly’s not my son. But I’ll say this for him, he does your job a damned sight better than you ever did.”).
Benny
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