Product Description

Here's the enchanting big-screen adventure about two city kids who receive a gift beyond their wildest dreams -- a magical horse. But when a rich breeder tries desperately to take the horse away from them, their only hope is to escape and become the coolest outlaws ever to ride ... INTO THE WEST! Capture the thrill of this delightful adventure and experience for yourself the feeling and joy it brought to critics and audiences everywhere! Starring Gabriel Byrne (END OF DAYS, ENEMY OF THE STATE) and Ellen Barkin (SOMEONE LIKE YOU, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS), this terrific motion picture delivers nonstop entertainment for everyone!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15255 in DVD
• Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2003-02-04
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
Set mainly in the Ireland the tourist board didn't tell you about, Into the West is the story of a "traveling" family who have given up their traditional life of roaming, and find themselves trying to make it in the gritty, violent projects of Dublin. Gabriel Byrne is excellent as Papa Reilly, a once-proud father and leader whose grief over his wife's death has turned him into a booze-sodden has-been. His two sons, Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy) and Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald), escape the projects on an apparently magical white horse, Tir Na Nog, which leads them back to the West. After being forced to steal the horse back from a wealthy and ruthless horse dealer, they are pursued across the increasingly beautiful landscape by virtually all the policemen in Ireland. The much-loved actor David Kelly (Waking Ned Devine) does a nice turn as the grandfather, and Ellen Barkin is a surprising but believable choice as an old "traveling" friend of Papa Reilly. For better or for worse--mainly better--this is not the story Disney would have told: redemptive and uplifting at the end, it's realistic to the point of ugliness on the way there, with a style of cinematography that the Magic Kingdom has never been able to stomach. The younger brother, Ossie, is supposed to be 7, but the story itself is perhaps more appropriate for somewhat older children. Entertainment Weekly's best family video for 1994. --Richard Farr

From The New Yorker
The adventures of two Irish boys, Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald) and Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy), and a white horse, which transports them from a depressing Dublin housing project all the way to the island's wild western shore. The screenplay, by Jim Sheridan, is based on motifs from Celtic mythology: Ossie's name refers to the legendary poet-warrior Ossian; the horse's name is Tir na nOg, which means Land of Eternal Youth (the Celtic version of Paradise); and in the old tales the waves of the Atlantic, where this movie reaches its climax, were sometimes called "white horses." This sort of marriage of ancient myths and contemporary realities rarely works, but Sheridan and the director, Mike Newell, keep the story moving along nimbly and achieve a winning blend of comedy and lyricism. The filmmakers don't have to insist on the magical properties of their story, because the horse-which evokes memories of the wondrous creature in Albert Lamorisse's great 1953 children's film, "White Mane"-supplies all the magic the movie needs. Also with Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, David Kelly, and Colm Meaney. The lovely cinematography is by Tom Sigel. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A magical family film that brings Ireland home....
"Into the West" is an underrated jewel of Irish filmmaking that follows a rather unconventional storyline: a down-and-out father, Papa Reilly, (Gabriel Byrne), leads a miserable existence in a Dublin slum along with his two young sons. The poverty and bleakness is overwhelming and not what one would expect from a Disney film (which it is). Starving children sing on streetcorners for money, fathers drink away the welfare money, and education and sanitary conditions seem alien. This is not the Ireland of "The Quiet Man" or even "The Secret of Roan Inish."

Papa Reilly is a traveller, or gypsy, although he has forsaken the old ways after his wife's death. His father-in-law tries to convince him in vain to return to the roads, but Reilly stands firm, insolently refusing all help. His two sons Tito and Ossie fall in love with a mysterious white horse that has followed their grandfather's caravan, and the two claim Tir na Nog as their own (but the horse had claimed them first). The lines between fantasy and reality are blurred, and this is not just a children's film, nor is it solely for an older audience. It is hybrid of mythology and magic much like "The Secret of Roan Inish," another Irish fairytale of a film that also dealt with magical animals (in that case seals).

The rest of the movie requires suspension of disbelief, including several improbable chase scenes, but the heartwarming stories of the two boys coming to terms with their past (their mother's death, their father's alcoholism) and forging stronger bonds of brotherhood, and the grieving father and widower coming to terms with his loss and resolving to start a new life with his sons as the king of the travellers once more, truly make this a touching and unforgettable film.

The scenery is beautiful, from the bleak, grey Dublin slums to the gently sloping western mountains, spectacular craggy cliffs and crashing seaspray. The soundtrack is a blend of Irish music old and new, with contributions from Black 47, the Rankin Family and Clannad. Patrick Doyle ("Shipwrecked") composed the score, which uses Irish instruments and haunting Irish Gaelic vocals to build atmosphere.

There are several tense moments during action sequences which may prove frightening to younger children, but nothing overly objectionable in "Into The West." Younger children may find it a bit slow and hard to follow, but patience is truly a virtue in the case of this magical film.

A journey to Tir Na Nog
In Irish mythology, Tir Na Nog is the home of eternal youth. Which is fitting, because "Into the West" is a movie for those of us who remain young-at-heart. That may sound cheesy, but my 6-year-old brother couldn't sit still long enough to pay attention the first time we watched this movie. My sister and myself, who were in our teens when it was first released on video, were completely captivated. In fact, the only thing remotely wrong w/ this movie is the way it was marketed when it hit theaters. The trailers didn't provide a clue as to what this film was about, or the magic it held. The 2 young boys are marvelous actors, and Gabriel Byrne is very good as their loving, if miserable father. The lyricism and fairytale quality to the film are spellbinding, and the ending may very well leave you tearing up. For a full evening of Irish folklore, watch this in a double-bill w/ "The Secret of Roan Inish."

We can't stop renting, so decided to buy!
We first rented this movie for my 5 year old daughter, not knowing what to expect, but we knew she liked horses. We rented this movie perhaps 10 times since; she is 9 and instead of renting it again, I decided to buy it for her. This is more than a movie about a horse. it is a juxaposition of the past and present, the harsh reality of modern life and the mythology that gives life meaning. Whether Irish, English, or American, you will like this movie, and after watching it once, you will likely have to watch it again to convince yourself you understood what you saw.