After Dinner Speakers: The Commitments, Ian Stone, Peter Jay

Alan Parker's highly acclaimed 1991 movie, set in the working-class north side of contemporary Dublin, concerns the efforts of young Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) to form the "World's Hardest Working Band", and bring real soul music to the city. His adverts for musicians in the local press and elsewhere bring forth guitarists Derek Scully (Ken McCluskey) and Outspan Foster (Glen Hansard), saxophone player Dean Fay (Felim Gormley), pianist Steven Clifford (Michael Aherne), and the 45-year-old messianic trumpeter Joey "The Lips' Fagan (Johnny Murphy), who says that he knows most of the American greats and has toured with Elvis Presley. Last, but definitely not least, there is singer Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong), whose voice Variety"s critic likened to "a diesel engine". A gruelling rehearsal schedule pays off, and the band gets through some pub gigs, although arrogant Deco's continual "harmonising" with backing girl vocalists Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher), Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle), and Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball), causes trouble within the ranks. Hopes (and temperatures) soar when Joey promises to ask Wilson Pickett, who is also in town, to join them on stage after he has finished his own performance. He fails to show, and tempers flare, resulting in the band splitting up. As Jimmy wanders disconsolately along the roadway, a limousine pulls up alongside him, and a member of Wilson Pickett's entourage enquires where the Commitments are playing. They were in fact playing superbly all through this film - these unknown musicians Parker preferred to seasoned actors. Amongst their repertoire: "Mustang Sally", "Too Many Fish In The Sea", "Mr Pitiful", "Bye Bye Baby", "Show Me", "Take Me To The River", "The Dark End Of The Street", "Hard To Handle", "Chain Of Fools", "I Never Loved A Man", "Try A Little Tenderness", and Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper's "In The Midnight Hour". There was a lot more where that came from, plus some neat touches like the way Jimmy's dad (Colm Meaney), a rabid Elvis fan, keeps a picture of the "King" on his wall - just above one of the Pope. The screenplay was based on Roddy's Doyle's novel, and adapted by Doyle himself, in collaboration with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, one of Britain's top comedy writing teams (Porridge, The Likely Lads). This immensely enjoyable, and thoroughly authentic movie, was nominated for an Oscar (Gerry Hambling's film editing), a Golden Globe for best picture, and won the best director award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for Alan Parker. The soundtrack album and Commitments Volume 2 spent a total of 131 weeks in the UK chart, and their version of "Mustang Sally" was a modest singles hit. This film, a joint Irish/UK/US production, was the first of Doyle's Barrytown trilogy, followed by The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1996). Colm Meaney was in all three.