The Louis Marcus Collection / Bailiúchán Louis Marcus
The IFI Archive Player is delighted to present The Louis Marcus Collection / Bailiúchán Louis Marcus.
Collection
The Louis Marcus Collection / Bailiúchán Louis Marcus
9 items
The Silent Art
This documentary, marking the directorial debut of Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Louis Marcus, is a luminous portrait of renowned Cork sculptor, Seamus Murphy (RHA). This first film-making endeavour by Louis Marcus is modest in scope but serves as an invaluable record of his friend, sculptor Seamus Murphy (affectionately known as Stone Mad), and his work in his studio in Blackpool, Cork and on the streets of the city. Although made on a shoestring and a borrowed 16mm bolex camera, Silent Art is a luminous tribute to the work of the great sculptor. Against the ringing of the Shandon bells, several of Murphy’s pieces are shown in situ in UCC, in Ballyvourney and in Cork City, and the sculptor himself is seen at work sculpting a bust of his daughter Orlagh. Marcus remembers “The Silent Art was shown in 1959 at the same Cork Film Festival where Mise Éire (on which he had worked as an editorial assistant) was premiered. With Dónal Ó Móráin and Bob Mac Góráin of Gael-Linn in Cork for that event, I showed them my film. Soon after, I got my first commission from Gael-Linn and continued to make documentaries for them until 1973.” The Silent Art is part of The Louis Marcus Collection. With kind permission of Louis Marcus.
Rhapsody of a River
This short film was conceived by two Cork natives, Louis Marcus and Seán Ó Ríada, as a romantic tribute to the city and river they knew and loved. The images of the River Lee are underscored by Ó Ríada’s glorious score which is performed by the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra and features Seán Ó Sé singing Ó Riada’s arrangement of ‘The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee’. The film opens with lively sequences in Cork city where the streets are filled with traffic and shoppers and the side quays are busy with stately ships loading and unloading their cargoes. In a peaceful field by the river, grain is harvested and loaded into sacks from the Kilumney Co-op while the busy cattle mart in Bandon attracts keen buyers and sellers. Before the river enters the sea at Cobh, there are many impressive feats of engineering along its banks from the hydro-electric damn at Inniscarra, the Whitegate Oil Refinery; Irish Steel at Haulbowline to shipbuilding at the Verolme Shipyard. Rhapsody of a River was one of a series of longer films made for cinema by Louis Marcus for Gael Linn following the success of their Amharc Éireann newsreel (1956 – ’64). The films were made to promote the Irish language and were primarily presented in Irish. All were directed by Louis Marcus and, from 1965, all were filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator cinematographer Bob Monks. Rhapsody of a River is part of The Louis Marcus Collection on the IFI Archive Player.
Fleá Cheoil
Louis Marcus’ film is a finely observed record of Ireland’s annual Fleadh Cheoil which was held in the towns of Kilrush and Quilty in County Clare in 1966. The Fleadh was the highlight of the year on the traditional music calendar. There had been a big resurgence of interest in traditional Irish music in the 1960s, and Irish folk singers like Dolly McMahon, who appears in the film, were seen as part of world-wide boom in folk music. Musicians from Ireland and abroad came to Kilrush to play and to perform to enthusiastic audiences who came to hear the music, celebrate the culture, and to enjoy the crubeens and the craic. The film shows the influence of cinéma vérité in its close observation of small details and in its willingness to stand back from the action and observe. Marcus films the faces of old and young, local and visitor, musician and audience to create an intensely energetic montage and a remarkable cinematic portrait of this vibrant community. The film, which was commissioned by Gael Linn, was released in 1967 and won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, greatly contributing to the profile of Irish cinema abroad. Fleá Ceoil was one of a series of longer films made for cinema by Louis Marcus for Gael Linn following the success of their Amharc Éireann newsreel (1956 – ’64). The films were made to promote the Irish language and were primarily presented in Irish. All were directed by Louis Marcus and, from 1965, all were filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator cinematographer Bob Monks. Fleá Ceoil is part of The Louis Marcus Collection on the IFI Archive Player.
Pobal
From the renowned Irish documentarian, doubly Oscar-nominated Louis Marcus, Pobal is a broad-sweeping panoramic work encapsulating Ireland and the Irish in the late ‘60s. Shot in various parts of the country including Cork, Mayo, Dublin and the Aran Islands, Pobal presents a rich tapestry of observation and commentary, captured by cameraman Bob Monks and inflected through Marcus’ keen eye for small detail and his sense of irony. It is a prodigious celebration of the people of Ireland and the strong sense of community which pervades every aspect of Irish life. Pobal was one of a series of longer films made for cinema by Louis Marcus for Gael Linn following the success of their Amharc Éireann newsreel (1956 – 1964). All were directed by Louis Marcus and, from 1965, all were filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator cinematographer Bob Monks. Pobal is part of The Louis Marcus Collection on the IFI Archive Player.
Dubliners Sean agus Nua
From the renowned Irish documentarian, doubly Oscar-nominated Louis Marcus, this film is an affectionate portrait of generations of Dublin and Dubliners. Cleverly juxtaposing photographic images from the 1900s with vibrant sequences from the early ‘70s, Louis Marcus celebrates everyday life of Dubliners from street traders; office workers; commuters, and intrepid children who have made the city their playground. His keen sense of irony is conveyed in the stark contrast between the nostalgic voiceover and the captured images. The film features a voiceover in Irish and English. Dubliners Sean agus Nua was one of a series of longer films made for cinema by Louis Marcus for Gael Linn following the success of their Amharc Éireann newsreel (1956 – 1964). The films were made to promote the Irish language and were primarily presented in Irish, but some, like Dubliners carry both Irish and English commentary. All were directed by Louis Marcus and, from 1965, all were filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator cinematographer Bob Monks. Dubliners Sean agus Nua is part of The Louis Marcus Collection on the IFI Archive Player.
Páistí ag obair
Louis Marcus’s observational documentary Páistí ag Obair (Children at Work) watches children learning through play in Irish Montessori schools in the 1970s. A voiceover, in both Irish and English, explains the Montessori method which celebrates the importance of play in developing children’s potential. Children are seen in classrooms playing with Montessori materials which promote reasoning and judgement. These charming sequences are accompanied by jaunty jazz music from French flautist Raymond Guiot. The three schools featured in Páistí ag Obair are Tigh na nÓg, Blessington; St Kieran’s School, Bray; and The Children’s House, Stilllorgan. Páistí ag Obair is part of The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films, along with another of Marcus’s documentaries Conquest of Light. It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1973.
Conquest of Light
Conquest of Light celebrates the process, expertise, and craftsmen at the Waterford Glass factory in Ireland. Through stunning and vibrant cinematography, Louis Marcus examines the mesmerising construction of clear crystal glass pieces created by the craftsmen of Waterford. The process from the intense heat of the furnace to glass blowing, shaping, cutting, honing, filling and finishing is all depicted in this celebration of the art of creation of Waterford Glass. Conquest of Light was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short in 1976. It is part of The Oscar® Collection and The Louis Marcus Collection.
Discovering Ireland
This tourism promotional film was produced in 1982 by Bord Fáilte (now known as Fáilte Ireland) and presents Ireland and its rich history as an attractive holiday destination. From the bustling streets of Dublin during the St Patrick’s Day Parade, to the serene calm of the River Shannon, this film, directed by Louis Marcus, shows the breadth of choice Ireland has to offer any visitor. The 1980s were especially difficult times for Ireland. With high unemployment rates resulting in mass emigration, the country relied heavily on tourism to sustain the economy. Films like this one proved a useful tool in promoting the country to foreign travellers as an ideal place to visit, by showcasing the nation’s cultural and natural amenities. With extensive improvements in transportation and local infrastructure, coupled with extensive marketing plans to promote Irish heritage, Ireland quickly became a busy tourist destination in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Discovering Ireland is part of The Louis Marcus Collection on the IFI Archive Player.