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The Nephew
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| The Nephew | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eugene Brady |
| Written by | Eugene Brady |
| Produced by | Jerry A. Baerwitz Pierce Brosnan Doug Mayfield |
| Starring | Donal McCann Pierce Brosnan Hill Harper Aislín McGuckin Niall Toibin |
| Music by | Stephen McKeon |
| Distributed by | United International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £241,000 (UK/Ireland)[1] |
The Nephew is a 1998 Irish film directed by Eugene Brady, which tells the story of a young biracial American man, Chad Egan-Washington (played by Hill Harper).
Plot
[edit]Following the death of his father, and later his mother, a long time Irish immigrant to the United States, the teenage and biracial Chad travels from his home in New York to a small Irish island where his mother was brought up, to live with his uncle, a smalltime farmer.
In addition to facing initial prejudices, Chad finds himself the center of a grievance his uncle Tony (Donal McCann) holds against local bar owner Joe Brady (Pierce Brosnan), for his illicit relationship with Chad's mother, which Tony opposed, before she left twenty years before.
Further complications ensue when Chad develops a relationship with Brady's daughter Aislinn (Aislin McGuckin). Her admirer Peter O'Boyce (David Quinn), who works in her father's bar, is jealous and attempts to stop the ensuing romance.
Production
[edit]The Nephew was the first film released by Irish DreamTime, a production company which had been founded by Pierce Brosnan and film producer Beau St. Clair in 1996.[2]
Locations in Ireland used for shooting The Nephew included Roundwood, Wicklow Town, Wicklow Head.[3] A large prop Cromlech was built for the movie.
Reception
[edit]The film grossed £241,000 ($0.4 million) in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72.
- ^ McNary, Dave (11 January 2016). "Beau St. Clair, Pierce Brosnan's Producing Partner, Dies". Variety. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ County Wicklow Film Commission
External links
[edit]- The Nephew at IMDb
- The Nephew at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
- The Nephew at Rotten Tomatoes
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 | This 1990s drama film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
The Nephew
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
The Nephew is a novel by American author James Purdy, published in 1960. The story is framed as the memoir of Alma Mason, an elderly schoolteacher in a rural Midwestern town, who sets out to memorialize her nephew Cliff Mason after he is reported missing in action during the Korean War; through her writing, she excavates suppressed family histories involving deception, sexuality, and racial prejudice, exposing the fragility of social facades.[1][2]
Purdy's narrative employs an epistolary style interspersed with dramatic vignettes, blending realism with gothic elements to critique mid-20th-century American provincialism and the denial of human impulses.[1] The novel delves into themes of repressed homosexuality, familial betrayal, and the hysteria surrounding racial "otherness," portraying Cliff's potential interracial relationships and ambiguous fate as catalysts for communal unraveling, without explicit resolution.[2] Upon release, it garnered attention for its unflinching portrayal of taboo subjects, contributing to Purdy's early reputation as a provocative stylist who defied genre norms and moral conventions of the era.[3]
Though praised by figures like Edith Sitwell for its poetic intensity, The Nephew's reception was mixed, with some critics lauding its innovative structure while others dismissed it as obscure or unsettling; over time, Purdy's oeuvre, including this work, faced marginalization in academic literary studies, where institutional preferences for ideologically conformist interpretations—often shaped by prevailing left-leaning orthodoxies in humanities departments—have sidelined contrarian voices challenging unexamined social pieties.[4][5] This neglect contrasts with the novel's enduring appeal among readers valuing its raw dissection of causality in personal and societal decay, unfiltered by later politicized lenses on identity.[6]
Brosnan's dual role as star and producer facilitated the assembly of this mix of international and Irish actors, aligning with the narrative's exploration of heritage and outsider integration, though the low-budget production limited broader star power.[7]
Synopsis
Plot Summary
Chad Egan-Washington, a young biracial American from New York with artistic talents, arrives on the remote Irish island of Inis Dara to scatter the ashes of his recently deceased mother, Karen Egan, in her birthplace.[7][8] Karen, who emigrated to the United States 20 years earlier, had maintained no contact with her family, leaving her brother Tony—a misanthropic farmer—and sister-in-law Maura unaware of her marriage to a Black man or the existence of her son Chad.[7] Their shock at Chad's appearance and heritage sparks immediate tension, as his probing questions into Karen's past unearth Tony's prior cruelty toward her and long-suppressed family dynamics.[7] Chad's presence disrupts the insular community, where his exotic background draws curiosity, prejudice, and social friction amid cultural clashes between his urban American demeanor and local traditions.[8] He forms a romance with Aislin, the daughter of local pub owner Joe Brady, whose objections stem not from racial bias but from his own unresolved history with Karen.[7] Concurrently, Chad's father, Sean, travels to the island to claim Karen's body, intensifying confrontations over inheritance, identity, and reconciliation as buried secrets surface.[7][8] The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of the island's harsh landscape, emphasizing themes of belonging, forgiveness, and the impact of hidden histories on familial bonds.[8]Production
Development
The screenplay for The Nephew originated from director Eugene Brady, who developed the story drawing from his personal experiences of alienation following the completion of his master's degree.[9] Brady co-wrote the script alongside Doug Mayfield and Jacqueline O'Neill, crafting an original narrative centered on a biracial American returning to Ireland amid familial and racial tensions.[10] This marked Brady's feature film directorial debut, transitioning from his background in short films and American Film Institute training.[11] Pierce Brosnan entered the project as both producer and actor through his newly established company, Irish DreamTime, making The Nephew the banner's inaugural production in 1998.[7] Brosnan, an Irish-born actor known for roles in major franchises, sought to support authentic Irish storytelling, co-producing alongside Jerry A. Baerwitz and Doug Mayfield, with Beau St. Clair as an additional key producer.[7] The involvement of Brosnan's company facilitated funding and distribution ties, positioning the film as the first Irish production where he held dual acting and producing credits.[7] Development emphasized location authenticity, with plans from inception to shoot entirely on location in Ireland to capture the story's rural island setting.[12] The project aligned with Brosnan's interest in exploring Irish identity and diaspora themes, reflecting his own heritage while addressing prejudice through the protagonist's experiences.[7] Pre-production focused on assembling a cast blending Irish talent with American actors to underscore cultural clashes, without adaptations from prior literary works, ensuring the script remained a fresh cinematic exploration.[13] By mid-1990s, the script's completion attracted executive producer Morgan O'Sullivan, bolstering Irish production infrastructure.[13] This collaborative genesis prioritized narrative depth over commercial spectacle, setting the stage for a modest-budget drama released in 1998.[7]Casting
The principal role of Chad Egan-Washington, the young black American nephew traveling to Ireland, was played by Hill Harper in his early film appearance following roles in He Got Game (1998).[14] Pierce Brosnan, an Irish-born actor then rising to prominence as James Bond, portrayed Joe Brady, a local handyman and romantic interest, while also producing the film through his newly formed company Irish DreamTime in collaboration with Beau St. Clair; this marked Irish DreamTime's debut production, fully financed by private investors without public funding.[7][14] Donal McCann, a prominent Irish stage and screen actor known for collaborations with director John Huston, was cast as Tony Egan, the deceased woman's brother who grapples with the family revelation.[14] Supporting roles featured established Irish performers including Niall Tóibín as the priest Sean, Sinéad Cusack as Brenda O'Boyce, and Aislín McGuckin in a key ensemble part, emphasizing the film's focus on rural Irish community dynamics.[14] Casting directors Ros Hubbard and John Hubbard handled selections, drawing on local talent to authenticate the Dingle Peninsula setting.[7] The ensemble included:| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Hill Harper | Chad Egan-Washington |
| Pierce Brosnan | Joe Brady |
| Donal McCann | Tony Egan |
| Niall Tóibín | Sean |
| Sinéad Cusack | Brenda O'Boyce |
| Luke Griffin | Peter O'Boyce |
| Phelim Drew | Patsy |
| Aislín McGuckin | (Supporting) |