In MY Father's Name

[Marky Lazer]

Yesterday I saw the movie In My Father’s Name, which is about the famous Guildford Four. Four people were innocently sentenced to prison for an IRA bombing for 15 years, even when the police officers knew they were innocent.

This movie makes you sad and angry, but the part that made me even more angry was when I had a look on the Internet. There was a compensation of only £500,000. How much is 15 years of your life worth?

Edit: I know this is old, but it was the first time I saw that movie.

 

[GrownUp]

Hmmn. Yes I remember seeing that film, and seeing it all happening when I was at school.

That is what makes the increasingly human-rights-violating approach the government is using in its anti-terrorism laws now so much more frustrating. Most people I know seem to have longer memories than them.

 

[Foxbat]

I think it was called In The Name Of The Father. Still, you are right. It's a film that shows just how justice can be warped when public and political pressure becomes so strong. When this happens, innocence and guilt go out the window. A good thought-provoking movie with some fine performances.

 

[Marky Lazer]

I think it was called In The Name Of The Father. Still, you are right. It's a film that shows just how justice can be warped when public and political pressure becomes so strong. When this happens, innocence and guilt go out the window. A good thought-provoking movie with some fine performances.

You are right. In My Father's Name is a book written by Mark Arax about where he tries to find the truth about his father's murderer.

 

[kyektulu]

Reading this thread really saddened me.
I remember reading the story in a newpaper years ago and feeling very angry too, the evidence against the four was petty at best, in my knowledge the only incriminating thing was a confession from them, which they claimed they were tortured into signing.
I dont know how they are supposed to be 'compensated' with such a paltry sum of money, it is no compensation for 15 years of your life.

 

[sanityassassin]

It is a very sad movie to see injustice in such a free society the film changes the real story a little for dramatic effect but the basic premise is true it is one film that brought a tear to my eye when they are eventually freed. The big problem at the time was that the english were living in fear because of the IRA attacks on London and the goverment needed scapegoats to prove they were doing something about it, the problem is they could not handle the attacks so every Irish person was a suspected terrorist.

 

[GrownUp]

Not just bombs in London, all over the UK.

All my youth and childhood bombs and bomb threats were so common. And I was talking to a mate recently who's Dad is Irish. She remembers some trouble even he had getting work.

It's horrible to watch news clips from that time (hysterical arresting, I'd call it). Mainly because of the 70's and 80's fashion- but also because it is eerily familiar. It's as if history is caricaturing itself.

I watched the news (in the UK) on the day of the verdict of the Bloody Sunday enquiry, quite recently. Such an important day, such important, cathartic conclucions, such brief and edited news reports buried in the tail end of the news with other insignificant news items.

No, I'm going to stop now.

 

[sanityassassin]

If you think the edited news reports are bad here try watching Northen Irish news where you'd think nothing bad happens all the news items were strictly controlled by the british army to avoid any bad press. It is not so bad now as it was in the 70's and 80's

 

[Marky Lazer]

Well, looking at this example and the way America is handling 'suspected' terrorists, it seems like history repeats itself.

(I'm no pro-terror, just an observer).

 

[GrownUp]

(I'm no pro-terror, just an observer).

Hehehe. Bless you Marky.

Who is pro-terror? It would be like being pro-murder, or pro-poor-traffic-safety. Or worse, pro-celery.

I'd like to state now, that I too am not pro-terror, pro-murder, pro-poor-traffic-safety or pro-celery.

Defending human rights, the culpability and accountability of my govenment that I voted for, my culpability, the blood on my hands because of it. That does not make me pro-celery. It makes me miserable.

 

[Marky Lazer]

I think you know what I meant. I once said something in favour of the Palestines in the Middle East conflict, and people said I therefore supported terrorism.

 

[GrownUp]

Right, I hadn't seen that.

 

[sanityassassin]

one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter and the problem usually ends up being the cause could very well be just but the actions taken in the name of the cause can cause untold grief to the innocent population

 

[GrownUp]

Right but I'm not sure that what this film/thread is really about. Whether or not someone is a terrorist or freedom-fighter is a different conversation.

This film is about guilt or innocence. And the story is echoing into the present time. Fear and anger leading to random, unfocussed retaliation by a country, a governmental system, just as it does when anger and fear take over a person. It makes a person blind and unreasoning, and a country is just a lot of people.

 

[littlemissattitude]

You are right. In My Father's Name is a book written by Mark Arax about where he tries to find the truth about his father's murderer.

Marky...Good catch. And a very good book (yeah, I know this is the film and television thread...I'll get to the movie being disucssed in a moment ). The events related in the book actually took place here in Fresno. Interesting place, the bar where the murder took place. It has changed hands a bunch of times and has been, among other things a cowboy bar and a dance club. But it is one of those places that seems to attract trouble. Since the murder described in the book, there have been at least two or three other killings there. One of those was a young woman who was a friend of a good friend of mine; my friend was actually supposed to be there with her when she was killed, but he was running late and hadn't arrived there yet. Kind of creepy. As far as I know (at least the last time I happened to drive by there) the building is still there and looks as it always had, but I don't think there is a business in it now.

A couple of years ago, there was finally someone convicted in the murder, but I'm not sure that the son who wrote the book is convinced (or was convinced at the time, when he was interviewed about it) that they got the right guy. Anyway, the book opened up a whole can of worms about the local police department and a bunch of other stuff about the dark side of the city that some pretty powerful people didn't actually want talked about.

Okay. Now, "In the Name of the Father" - good film. Highlights the really scary things that happen when ideology gets mixed up in the justice system. Reminds me of how things are starting to get here in the States since 9/11. It reminds me of another film, "Missing" (1982, starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek), about Chile during the time that the CIA was messing about down there and ended up bringing General Pinochet to power. Again, ideology trumped the justice system and all sorts of bad things happened.