War of the Buttons (1994)
by John Roberts
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Brendan McNamara, Darragh Naughton, Gerard Kearney (II), Gregg Fitzgerald, Kevin O'MalleyDirector: John Roberts
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 95 minutes
Release Date: 1998-09-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of War of the Buttons (1994)
Movie Review: A brutish Irish adaptation of a playful French novel. What does this say?
Summary: 2 Stars
Colin Welland may have won an Oscar for his Chariots of Fire (Two-Disc Special Edition), but in his adaptation of the Louis Pergaud novel set in the early 1900's France and later filmed by Yves Robert in 1962, this move to Ireland lacks the playfulness and innocence of the original and makes these kids from two rival camps way more brutal and warmongering with hateful language. As an Irishman, all I can say is "Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?" Sorry, but this film is full of hateful words, destructive and nearly criminal behaviour that makes Irish lads from Carricks and Bally to be nothing more than Montagues and Capulets from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and the Sharks and the Jets from West Side Story (Special Edition DVD Collector's Set). This is not a film about the playfulness and innocence of childhood, but rather the mean-spirited, thoughtlessness of unsupervised children who are learning at an early age to be full of vengeance (frankly observed by watching their parents!). The fact that these boys crush a beautiful fox with a large rock while a girl gang member calls them "Pigs" is exactly how I felt about them also. Not recommended for family viewing unless this is what is acceptable to you as a parent. I find gang warfare abhorrent and derive no sense of value from this adaptation. I find none of these boys or girls charming or lovable.
Rachel Portman soundtrack (Emma: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture is extremely typical of her work, but is fitting to the film.
John Robert's direction is dull and lifeless and lacks all of the innocence and cuteness of the Yves Robert French film. Occasional shots of the Irish countryside do nothing to alleviate the underlying violence in this film . This film is so inferior to the original "La Guerre des Boutons" and so removed in French playfulness to Irish hatefulness that I cannot recommend it for any reason other than if your childhood was full of gang warfare and disrespect and you find that alluring and cute.
Summary of War of the Buttons (1994)
This is a story of children from two small towns in Ireland who form small armies and battle against each other in a never-ending quest for supremacy. The film investigates the slightly surreal and powerfully emotional world we inhabit as children.Art House & International VHS Video
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