The Commitments
Short description
Set in a working-class neighborhood of north Dublin during the 1980s, The Commitments follows Jimmy Rabbitte, an unemployed young man with a plan. Convinced that soul music is the sound his community needs, he assembles a band from local hopefuls, holding auditions in his family's living room and recruiting three backing singers along with a lead vocalist he spots at a wedding. An older trumpet player answers his advertisement and joins the group. The new band rehearses intensively, and as their performances improve, success begins to expose the tensions and conflicts within the lineup.
Alan Parker directed the film, working from a screenplay by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais and Roddy Doyle, whose novel provides the source material. It was Parker's eighth feature, arriving between Mississippi Burning and The Road to Wellville. Robert Arkins plays Jimmy, with Michael Aherne, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Dave Finnegan and Bronagh Gallagher among the large credited cast of 70. Made for about 12 million dollars, it returned roughly 15 million worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds 7.6 out of 10 from around 43,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.3 from roughly 631 votes. A critics' rating of 7.6 from 52 reviews places it in close agreement with the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- A more accurate translation of the original title is “The Commitments”.
- The only ones who had no musical experience before filming began were Johnny Murphy (1943-2016) and Bronagh Gallagher.
- The producers wanted Andrew Strong’s father (an Irish singer) to play one of the roles, but he came to the audition with his 16-year-old son, and as a result, the role of one of the main characters went to the son.
- Members of the Irish folk-rock band The Corrs played minor roles in the film, which, in fact, gave their careers a much-needed boost.
- During film auditions, potential cast members were first required to demonstrate their musical talent, and only then prove their acting ability. After the actors were cast, a rather lengthy rehearsal period followed – for both musical numbers and acting scenes.
- It wasn't easy for Glen Hansard to film. At the very beginning of the process, he had a falling out with director Alan Parker (1944-2020), which, of course, affected the filming and his perception of it. He forced himself to watch the entire film only almost two decades after its premiere.
- The most expensive part of making the film was obtaining permission to use the song “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles. Jimmy sings only a single line from the lyrics, but according to Alan Parker, it cost more than all the other songs in the film combined.
- At the beginning of the film, Jimmy Rabbit offers the guys on the subway to buy "Mississippi Burning" (1988) from him – one of the previous films by Alan Parker, the director of "The Commitments" (1991).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
