That They May Face the Rising Sun: Now a major motion picture

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Sampson, Denis. 2005 “’Open to the World’: A Reading of John McGahern’s “ That They May Face the Rising Sun”. The Irish University Review: A Journal of Irish Studies. 35.1. Special Issue: John McGahern. 137-146. A work which bears sustained comparison with That They May Face the Rising Sun is Tomás Ó Criomhthain’s memoir The Islandman. Both Eamon Maher and Declan Kiberd have drawn connections between these two works and nowhere do the similarities seem as implicit as McGahern’s critique of Ó Criomhthain’s work in his revised essay What is My Language?’ (2005) (3). This essay proves an illuminating insight into his own writing preoccupations as well as Ó Criomhthain’s, for McGahern states: Lee, Hermione (2002-01-06). "Everything under the sun". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712 . Retrieved 2023-11-06. Whyte, James. 2002. History, Myth, and Ritual in the Fiction of John McGahern: Strategies of Transcendence. Lewiston, NY: the Edwin Mellen Press. I need to make a living out of film-making. That can change the way I work. I have to keep making films to make a living . . . it shapes the films that I make. I feel a little bit more confident making films than when I started, but I’m never really confident because I think I’m make it hard on myself all the time. That They May Face the Rising Sun is a challenging story, because there’s very little story in the book. It’s set in a community over the course of years, so that’ll keep me going. Hopefully, in 20 years time when I’m in my 70s I’ll realise that making films doesn’t have to be difficult all the time.”

Breslin, John B. 2002. “Pastoral”. Review of That They May Face the Rising Sun. Commonweal. May 17. Based on internationally acclaimed Irish author John McGahern’s award winning novel of the same name, That They May Face the Rising Sun is a vivid evocation of nature, humanity and life itself, set in a 1980’s rural community in Ireland. Kennedy, Eileen. 1983. “The Novels of John McGahern”. Contemporary Irish Writing. Eds. James Brophy and Raymond Porter. Boston: Twayne. 115-126.When McGahern states that in O’Crohan’s work ‘the concerns are immediate … no two days or two persons are alike’, it is equally true of the world of ‘That They May Face the Rising Sun’. In fact McGahern is meticulous about clearly delineating characters who might otherwise be deemed similar and stereotypical. The Shah and Ryan are two obvious examples: the former a tight-lipped, essentially decent, self-made man and the latter a self-proclaimed truth teller, who apparently fails to perceive any wider truths about himself. Both represent distinct examples of the rural Irish bachelor experience in the period in which the novel is set. Yet they are only two examples from a vivid cast of characters, worthy of a writer such as Chaucer or Dante, in their accurate representation of the rich social world from which they emanate. Ruttledge’s comment to Jamesie towards the end of the novel that ‘you have been my sweet guide’ seems to confirm his friend’s Virgilian role in the novel. This comparison with Dante is further strengthened upon considering a passage from the same section of the novel, in which after being asked to consider the meaning of death, Ruttledge concludes that in the unlikely event of there being an afterlife, it will be composed of distinctly earthly impressions: John McGahern; Narrativa irlandesa; That They May Face the Rising Sun; Parábola del Hijo Pródigo; Comunidad; Identidad; Viaje; Regreso a casa; Tradición Just as the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s film Fanny and Alexander was heralded as his swansong, John McGahern’s last novel, That They May Face the Rising Sun, represents a development from the more austere works which preceded it. As in Bergman’s late film the tapestry is richer, so that a warmer, more lyrical and ultimately impressionistic work results.

This was my first read of John McGahern but it was his final novel. Some reviewers offered not quite a criticism in saying that this last one was not dark like his others. I wouldn't know about that. The author himself said he wanted to write about ordinary lives. Yet there was nothing ordinary in this book. This is a rich piece of character-driven fiction, in which the rural setting is as much a character as anyone. I can see myself wanting to return to this book. There is just so much here to appreciate. Sampson, Denis. 1991. “Introducing John McGahern”. Canadian Journal of Irish Studies 17.1. Special Issue on John McGahern. 1-9. The film itself never feels repetitive with a warmth and earnestness to its central performances that keep it grounded. There is a clear sense of the importance of the local people, and the lead performances perfectly slot into place with a sense of calm even in some of the heavier moments, lending this extra weight. It feels like everyone has their own quirks and charms that help elevate things and make the location feel distinct. Easter morning came clear. There was no wind on the lake. There was also a great stillness. When the bells rang out for Mass, the strokes trembling on the water, they had the entire Easter world to themselves.”

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That They May Face the Rising Sun (2002), Irish Novel of the Year (2003), nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award. Published in the United States under the title By the Lake (2002) Widely considered to be the finest Irish writer of fiction at work today, John McGahern gives us a new novel that, with insight, humor, and deep sympathy, brings to vivid life the world and the people of a contemporary Irish village. At the very beginning of That They May Face The Rising Sun, the audience is introduced to the setting with a long two-minute establishing shot accompanied by classical music. And if the film could be summed up in one frame, I am sure it would be this one: a peaceful landscape with the sun rising amongst the clouds on a scenic lake surrounded by nature, seemingly untouched by human presence. It almost feels like a moment frozen in time, inviting us to reflect on the uncorrupted beauty of nature, like a cinematic rendition of an English romantic painting by J. M. W. Turner.

They did a limited version of the show for the local audience,” says Collins. “But going from that to the opening was huge in terms of the changes. It was a departure in terms of costume and lighting. But when they introduced the kind of orchestral sound you hear in a big auditorium, and the smoke machine and the effects, I was blown away by it. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. That’s Michael’s gift. He is literally overseeing the organisation from day one like he’s improvising. An illuminating interview with Michael Keegan-Dolan was left, tantalisingly, on the cutting room floor Irish distribution outfit Break Out Pictures have acquired UK/Ireland rights and plan to release the film theatrically in Spring 2024. His final novel, That They May Face the Rising Sun which was published in 2002 (published in the United States as By the Lake) is a portrait of a year in the life of a rural lakeside community. The novel explores the meaning of prosaic lives and life in (a now-past life) in rural Ireland. He said "the ordinary fascinates me" and "the ordinary is the most precious thing in life". [13] The main characters have – just like McGahern and his wife – returned from London to live on a farm. Most of the violence of the father figure has disappeared now, and life in the country seems much more relaxed and prosperous than in The Dark, or Amongst Women as McGahern now writes in a twenty-first century Ireland. The Ruttledges and Jamesie and Mary seemed happy couples, refreshingly so. Here's a bit of that dialogue and storytelling I mentioned, this about how the Ruttledges first got together (I'll add the speakers for you):The sense of tranquility is palpable, and the film almost seems designed to lower your blood pressure. To see our actors, directors, writers, and producers accepted and celebrated overseas in numerous festivals, theatres, and awards, is a testament to arts funding, and would be next to impossible without support and cultivation of talent. Hughes, Eamonn. 2005. “All That Surrounds Our Life’: Time, Sex, and Death in That They May Face the Rising Sun”. The Irish University Review: A Journal of Irish Studies 35.1. Special issue on John McGahern. 147-160.