Latest news with #FourLettersOfLove
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Helena Bonham Carter on Four Letters of Love + The Stolen Painting + Holy Cow
Screen legend Helena Bonham Carter on Four Letters of Love, where she stars opposite Pierce Brosnan in an adaptation of Niall Williams' 1997 novel about a couple pulled together by ghosts, fate and the power of love. Inspired by real events, acclaimed writer/director Pascal Bonitzer's sharp dramedy The Stolen Painting follows an auctioneer whose professional and personal integrity is challenged by the discovery of a long-lost masterpiece. French director Louise Courvoisier on her charming debut Holy Cow, in which teenager Totone's carefree life in the countryside takes a turn when he's suddenly left to provide for his young sister. CREDITS
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Four Letters of Love: Helena Bonham Carter and Pierce Brosnan's film shows off NI scenery
Four Letters of Love may have a star-studded cast but the scenery in Northern Ireland proved to be one of the film's main characters, its director has movie was adapted for the big screen by Dublin-born author Niall Williams from his internationally-acclaimed 1997 debut novel of the same last weekend, Pierce Brosnan, Gabriel Byrne and Helena Bonham Carter feature in the romantic drama set in the early 1970s."In Northern Ireland, the landscapes speak for themselves - they are a massive character in the film," filmmaker Polly Steele told BBC News NI. Four Letters of Love was filmed in locations including the Ulster Folk Museum in County Down, Murlough Bay in County Antrim and Dunfanaghy in County Donegal, in the Republic of in the west of Ireland, it is a story of love, faith and destiny centred around two troubled young people, Nicholas Coughlan and Isabel Gore, and their families. For Williams, it is the first of his books to be turned into a film, and his first screenplay."I think the geography of it was important," he said."I was very protective of that and happy that we could shoot it in Ireland and Northern Ireland." For Steele, it was the north coast of County Antrim which stood out."I think the one that is most dear to my heart is Murlough Bay," she said."I remember coming down through this magical valley and arriving at this cottage right on the ocean edge and just going, 'wow, this is it'."There was something classical about it. It felt like it held the magic." Williams was most impressed by a beach in Dunfanaghy."It's an extraordinary, just empty, vast, beautiful place - magnificent on screen," he said."And when Pierce (Brosnan) is painting in the dunes, I could watch that forever."A movie star, there's something beyond just performance, some kind of mesmerism, which is tremendous." Brosnan stars as an William Coughlan who, following an epiphany, abandons his family and civil service job to become an told BBC News NI that "Pierce was so supportive and extremely loyal to us"."I think he understood the artistic journey that his character was going on," she said."He was a silent strength in this film coming together." Bonham Carter plays Margaret Gore, the wife of poet and schoolteacher Muiris, played by Gabriel well as adopting the accent for the role, she also speaks Irish in one said it brought back memories of Queen Elizabeth II's historic state visit to Ireland in 2011."Helena speaks Irish at the end of the film, that sort of felt to me like when the Queen came to Dublin and spoke her two lines of Irish, it was extraordinary," he said. 'Filmmaking is a difficult pursuit' As well as the beauty of its scenery, the filmmakers had praise for those that worked on the production."The crew are extremely professional, lovely and kind and skilled at what they do," said Steele."And Northern Ireland Screen were very supportive early on, backing us financially."But adapting a literary novel to the big screen was never going to be production was seven years in the making."Filmmaking is a difficult pursuit," added Steele."You must land many balls all in one go for a film to get off the ground - and sometimes it takes a long time."However the lengthy development process became strangely poetic for its writer."It would have been impossible to make this film quickly," said Williams."The novel itself is about artistic struggle and our faith was tested many times."
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Four Letters of Love review: Every interior in this preposterous film suggests an Irish theme pub in 1990s Basingstoke
Four Letters of Love Director : Polly Steele Cert : 12A Starring : Helena Bonham Carter, Pierce Brosnan, Gabriel Byrne, Ann Skelly, Fionn O'Shea, Imelda May, Ferdia Walsh Peelo Running Time : 1 hr 49 mins Are we still bleeding doing this? Really? Are we still modelling our entertainment on a best bet of how Americans like to imagine us? Every interior in this preposterous adaptation of an admired Niall Williams novel suggests an Irish theme pub in 1990s Basingstoke. Oh, to have been in the antique spinning-wheel business or the rusty bike trade when the production came to town. The script believes we are never more than a syllable away from semi-spiritual claptrap. We will get to the accents later. If asked what the film was about – or to what the title referred – one would need to reveal Shakespearean shenanigans in the closing 15 minutes. So, for fear of spoilers, we will assume you are not asking that. To that point, Four Letters of Love has concerned two largely parallel stories. In Dublin of the early 1970s, young Nicholas Coughlan (Fionn O'Shea) is living in uneasy suburban comfort with mum Bette (Imelda May) and dad William ( Pierce Brosnan ) when the latter has a sort of secular revelation. Sitting at his desk, William spots a rectangle of light and decides he will move from a role for which Pierce Brosnan is mildly miscast to a role in which he is grossly miscast: he will cease being a civil servant and take up life as a hairy, staff-wielding painter in the west of Ireland. You know? The sort of vaguely Druidical figure you move away from when he sidles beside you in the bus queue. Meanwhile, on an island in that very part of the world, Muiris ( Gabriel Byrne ), poet-teacher, and Margaret (no really, it's Helena Bonham Carter), his wise wife, are going through their own school of picturesque trauma. One sad day, their son Sean (Dónal Finn) has a mysterious fit while playing the penny whistle as his sister Issy (Ann Skelly) dances merrily upon a cliff. He ends up in a wheelchair. Issy is sent off to board with nuns who, though stern, are benign enough to satisfy those people constantly whining online about how films are, these days, too mean to the sisters. READ MORE Indeed, Four Letters seems intent on offering us an idealised portrait of Ireland in an often-miserable period. The closest thing to an avatar of modernity is Peadar (Ferdia Walsh Peelo), the low-level hell-raiser who lures Issy away from school with his motorcar and his interest in ersatz pop music. Four Letters is far too good-natured to make a monster of Peadar – he is more Cliff Richard than James Dean – but, early on, we realise Issy would be better off with someone like … oh, I don't know, maybe the thoughtful, intense, furrowed Nicholas. But how will that happen? He is in a whole other story. [ Pierce Brosnan: 'I had no qualifications. I was really behind the eight ball – without a mother, without a father' Opens in new window ] Williams's novel has a huge following and, in print, I don't doubt the messages stand out uncompromised. Overseas viewers may be more open to a hyperglycaemic depiction of Ireland that would give the makers of Netflix Micksploitation pause for thought. As in The Banshees of Inisherin, the visuals mirror the aesthetic of John Hinde postcards, but are here unseasoned with the cruel irony that Martin McDonagh provides (whatever you think of that writer). Little blame attaches to the cast. Brosnan, as ever in such situations, touches vowels from all 32 counties in his effort to master an Irish accent not his own. Skelly and O'Shea are stars. The admirable Olwen Fouéré, playing a near silent bystander, satisfies an apparent contractual obligation that she appear in every rural drama. Only a monster could object to the delightful pairing of Byrne and HBC (whose accent isn't too bad). Get them back together in a better film as soon as possible. In cinemas from July 18th
Extra.ie
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Pierce Brosnan responds to backlash over Mobland accent
Pierce Brosnan has responded to criticism of his 'MobLand' Irish accent, with many taking to the internet to roast his performance. The Irish Times branded his brogue in the Paramount+ series as a 'horror for the ages,' with others claiming it was deeply distracting to the plot of the Guy Ritchie-directed gangster drama. While the Mamma Mia star was born in Drogheda and spent the first few years of his life in Navan, he has worked the majority of his career in England and the U.S, further weakening his Irish accent. Pierce Brosnan has responded to criticism of his 'MobLand' Irish accent, with many taking to the internet to roast his attempt. Pic: Samir Hussein/WireImage Now, in an interview with Radio Times, Brosnan has addressed the backlash, claiming that his character's dialect would differ greatly to what he was reared with. 'My own accent is very soft … Conrad's accent is a million miles away from me,' he explained, discussing how the accent we saw on screen derived from working with a dialect coach. 'I told him that I needed a Kerry accent,' he added. 'So he gave me the name of a man, and I Googled the guy and that was it. It was a Kerry accent. And so, I just gave it full tilt.' The Irish Times branded his brogue in the the Paramount+ series as a 'horror for the ages,' with others claiming it was deeply distracting to the plot of the Guy Ritchie-directed gangster drama. Pic: Jason Bell/Paramount+ Elsewhere, the trailer for Pierce Brosnan's new film shot in Ireland has finally been released. Four Letters Of Love is based on Niall Williams' international bestselling novel of the same name and stars Pierce Brosnan alongside Gabriel Byrne and Helena Bonham Carter. The highly anticipated film is coming to cinemas on the 18th July across Ireland and sees two-time Academy Award nominee Brosnan take on a highly romantic role. While the Mamma Mia was born in Drogheda and spent the first few years of his life in Navan, he has worked the majority of his career in England and the U.S, further weakening his Irish accent. Pic: Luke Varley/Paramount+ Shot on location in Donegal and Antrim, Four Letters Of Love is described as a 'life-affirming tale about faith and doubt, maybes and almosts, and the miracle of love.' According to the synopsis: 'Nicholas (O'Shea) and Isabel (Skelly) are made for each other, but as destiny pulls them together, so do family, passion, and faith drive them apart. Nicholas' father, William (Brosnan), comes home one day to shatter his family's quiet, modest life. He tells them that after a moment of divine revelation, he has decided to dedicate his life to painting. 'He quits his job and sets off for the West Coast, leaving his shell-shocked wife and son to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, Isabel and her family live a charmed existence on a remote island off the West Coast, their house full of music and poetry. When tragedy strikes and her brother suffers a terrible accident, the music stops, and Isabel's mother (Bonham Carter) and father (Byrne) decide in their grief to send Isabel to a convent school on the mainland. 'The young lovers embark on their own individual journeys of heartache and misplaced love, before fate contrives to pull the threads of their lives together. When they meet, it is a miracle.' The original novel was published in 1997 and was translated into more than 30 languages before he adapted it for the screen. Four Letters Of Love is a Genesius Pictures, AX1 Films and Port Pictures production in association with London Town Films and will be released in Irish cinemas on July 18 2025.
Sunday World
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Trailer for new Pierce Brosnan film shot in Donegal is released
Entitled 'Four Letters Of Love', it is based on the international bestselling novel of the same name by Niall Williams The trailer for the new Pierce Brosnan film shot in Donegal has been released. Entitled 'Four Letters Of Love', it is based on the international bestselling novel of the same name by Niall Williams'. Two-time Academy Award nominee Brosnan stars alongside Gabriel Byrne and Helena Bonham Carter in the flick that is coming to cinemas on July 18. Shot on location in Donegal and Antrim, Four Letters Of Love is described as a 'life-affirming tale about faith and doubt, maybes and almosts, and the miracle of love' The synopsis outlines how 'Nicholas (O'Shea) and Isabel (Skelly) are made for each other, but as destiny pulls them together, so do family, passion, and faith drive them apart. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content 'Nicholas' father, William (Brosnan), comes home one day to shatter his family's quiet, modest life. He tells them that after a moment of divine revelation, he has decided to dedicate his life to painting. 'He quits his job and sets off for the West Coast, leaving his shell-shocked wife and son to fend for themselves.' Meanwhile, Isabel and her family live a charmed existence on a remote island off the West Coast, their house full of music and poetry. When tragedy strikes and her brother suffers a terrible accident, the music stops, and Isabel's mother, played by Bonham Carter, and father (Byrne) decide in their grief to send Isabel to a convent school on the mainland. The young lovers embark on their own individual journeys of heartache and misplaced love, before fate contrives to pull the threads of their lives together. When they meet, it is a miracle.' The original novel was translated into more than 30 languages after it was published in 1997 and before he adapted it for the screen.
