Seven years after his death, a new documentary portrait, Brian Friel: Shyman and Showman, has gained unprecedented access to his widow Anne and their family home, alongside a stream of stars and colleagues such as Sinéad Cusack, Stephen Rea, Siobhán McSweeney and Liam Neeson, all of whom readily attest to his genius.
This film sets out to show, through family, friends, actors, directors, as well as via his own handwritten and typed letters, personal archive, and readings from some of his plays, how Brian Friel re-defined Irish theatre in the second half of the 20th century.
Premieres Thursday on RTÉ (Ireland's national broadcast network). Hopefully it will be more widely available thereafter. |
