SCREENINGS OF Ireland's first full-length "talkie" film The Dawn, filmed, scripted and acted in Killarney in 1936, drew such crowds at the local cinema last week, extra showings had to be put on.
It is the 75th anniversary of the film made over three years in Killarney and featuring local amateur actors who acted after work in landmark beauty spots.
The film was shot using a camera bought in London and developed in a local chemist shop, and whose eventual screening stunned the international film world.
There are plans to digitise the film, which ran for three weeks in New York in 1936 to packed audiences and rave reviews.
The Dawnwas part written by Thomas G Cooper, a garage owner and hotelier, who also played one of the leading roles. His family still runs the cinema in Killarney. The film is set in the era of the War of Independence and the Black and Tans. Viewed through the lens of history, it is as much documentary as romantic tale.
Many of the principals lived through the era of the Black and Tans, which was particularly vicious in the south of the country.
Cooper’s granddaughter, Michelle Cooper Galvin, an award-winning press photographer, recalled this weekend how he had travelled to London in 1933 to buy the camera with the idea of making a film that would show the beauty of Killarney and attract more tourists. “Then he got the idea of a romance in Black and Tan era. A lot of the actors lived through those times – physically and mentally,” she said.
None of the actors had professional training, but the film was remarkable for its gripping performances and innovative techniques.
As well as being this country’s first full-length feature film with sound, it introduced silhouetted scenes and other techniques.
“There is a huge personal connection locally. Families from second and third generations turned out to see their loved ones on screen this week,” Ms Cooper Galvin said.
The script was written by DDA Moriarty, Donal Cahill and Cooper.
It draws on a remarkable film industry in Killarney, established in 1914 in Beaufort where 28 films were made by the Kalem company. The history of film-making before the second World War is recounted by film buff Alex Willms in his book Killarney at the Movies. He described the technical adequacy of the film as "incredible". There was a strong, vibrant amateur acting and musical industry in the town in the run up to the second World War.
The Dawn will be screened at the Cork Film Festival in September.