Belfast (2021) Movie Script

["Down to Joy"
by Van Morrison playing]
Went to sleep last night
I had a kind of dream
for sure
When I woke up
in the morning
Felt like I was
coming down to joy
What did I see,
what did I hear
When I was coming down?
Had a brand-new story
When I was
coming down to joy
Felt so good
Gratitude
[train horn blows]
When I was coming down
Something quite
Quite profound
That I cried out loud
I got a brand-new story
Brand-new story
I was coming down to joy
She was standing there
before me
- There before me
- [seagulls squawking]
When I was coming down,
down, down, down
[kids laughing,
chattering playfully]
[bicycle bell dings]
Felt so good...
- FRANKIE: Hello, there.
- How are you, Frankie?
Very well. [chuckles]
- [calling out]: Buddy!
- MAN: You all right, Paddy?
- Buddy!
- GIRL: You can't catch me!
BOY: Yeah, I'm gonna
catch you! Just wait.
All right?
- Buddy!
- MA: Buddy!
- Buddy!
- [kids chattering playfully]
- I'm speedy. You're not.
- I'm gonna get you.
Hiya, Moira. How are you?
Very good, thank you.
How are you?
-I'm good. -BOY: Ah, and
he's dribbling, he's dribbling.
- Score now!
- MA: Buddy!
-Cheat! -No, no cheating.
I did it fair and square.
I'm telling you.
- [laughter]
- BUDDY: You nearly got me.
Yes! I did, too!
Hey, Buddy!
BUDDY:
I win! I slayed the dragon!
MOIRA: Your ma's calling you!
Your tea's ready!
All the rest of you, too!
- Yes!
- I'll get you next time, Buddy.
Yes! [laughs]
Coming down to joy.
BOY:
You dirty bastard!
[laughter and chatter continues]
- MRS. FORD: Hiya, Buddy.
- Hello, Mrs. Ford.
Have you been fighting
any dragons?
- Only a couple.
- I've got a couple in my house.
- Is that right, Mr. West?
- Aye.
And can you lend us
a shield, Buddy?
I'll see what I can do.
-Say hello to your daddy
for me, will you? -Will do.
Buddy, your ma's calling you
for your tea.
Thanks, Mrs. Kavanagh.
She says it's tripe and onions.
- She did not.
- In a sandwich.
She did not.
She says you're a terrible man.
- [laughs]
- She's right. [laughs]
[railroad crossing bell
clanging in distance]
[train horn blowing in distance]
MAN:
What's going on down there?
[muffled clamoring]
[muffled clamoring continues]
[trembling breaths]
MAN [distantly]: Please, please,
we've done nothing.
MAN 2:
Get the kids inside!
WOMAN:
Get away from here! Go!
MAN 2:
We don't want any trouble!
WOMAN [distantly]:
Come on! Get inside!
[muffled clamoring continues]
- [clamoring fades]
- [trembling breaths]
- [explosion]
- [loud, angry shouting]
[glass shattering]
[panting]
Mum!
[crowd clamoring]
[angry shouting]
[gasps]
Buddy!
Ma!
Buddy!
- [objects clanging]
- [gasping]
Mum! Mum! Mum!
Keep your head down
and don't move!
Will!
- BUDDY: Mum!
- Will!
[crowd yelling]
[glass shatters]
MRS. KAVANAGH:
Danny, where are you?!
[urgent chatter]
Say nothing to nobody.
- MAN: Catholics out!
- Easy, lads.
[screams] Get them upstairs!
Catholics out!
Get in the house! Mummy!
BUDDY:
Mummy! What's happening?!
Keep him there and stay still.
[panting]
Mum, what are you doing?
Will, stay where you are.
- [siren approaching]
- [panting]
BUDDY:
Mum!
- [glass shatters]
- MICKEY: You've been warned!
Get these fuckers
out of your street!
And if you talk to the police,
we'll be back for you, too!
MAN:
Get the Catholics out!
[clamoring continues]
[tires screech]
[clamoring fades]
MAN: Get down!
Get yourselves down!
[panting]
Stand back!
[explosion]
[gasping]
[gasps]
[flames crackling]
MA [whispers]:
Holy God.
NEWSMAN: Belfast was in shock
this morning as the impact
of last night's rioting
was all too clear.
Small numbers of Catholics
still peacefully living
in Protestant areas
were targeted.
Their houses were attacked
and marked,
and intimidation may force them
to leave their homes completely.
Can these tightly-knit
neighborhoods ever return
to the peace they shared
together only 24 hours ago?
- Further reports suggest...
- [distant helicopter whirring]
MAN: Up front, Frank.
I'll show you where I put them.
Look, we need to get
this barricade up
before those kids
come back, okay?
MAN: Are we taking all these
paving stones to the barricade?
- We taking them all down?
- MAN: We need them all.
[chatter continues]
WOMAN: Is poor Jane okay?
Is she all right?
MAN:
Don't you worry, Paddy.
We're not gonna let them
back here again.
You're as welcome
on this street as any of us.
MAN:
All right, Buddy?
MAN: We're gonna have to go
down the yard and get more.
We've got
four more houses to do,
and that's
the last pane of glass.
WOMAN: Apparently, Fergus
didn't come home last night.
I'm gonna go see
Mrs. McGuinness now.
MAN: It's all right.
I saw Fergus down the road.
- He's coming now.
- MAN: We have to do this.
The police aren't
going to protect us,
so we have to do it ourselves.
MAN: Is that all
you can take in a barrow?
WOMAN:
Kids, please, go inside.
I don't want you out here
until it's all safe again.
-Come on. -MAN: Come on,
load them up here.
WOMAN: Would you look at the
poor children with that load.
MAN: Can you wheel that
up to the front?
Frankie will show you
where we're putting it.
MAN: Tell Paddy I'll be there
in a minute to fix that.
I've just got to nip into
the house and get my tools.
WOMAN: Watch yourself
getting up there, love.
[person whistling]
MAN: Put that pallet
over here. Over here.
MAN: Get them kids to stay away
from them sharp edges.
MAN:
Pull them rocks up.
MAN: Everything.
Put that washing machine in.
- [helicopter whirring]
- [train horn blowing]
WOMAN: Come on,
let's get this all done.
[urgent chatter continues]
[siren wailing]
[train horn blowing]
[siren fades]
NEWSMAN: The likeliest move is
to bring troops into Belfast
in the hope of avoiding
further clashes
between rioters and police,
particularly the B-Specials.
- MAN: Stand to the side!
- Another 600 troops will be
available this afternoon.
- MAN: Off these streets now!
- [footsteps marching]
Get off the road! Stand back!
[angry chatter over TV]
MAN [over TV]:
We're not stupid!
You can't keep us in our houses!
NEWSMAN: The men of the 3rd
Battalion of the Light Infantry
fly in from Plymouth
to plug the gap
left by the use of troops.
A curfew is another possibility
which is being widely mentioned.
I've just come from
the airport now.
I've literally just come
from the airport.
I live in that street.
That's my kids there.
I live in number 96.
MRS. FORD:
Get up there quick. Quick.
MA:
Christ.
- SOLDIER: Stop!
- MAN: Just let him through...
SOLDIER: Where do you think
you're going, love?
To bring my husband home.
That's him
on the other side there.
SOLDIER:
Where's he been, then?
MA:
None of your bloody business.
Not with you
in your hour of need?
- That's a bit off, isn't it?
- He works away in England.
Does he?
What kind of work is that?
- He's a joiner.
- I see.
And has he joined
any of these groups
making all this mess
in your street?
He knew nothing about
the whole bloody thing.
That's why he's here now.
He's come home from
his work to see his family.
Glad to hear it, madam.
- MA: Hi.
- Hi.
[indistinct announcement
over bullhorn]
They nearly had you there,
Steve McQueen.
PA: I'll have you
in a second, Frankie.
- Come on, you two.
- Hi, boys.
- [Frankie whistling a tune]
- [helicopter passing]
[indistinct announcement
over bullhorn]
SOLDIER [over bullhorn]:
Stay in your homes tonight.
- Thank you very much.
- Okay?
Aye.
["Star Trek Theme" playing]
CAPTAIN KIRK:
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of
- the Starship Enterprise...
- GRANNY: Did they attack you?
No. It was only
the Catholic houses.
Them boyos want them out.
Them peoples don't give you
any bother in that street,
- do they?
- Not at all.
Sure, they're friends,
they're family, same as us.
They just kick
with the left foot.
Exactly.
Sure, my best friend in
the street is Mrs. Ganjawala.
She's Indian.
She even comes to
the wee mission with me.
Well, them curries,
I tried one once.
[sighs] I had to wear
a nappy for a week.
[all chuckling]
- Will.
- WILL: Oh, Mum. Sorry, Granny.
POP: Ah, she's well able
to handle herself.
PA: It's being so cheerful
keeps you going, isn't it?
Sure, I'm not gonna be
running up the Cave Hill
any time soon, am I? [coughs]
- MA: It's just not knowing.
- GRANNY: That's not easy.
MA: How it's gonna
affect their schooling.
Will, would you
turn that telly off
- and talk to your granny?
- Hi, Pop.
Hiya, Buddy.
PA: Does the doctor
want to see you again?
He's given me a letter
for the hospital.
- PA: And did you go?
- There's no point.
[sighs]
I think you've a few
big decisions to make, son.
Did you clear up
that wee bit of trouble
- we were talking about?
- GRANNY: Hey, wee fellas.
We're not deaf back here.
[church bell tolling]
Oh, yes, we've friends
on the Protestant side.
They weren't friends last night.
They weren't
friends last night, though.
BUDDY: Paddy Kavanagh told me
as long as Catholics
keep confessing everything bad
that they do to a priest,
then they can do
whatever they want
and God will forgive them
all the time.
Well, Paddy Kavanagh's
family's not gonna be living
in this street for much longer,
so you'd better check
he's not taking
the hand out of you.
Ugh, I don't know how it works.
They get a lot of water thrown
on them and then they're okay.
I think that's it.
- Why aren't you going, too?
- [chuckles]
'Cause me and your father
have business to discuss.
God understands.
Come on. [kisses]
- What are those?
- [chuckles] My little secret.
Now, come on.
I've had too much God
for one day.
Well, your granny says you can
never have too much God.
You might need him
before too long.
Look, mind your nonsense
for now,
and I'll take youse all
to the pictures tomorrow.
Brilliant!
Robin and the 7 Hoodsis on
in the afternoon at the Capitol.
- Paddy saw it.
- MA: Wait, is that gangsters?
- WILL: It's a blinking musical.
- No, it's not.
There's Little John
and swords and everything.
MA: Well, you can't go
tomorrow afternoon.
Your cousins will be here.
Your aunties and uncles
want to say goodbye
to your father
before he goes back.
But, Daddy, are you not gonna be
a vigilante on our barricade?
PA: [sighs] No more talk
about bloody barricades.
That whole nonsense
will stop soon enough.
MA: I wouldn't be
too sure about that.
PA: Hey, less of
the long face, son.
These two can go
and pray for it to stop now,
and we'll all go to the big
picture house in town tomorrow,
Daddy will pick the film,
and we'll forget about
this whole bunch of eejits
before I have to go
back to work.
Was that our side
that done all that
to them Catholic houses
in our street, Daddy?
There is no our side
and their side in our street.
Or there didn't
used to be, anyway.
It's all bloody religion.
That's the problem.
Then why are you
sending us to church?
Because your granny'd
kill me if I didn't.
But, Daddy,
if we were Catholics,
we could not go to church,
and then every once
in a wee while,
we could go in and confess,
and then they'd have to tell us
we were forgiven
and we wouldn't have to go
in again for ages.
[church bell tolling]
PA:
I've nothing against Catholics.
But it's a religion of fear.
Protestants, you will die!
Agonizingly!
And where will you go
when you shuffle off
this pestilential mortal coil?
Where?!
Well, I will tell you where.
Picture the scene.
A fork in the road.
In one direction,
a straight and narrow highway.
In the other,
a long and winding road
which stretches down and away
into an unknowable distance.
One will take you to the bosom
of the Lord's grace,
forever and a day
caress you with beatific love.
And the other will spew you
into an eternal pit
of sulfurous suffering,
pustulating pain,
from which you will never, ever,
through the seven circles
of hell escape!
And I ask you here and now...
[church bell tolling]
which road will you take?!
[panting]
Now, money.
BUDDY and WILL:
Thanks very much.
Really good.
MA: Remember, one slice
per sandwich.
I don't want to be
giving too much away.
ROBIN DAY [over TV]:
With regard to the explosive...
I think that's a fair word...
Situation in Northern Ireland,
are we getting near
to the point where you,
as prime minister of
the United Kingdom government,
will feel it necessary
to intervene
and use the supreme authority
which is yours in law
either to remedy grievances
or to ensure order?
Is it almost ready?
HAROLD WILSON [over TV]:
If that became necessary,
of course, I shouldn't shrink
from doing whatever was needed.
Uh, we have been deeply
concerned about the problem
of civil rights
in Northern Ireland.
I've paid tribute...
GUARD:
Make an orderly queue
to be allowed entrance
to the street, please.
[helicopter passing]
FRANKIE: All right,
what have we got left now?
Not doing a strip search
this time, eh, Frankie?
FRANKIE:
Whose do you belong to?
You know full bloody well
who we belong to.
I'm taking my wife
down to her sister's,
like I've been doing
all my bloody life.
- House number?
- There's no number.
Just a name.
- What's the name?
- Arsehole.
[man laughs]
Very funny, Mack.
Always the joker, eh?
On you go.
We won't worry about
their name and number now.
We know where they live.
["Caledonia Swing"
by Van Morrison playing]
- Whoo. You like that?
- [laughs]
[both laughing]
How's that, then,
Ginger Rogers, huh?
[both laughing]
MA: Whoo. Come on you,
Fred Astaire.
[whooping, laughing]
[whoops]
[whoops]
-You can tell them
by their names. -How?
Well, if he's a Patrick
or a Sean, he's a Catholic,
and if he's a Billy or a
William, he's a protestant.
There's more names
than that, though.
I know that.
I'm just saying,
them's the obvious ones.
[kids laughing]
What about Morris?
Uh, don't know.
We've a wee fella down
our street called Thomas.
- What's he?
- Protestant definitely.
He's not. He's a Catholic.
- No, he's not.
- He is.
Sure, they burnt his house out
the other night
'cause his family is Catholic.
Sure, we've a cousin
called Thomas.
I know. That's what I'm saying.
Well, how the hell are you
supposed to know, then?
You have to get taught it.
Who teaches you?
So the doctor says,
"Listen, John,
I've got some bad news
and worse."
And John says, "Oh, no.
Wh-What's the bad news?"
And he goes, "Well, you've only
got 24 hours to live."
John says, "That's-that's awful.
What could be worse than that?"
Doctor says,
"Well, I've been trying
-to get ahold of you
since yesterday." -[laughter]
- Why do you even have to know?
- In case they attack you.
- When?
- When you're out and about.
Well, if they're attacking you,
they're not gonna stop
and tell you their name.
It wouldn't get to that stage.
-Why? -'Cause you use your
secret knowledge to bluff them.
What are you talking about?
They can just come up to you
when you're not expecting it
and ask you, "Are you
Protestant or Catholic?"
But it's a trick question,
you see,
'cause they don't
tell you what they are.
And what do you say then
to not get a dig in the gob?
- "I'm a Catholic"?
- Wrong.
That's exactly
what they think you will say.
They think you're trying
to bluff them.
But you have to
double-bluff them.
- How?
- You say, "I'm a Protestant."
- But I am a Protestant.
- That's the point!
BUDDY: Blanchflower's now
at the halfway line.
- He looks up.
- [girls chanting quietly]
Is there nothing this
Spurs right-half cannot do?
Perfect through ball!
Nice pass, son.
Would you go on away in and
tell your pa I'd like to have
a wee chat with him, please?
Tell him it's Billy Clanton.
And McLaury.
PA:
What do you want?
BILLY: We're looking to cleanse
the community a wee bit.
You wouldn't want to be
the odd man out in this street.
You saw what happened to your
neighbors from the other side.
You touch my family
and I'll kill you.
Calm down, fella.
I'm a Protestant, like yourself.
- MACK: All all right?
- Aye, it's okay, Mackie.
BILLY:
Look, things get out of hand
pretty quick round these parts.
Cash or commitment.
The boys who cleaned up
your street
have made me their new
local chief.
So, you can report to me
with either.
All right?
Have a wee think.
I'll be in touch.
[scoffs]
Buddy, come on.
Come and show me
how to play this game.
Come on.
Let's have a look. Huh?
[indistinct chatter]
See you, now.
All the big boys have left.
Buddy, give your brother
a hand there, will you?
Pick this sofa up, right?
MA:
Here, can you give us a hand?
SOLDIER:
Yes, ma'am.
MA:
You want to set your gun down?
SOLDIER:
No, it's all right, thank you.
MA: Now, don't you be
scratching my walls with that.
PA:
You got it? Right now, hold on.
This worked earlier.
I'll go in first.
- All right?
- Stewart.
- MR. STEWART: Frankie.
- FRANKIE: All right?
All right, Frankie?
Is that you all this time
at the barricades?
Somebody has to.
Better me than Billy Clanton.
Aye.
Not many people chose this.
There's a few men hiding
behind them barricades.
And they'll keep hiding
where they're afraid
for their families.
It's a waiting game now.
When it's time
for that wall to come down,
I'll be the first
to swing a hammer, but now?
"They also serve
who stand and wait."
We can't all be acting
the Lone Ranger.
[explosive booming]
MAN [over speakers]: This is
a story of long, long ago,
when the world
was just beginning.
A young world.
A world early
in the morning of time.
[dinosaurs roaring]
[rocks clattering]
[Ma scoffs softly]
No wonder
you brought us to this.
It's educational for the boys.
Aye.
MA: Raquel Welch is
a hell of an education.
[slurping]
[thunder rumbling softly]
[distant sirens wailing]
PA: If people ask you to join
anything, deliver anything,
do messages for anybody,
you do nothing, okay?
You tell your ma, she'll
tell me, and I'll sort it.
- You understand me?
- WILL: Yes, Daddy.
Very good.
I'm proud of you, son.
Now get off to bed,
the pair of you.
I'm up too early
in the morning to see you,
so make sure you get to school
all right, all right?
Don't mess your mother about,
and I'll see you in two weeks.
- Okay?
- Yes, Daddy.
Good boys.
MINISTER:
A fork in the road.
In one direction,
a straight and narrow highway.
Which road will you take?!
[toilet flushes]
MA:
You're running round here
like the man in the big picture,
not paying your taxes
and spending all our money
on horses.
It's the building trade.
I told you it doesn't work
the normal way.
I told you I had it covered.
I was the one
who had it covered.
No, you had us paying
three years of back tax.
To keep you out of bloody jail.
We're drowning in debt.
PA: We're near done
with the back tax.
Ten pound a month
for three bloody years.
This is the time to think
about making a new start.
I know nothing else but Belfast.
Exactly.
There's a whole world out there.
We can give these boys a
better chance than we ever had.
There's Commonwealth countries
needing tradesmen.
The government will give you
assisted passage.
We can get the whole family
to the other side of the world
for ten pound.
We're living in a civil war,
and I'm not here
to protect my family.
MA:
What are those supposed to be?
PA:
An escape route.
[seagulls squawking]
SOLDIER:
Get this street locked down.
GIRL: Come on, get a move on.
We're gonna be late again.
- Come on!
- [church bell tolling]
NEWSMAN [over TV]:
Throughout the night,
sniping became
the tactic of the rioters.
As we drove past a side street,
three men on the corner
dived for cover.
- It's not bad, though, is it?
- A young man with a revolver
asked us for a lift.
At 4:00 this morning,
RUC turned us back
- from the Falls area.
- Yeah.
NEWSMAN: Snipers, they said,
were still at work,
and in the distance,
one heard the ominous burst
of machine-gun fire.
The scene terrified me,
but it reminded an
American colleague of Harlem,
but, he added, it seems easier
to get guns here.
MA:
One more left.
NEWSMAN: Dawn over Belfast
today showed a grim scene,
buildings scarred by fire,
thousands of pounds' worth
of damage caused,
and, of course,
the tragic loss of life.
It's been a night of shame for
Belfast, one that will live on
in the memories of its people...
MA:
Come on, you two. School.
[birds chirping]
[bell ringing]
MISS LEWIS:
Walking, please. No running.
- [laughter]
- BOY: Morning, miss.
STUDENTS:
Twelve elevens are 132.
Twelve twelves are 144.
MISS LEWIS: Well, I'm pleased
to say your times tables
were a lot more impressive
to hear
than your test scores
were to read.
The whole point
of these weekly tests
is to monitor your progress.
The best will sit directly by
my desk, the seat of learning,
and the rest of you will view
your Sisyphean struggles
from the distance
you have imposed upon yourself
by a lack of application.
Billy Clanton Junior, 17%.
Bottom row, seat 12.
Rachel, seat 11.
Martin to seat ten.
Freddie, seat eight.
Karen to seat four.
And in the medal positions
this week, with 72%, in bronze,
is Buddy, seat three.
And, of course, in silver
again, we have Ron,
and Catherine with
the gold yet again this week.
Congratulations, Catherine.
Very well done.
The wee girl still showing
some interest, yeah?
She looks at me sometimes,
but we're not allowed to talk
in the class,
so I can't say anything.
And then when we go out
to the playground,
she always goes off
with the other girls.
Anyways, I think
she loves that other fella.
Ah, you don't know that
for sure.
Women are very mysterious.
And women can smash
your face in, too, mister.
Your granny's become
less mysterious over the years.
So, you really like her?
When I grow up,
I want to marry her.
Yeah, sounds like
you really like her.
You know,
she's not only at school.
You could see
where she lives maybe.
It's Reynolds Drive,
four houses in from the right,
the one with the wonky eight.
Oh, you've done your research.
I pass it every day
on my way home.
I try to look in,
but she never sees me.
She's always doing
her bloody homework.
If she were a wee bit
more stupid like me,
we'd be sitting together by now.
Ah, "a pity beyond all telling
is hid in the heart of love."
Oh, he's full of
pretty answers, that one.
Come on, it's time to go.
I don't want your mommy
shouting at me
because you're late.
- Cheerio, son.
- Cheerio.
GRANNY:
Here, take this threepenny bit.
Get yourself a wee sweetie.
I'm not allowed, Granny.
My da says you can't afford it.
I'm always saying
to your man there
what's yours is mine
and what's mine's me own.
[chuckles] Thanks, Granny.
Try and find out
how that wee girl thinks.
Oh, good luck
with that one, son.
[door closes]
["Bright Side of the Road"
by Van Morrison playing]
From the dark end
of the street
To the bright side
of the road
We'll be lovers once again
On the bright side
of the road
[lively chatter]
Little darlin', come with me
- Pass it. Pass it.
- No.
Goal!
Won't you help me
share my load?
SOLDIER:
Yes, mate, over here.
You just need to tell us
where you been, all right?
From the dark end
of the street
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Yeah, up against the wall.
To the bright side
of the road
Cricket.
[song ends]
[whispering]:
Will.
Will.
What road do we take?
I can't remember.
What road did the minister say?
Oh, shut up.
- [seagulls squawking]
- [church bell tolling]
NEWSMAN: And in this
already tense atmosphere,
concerns remain about
intimidation run rife
in working-class areas.
Further reports suggest...
-BILLY: arse up here.
Come on. -BILLY JUNIOR: Daddy!
Stop dragging your arse
along there. Come on.
BILLY JUNIOR:
You're hurting my arm.
BILLY: Right, stop being
a crybaby now.
You show me where he lives.
Come on.
BILLY JUNIOR:
Daddy, I'm sorry.
Can you tell me
exactly what he said?
He just said he couldn't give
any more money to the streets.
- He'll not say that to my son.
- Daddy, stop!
- Stewart! Stewart!
- Please!
FRANKIE: Hey, your blood's
up there, Billy.
Would you go back to your house?
MR. STEWART: Right, Billy,
we've no call for fists here.
Aye?
Well, what is it the man says?
A fist is only as good or bad
as the man using it.
Remember that.
FRANKIE:
Holy God. Billy!
Shut up, Frankie!
WOMAN: Come on, Billy.
That's too much now.
-Come on, you! -MAN: We don't
need more of this, Billy.
WOMAN 2: Ah, Billy, stop that.
You're settling old scores.
Regards to your pa.
Tell him I expect to hear
from him soon.
Or he'll be hearing from me.
Up them stairs.
[lock clicks]
- [playful chatter]
- [church bell tolling]
23, 24, 25, 26. [whoops]
-[dishes clinking] - You don't
have to buy me flowers
Or pretty ribbons
for my hair...
What are you doing?
[sighs] It's, like,
what my favorite holiday is.
- What is your favorite holiday?
- I don't know.
We haven't been on many,
have we?
No, we haven't.
Real love
Oh, let it be real love...
MA: Unbelievable. They're not
getting away with this.
WILL:
And it's due today, as well,
so I can't do anything about it.
- Ah, hello, Buddy.
- Hello, Mr. West.
- Right, on you go, now.
- Thanks, Mr. West.
Will you ask your da
to drop down to see us
- when he's back at the weekend?
- He's not back at the weekend.
That's a pity.
-Tell your ma I was asking
after him, will you? -Aye.
Tell your brother I need
another wee delivery
with the milk.
Get him to come and see me
after school.
All right?
Why is your da not coming home?
He can't come home
every weekend.
It's too dear.
You won't get your wee
Matchbox car, then, will you?
[dog barking in distance]
Come on.
Coming.
- Do you want to join a gang?
- I'm not allowed.
- Why not?
- My mother said she'd kill me.
Sure she doesn't have to know.
That's the whole point.
- Are you in one?
- Aye.
- What's it called?
- Doesn't have a name.
- Why not?
- Has to be secret.
That's what they tell you
when you join.
What do you do?
I can't tell you
till you're in the gang.
- How many of you are there?
- Not allowed to say.
What do you have to do
to join, then?
Whatever they tell you.
If your da's not home
this weekend,
you could come with us.
BUDDY:
I don't know.
I'm trying to practice my maths.
MOIRA:
Then you're mental. Come on.
If your da's not home anyway,
what else are you gonna do?
["Warm Love"
by Van Morrison playing]
Look at the ivy
on the old clinging wall
Look at the flowers
And the green grass so tall
It's not a matter of
When push comes to shove
It's just the hour
on the wings of a dove
That's just warm love
It's just warm love
And it's ever present
everywhere
[Pop coughing]
And it's ever present
everywhere
Warm love
- [bell ringing]
- [thunder rumbling]
And it's ever present
everywhere
[laughter]
And it's ever present
everywhere
- That warm love.
- [helicopter whirring]
[song ends]
God. This takes ages.
No wonder they call it
long division.
Patience.
Patience with the sums.
Patience with the girl.
Is it 27?
That's close enough.
And now just make sure
y-your numbers
aren't very clear to read.
She might give you
the benefit of the doubt
if your seven looks like a one
with a fancy tail, right?
The same with a two and a six.
Right? Keep her guessing.
That means you'll have two
or three horses in every race.
Isn't that cheating?
No, well, I'd call it
spread betting.
And if it gets you moved up by
one seat to bask in the light
of her glory,
then you're off to the races.
But sure there's only one
right answer.
If that were true, son,
people wouldn't be
blowing themselves up
all over this town.
I think my da wants us
to leave Belfast.
What do you want?
Every night, before I go to
sleep, when I say my prayers,
I ask God if he'd fix it
so that when I wake up
in the morning, I'm the best
footballer in the world.
And then I also ask him as well
that when I grow up,
can I marry Catherine.
Even if she loves Ronnie Boyd.
But she could still see him,
but she'd marry me.
That's what I want.
[helicopter whirring]
[dogs barking in distance]
LIBERTY VALANCE: You looking
for trouble, Doniphon?
DONIPHON:
You aim to help me find some?
What's the matter?
Everybody in this country
kill crazy?!
Here!
VALANCE:
Show's over for now.
DONIPHON:
Try it, Liberty.
Just try it.
STODDARD: What right
do you have to interfere?
It was me he tripped.
I have to keep those boys
where I can see 'em.
PA: Well, I can't come home
every weekend, for God's sake.
Well, if you can't be bothered,
well, then don't blame me
- for what them boys get up to.
- That's not what I'm saying.
-You can't just throw
that one... -[phone slams]
[church bell tolling]
MAN:
Right, that's 6:00 a.m., fellas.
That's youse done.
WOMAN [over radio]:
Housewives, it's thanks to
Sparkle biological
washing powder
that their whites
are whiter than ever.
They've discovered
for themselves...
MA:
What have I done?
[radio continues quietly]
BUDDY:
All right, Mummy?
Why do you always get sad
when a letter comes?
WOMAN: Remember, our
washing powder is biological.
[bell ringing]
MISS LEWIS:
Come on, Mr. Slowpoke.
Get inside now.
And finally a switch in
the medal positions this week.
Well, Mr. Buddy,
you may not have improved
your handwriting in maths,
for which this once,
in lieu of your intensified
efforts, we will be willing
to give you
the benefit of the doubt,
but you have
improved your score.
So, in second position is Buddy.
[kids cheering]
["Jackie Wilson Said"
by Van Morrison playing]
Da-da-da-da-da-da,
da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da
Jackie Wilson said
it was Reet Petite
Kinda love you got
knock me off my feet
Let it all hang out
Oh, let it all hang out
And you know
I'm so wired up
Don't need no coffee
in my cup
Let it all hang out
Let it all hang out
Watch this.
[scatting]
[song ends]
[Buddy sighs]
GRANNY:
Be careful what you wish for.
That's what the minister
at the wee mission says.
When is your next chance?
We have to do a project
about the moon landing.
What, did those boys
not come back from that?
They did, and now we have to
cut things out of the papers
and explain how they got there.
If they did get there,
if they did get to the moon.
It's not what it says here.
God doesn't like it.
And I watched every night, too,
that they were up there,
and how did I never see
Mike Collins
in the mother ship
doing his orbit?
Sure you would have seen
the shape of Columbus
against the light of the moon.
No, that's 'cause mostly
he was on the dark side.
Exactly. It's the side that
Lucifer hangs his shillelagh.
What? No, look, he was
on the dark side of the moon
most of the time where
we couldn't see him, you know,
while he was doing his orbit,
and then maybe, you know,
just before he was due
to come round the corner,
you had to go in for your tea.
If I could come up with
something smart about that,
maybe I could
stay up at the top desk
and wait till
she gets back there.
Or you could say the moon's
made of green cheese
and drop down a place,
if you wanted.
Or you could do
the project together,
you and the young lady.
You'd get the same marks
and maybe end up
on the same seat together.
But how do I even talk to her?
- How do you handle a woman?
- Ugh.
"There's a way,"
said the wise old man
[Granny chuckling]
A way known by every woman
Since the whole
rigmarole began
Yeah, it's all rigmarole
with you, mister.
Do I flatter her
Threaten or cajole
or plead?
[Granny chuckling]
Do I brood
or play the gay romancer?
[laughing]
Said he, smiling [laughs]
How to handle a woman?
Mark me well,
I will tell you, sir
- The way to handle a woman
- [groans]
Is to love her
Simply love her
GRANNY:
Get off me. [laughing]
POP:
Merely love her.
[birds chirping]
- [bell ringing]
- MISS LEWIS: Walk, please.
No running, thank you.
Thanks.
Well done on your maths.
Thanks.
Have you gone to the moon yet?
Do you want to, with me?
It'll save you getting cold
waiting outside our house.
MOIRA:
Hey, Romeo, come on!
We have work to do.
Operation Steal The Chocolate.
It's simple.
We go into the shop
and keep Mr. Singh talking
down by the fridge.
He has to move the boxes
round at the bottom
to get me a Lemon Mivvi.
His head'll be down
part of the time.
You stay at the front
of the shop,
and when you see he's not
looking, you make a sweep.
-What's a sweep? -A big grab
for all the chocolate bars
on that low shelf near the till.
Sure he'll know they've been
nicked if there's a big gap.
I thought you said
we'd just do a couple,
so he'd never even notice.
I don't want lifted
by the police.
All right, all right.
- GIRL: All clear.
- No sweep.
Just a small grab, okay?
I might be able to swipe you
a chocolate mousse
- at the same time.
- Okay.
- MOIRA: Hello, Mr. Singh.
- Hello, Moira. Hello, Buddy.
- BUDDY: Hello, Mr. Singh.
- MR. SINGH: Good to see youse.
MOIRA: Please may I have
a Lemon Mivvi?
MR. SINGH:
Lemon Mivvi coming right up.
Just need to move
a few wee boxes.
- Hey!
- [screams]
- He's seen us!
- Come here, you wee buggers!
- I know who you are!
- MOIRA: No, he doesn't!
BUDDY: Well, your woman
will tell him anyway!
- You proud of yourself?
- It was Moira.
Get in there.
MAN: Get off that blinking road
or you'll kill somebody!
She's gonna tell on us!
She says anything,
she's done for!
WOMAN:
I know who youse are!
[both panting]
What have you got?
You're joking me.
It's all I could see.
Turkish Delight?
Who the hell
eats Turkish Delight?
- Do you eat Turkish Delight?
- No.
I don't like it.
Nobody likes it.
- It's all they had.
- Are you blind?
I had to think quickly.
Not quickly enough.
There was Flakes and Crunchies.
All you need is an in and out
with a fast hand,
and then the Milky Bars
are on me.
I'm not sure
you're cut out for this.
- [bicycle bell dings]
- Hey, Buddy, your da's home.
- Sure it's only Wednesday.
- He came in a taxi.
- And you, too!
- What?
Keep your mouth shut.
PA:
When did you write to them?
MA:
None of your business.
PA: Just tell me.
When did you write to them?
- It's a simple question.
- None of your business.
PA:
Just give me a simple answer.
- I'm not getting interrogated.
- When did you write to them?
MA: When the last receipt
came through.
I knew it was the last one
'cause for three bloody years
I've been counting
them envelopes
coming through that door,
and there wasn't
so much as a thank-you
with this one.
PA: It's the taxman,
for God's sake.
Who do you expect,
Father Christmas?
MA: We've been
scrimping and saving,
and they hadn't the good grace
as to say, "That's it.
You're done.
You're in the clear."
So what'd you say to them
in your letter?
I said I wanted
a full official declaration
that my husband was
in the clear a hundred percent
on all back taxes,
and that they acknowledged
that everything was shipshape
and above board,
and that my family's good name
wasn't on some credit risk list.
- Christ. Christ the night.
- What?
No.
- No.
- Yes, yes, oh, yes.
They've decided... thanks
to acting on your request...
They've decided to go back
further into my accounts
and say that I owe
another 572 pound,
which based on current earnings,
should take another
five years to pay off.
So it's a handy wee letter
you sent, wasn't it?
You bugger!
- Oh, you're a lying bugger!
- [dish shatters]
Aye, that's right, believe the
taxman before you believe me!
'Cause I know you! [grunts]
Your work won't be too pleased
with you skipping off
in the week.
I'll work the weekend.
Ah, when's that job finish?
This one's nearly done.
What, there's another one
over there, is there?
Aye. Big one.
A long one.
They're asking some of the boys
to move over permanent.
Offering accommodation
because of the time involved.
Couple of years.
Building a hospital.
Your father has to go
to the hospital.
You talk to him about it.
Won't talk to me about doctors.
Is that right?
Ah, it's just a couple of days.
A wee test for the lungs.
It's all that bloody time
over in Leicester.
- Where's that?
- In England.
Is that near where Daddy works?
Nah, your daddy works near,
uh, London, the Big Smoke.
This was in the countryside.
What were you doing?
I was a coal miner.
You've done a lot
of different jobs, Pop.
You can say that again.
Yeah, none of them lasted
more than a week.
[Granny chuckles]
My mother's worried about you.
Your mother's worried about you.
Well, Granny's always worried
about something, isn't she?
Ah, well, your granny's
a very caring person.
Sometimes it affects her nerves.
Like your mommy.
Mommy's worried, too, isn't she?
Daddy, are we gonna
have to leave Belfast?
PA: All right, Buddy,
that's me away, then.
I'll see you
when I get back next week.
MISS LEWIS: In you come, girls.
Catherine. Quinn.
Come on in, girls. You can help
put the pencils out.
PA:
Be good, son.
If you can't be good?
BOTH:
Be careful.
BILLY:
Seems like only yesterday
you and me were
in school together.
You're gonna need to stay
away from my family.
BILLY: That's big talk
for a fella who's never here.
PA: You can rely on me
to be here when it matters.
BILLY:
I hope your timing's good.
Things get out of hand
pretty quick round these parts.
Do you know the problem
with men like you?
You think you're better
than the rest of us.
And the problem with men like
you is you know you're not.
We'll keep it simple.
You're with us
or you're against us.
Clock's ticking.
You're a soft touch!
Time for real Protestants
to step up!
PA:
Ach, you're no real Protestant.
You're a jumped-up gangster
and always were.
MAN: There's peelers about.
Hey, watch it, youse two.
WOMAN:
Quick.
[knocking]
MA: Ah, look.
There you are now, son.
There he is now. [chuckles]
[door closes]
Hello, son.
The police officer here
just wants a wee word with you.
There seems to be
a-a wee bit of confusion
about something that happened
at Mr. Singh's.
Go on, sit down there, now.
POLICEMAN:
Do you know why I'm here, son?
Don't lie to me.
A very serious crime
has been committed
down in Mr. Singh's shop.
Do you know
what I'm talking about?
[Ma and policeman laugh]
All the best, now,
and give my regards to Josie.
- POLICEMAN: I will do.
- I do like a man in a uniform.
Was he in there long?
[chuckles]
Apples'll grow again, should
they grow on a gooseberry tree!
I didn't even eat the chocolate!
AMY KANE [over TV]: No, I won't
be here when it's over.
You're asking me
to wait an hour to find out
if I'm going to be
a wife or a widow.
I say it's too long to wait.
- I won't do it.
- WILL KANE: Amy...
I mean it.
If you won't go with me now,
I'll be on that train
when it leaves here.
I've got to stay.
No, you're not listening to me.
PA [over phone]:
I am listening. I am listening.
Would you, would you listen
to me for a change?
I'm trying to be practical
about this.
MA: Look, the police were here
today but their father wasn't,
so, no, I'll not be
having any lectures
- from you, mister.
- Don't be like that.
I know what you're gonna...
[sobbing softly]
["Do Not Forsake Me"
by Tex Ritter playing over TV]
[sobbing]
Do not forsake me,
oh, my darling
On this our wedding day
Do not forsake me,
oh, my darling
Wait
Wait along
I do not know
what fate awaits me
I only know I must be brave
And I must face
a man who hates me
SOLDIER [over bullhorn]:
Clear the streets
and return to your homes.
Or lie a coward
A craven coward
Return to your homes.
Or lie a coward in my grave
Oi. Yes, I'm open.
- Wait along
- Catch it.
- Mine, mine, mine!
- Pass it to me!
Wait along...
Mrs. Ford, how you doing?
MRS. FORD: All the better
for seeing you, stranger.
-Welcome home. -Ah, you're
a silver-tongued charmer.
- It takes one to know one.
- [chuckles] All right?
MR. STEWART:
Ah, just the fella.
Have you got a horse
for the 2:30 race?
I have, but if I tell you,
the odds'll come down.
Christ, I'm not gonna
bet the house.
Fancy Man, each way.
She'll get you a pint.
- Is that Paddy moving out?
- Poor Catholics have no choice.
- It's a mad world.
- Well, get used to it.
We all live there now.
NEWSMAN:
Prize capture was a tanker
laden with
2,500 gallons of petrol.
They'd also taken dozens
of crates of milk bottles
from a passing truck and
dubbed the whole enterprise
the Petrol Bomb Factory.
MA: Sure all the kids in
the street are going mad.
PA:
What do you want me to do?
MA:
You need to talk to them boys.
[church bells chiming
in distance]
How many was there?
About ten of them.
And what did your mate do?
He said he wasn't joining
anything they belonged to.
Then he gave the big one a dig
in the gob and ran like hell.
So did I.
Did they chase you?
Aye, but we got
a street ahead of them.
Then we ran into me Uncle
Tony's and turned the corner
before they could see us.
We put the heart across
me Uncle Tony.
He was on the toilet,
doing his horses,
and then he dropped his pencil
down the loo.
You've delivered
for these boys before, aye?
Mm-hmm.
And you know it's not milk
they're putting
back in them empty bottles?
I do now, Daddy.
You were right to tell me.
Come here and hold this, son.
Hold that there.
- You got that?
- Mm-hmm.
REPORTER: And amid more
citywide violence overnight,
government figures issued today
reveal that Northern Ireland
now has the highest rate
of unemployment in the UK.
PA:
Here it is. Planet Earth.
And do you know where that is?
- Sydney.
- Australia?
Aye, that's right.
- Do you know about it?
- Aye.
They've got surfing
and weird football.
And they have kangaroos
on the barbecue.
And the weather's good.
Young Joe Turner's
down there, too.
That's right.
How do you fancy that?
What?
Moving over there
for a wee while.
You're joking.
No. It's just down the side
a wee bit.
It's ten and a half
thousand miles.
Right, school, you two... now.
[drink pouring]
We might as well be going to
the moon if we went down there.
Sure, you've already
family there.
One second cousin.
And you've the phone.
And a millionaire
to pay the bills?
We could take trips back.
And pay for it with what,
Scotch mist?
Family could come over
for holidays.
I didn't come up the loch
in a bubble.
There's no one from round here
can afford the fare
to go down there.
Or the time off work,
if they had any work.
You just heard the bloody news.
We have to do something.
This is our home.
- [laughter, excited chatter]
- [birds chirping]
["Days Like This"
by Van Morrison playing]
[cheering]
When it's not
always raining
There'll be days like this
When there's no one
complaining
- There'll be days like this
- [cheering, clapping]
Everything falls into place
Like the flick of a switch
[cheering]
- Well, my mama told me
- [laughter]
There'll be days like this
I hope you're feeling
confident, Daddy.
When you don't need to worry
There'll be days like this
Don't worry.
When on one's in a hurry
- There'll be days like this
- [cheering]
When you don't get
betrayed...
VIOLET:
He's away the night again?
MA:
Aye, he can't neglect his work.
VIOLET:
Sure, there's work here.
MA:
Have you read the papers?
You'd break my heart
to leave, but...
- BOY: Come on!
- GIRL: Here!
You have to think of them.
We can't all leave.
There'd be nobody left
but the nutters.
[chuckles]: Aye, and nobody
to cook their tea,
run messages
and wipe their arses.
That'd make the violence stop
in about ten minutes.
- [dog barking]
- [playful chatter]
How could I leave Belfast?
I wouldn't worry about it.
The Irish were born for leaving.
Otherwise, the rest of
the world would have no pubs.
[chuckling]
It just needs half of us to stay
so that the other half
can get sentimental
- about the ones that went.
- [chuckles]
All the Irish need to survive
is a phone, a Guinness
and the sheet music
to "Danny Boy."
You're a terrible woman,
you know that?
- [kids cheering]
- PA: He shoots, he scores.
[excited chatter]
The summer's gone
And all the flowers
Are dying
PA:
I'll see you soon, okay?
'Tis you, 'tis you
- MA: You take her home.
- Must go
- PA: Enjoy yourself, okay?
- And I must bide
Come on, now, missus.
Come along.
We must go as well.
Come on, now.
But come ye back...
All right, I give in.
- [laughter]
- [Violet holds note]
When summer's in the...
-Violet, can I ask you
a question? -What?
-What did you do
with the money? -What money?
MACK: The money your ma
gave you for singing lessons.
[laughter]
MAN [over P.A.]: All passengers
departing on the Heysham ferry
should proceed
to the boarding area now.
Everybody's leaving home.
People have to move on.
"Too long a sacrifice can make
a stone of the heart."
Oh, is that what does it?
Yeah, well, you don't usually
buy your wisdom
with a walk in the park.
Your heart has to explode.
[chuckles]:
Mr. Philosopher.
And when did your heart
ever explode?
That time I saw you
in those brown stockings.
[laughing]:
Holy God.
- Aye.
- I remember that.
[both laughing]
It took me half the day
just staining my legs brown
with the tobacco water.
Then our Annie took
half the night
to draw the seam up the back
of my legs with a pencil.
You couldn't understand why
you couldn't get your hands
round them.
- [laughing]
- You thought it was magic.
It was magic.
When you've gray hair, people
think your heart never skipped.
Did yours ever skip?
Aye, it danced a bloody jig
every time you walked
in the room.
- Nah.
- [coughs]
You were full of it then,
and you're full of it now.
Come on. We may get on.
Uh, Jimmy said he'd drive me
to the hospital in the morning.
No, and I told him he would not.
I'm taking you in on the bus.
I'm walking you in,
and when they're done,
you can be bloody sure
I'm walking you back out again.
Do you hear me?
I'm walking you home.
Do you hear me?
Yeah, I hear you, missus.
Sure, when did I not?
[Pop coughing]
[Granny sighs]
[dog barking]
DRIVER: Aldergrove bus going
in three minutes.
Last tickets now.
PA:
The boss has been in touch.
They want me to stay on.
A permanent job in England.
Wanting me to move
into management.
It's more money.
MAN:
Just let us through there.
There's a house
that goes with it.
We get it rent-free,
with a chance to own it
if things go well.
A wee bit bigger
than what we have here.
A room for each of the boys.
There's a wee garden, too.
Are you allowed to play
football in that garden, Daddy?
PA:
Aye, son.
If I say yes, there's
more money straightaway.
We could start getting on top
of that back tax now.
This family's not gonna get
another chance like that
in this town, not now.
[engine revving, horn honking]
Hey, watch out
for that traffic there.
I'm watching it now, Mammy.
It's okay.
DRIVER:
Come on, now. Two minutes.
Get on board if you're coming.
Last tickets now.
Sounds like
they really want you.
What do you want?
I want my family with me.
I want you.
You and me,
we've known each other
since we were toddlers.
We've known this street
and every street round it
all our lives.
And every man,
woman and child that lives
in every bloody house,
whether we like it or not.
I like it.
And you say you've
a wee garden for them boys?
But here, they can play
wherever the hell they like,
'cause everybody knows them,
everybody likes them
and everybody looks after them.
If we go over the water,
them people's not gonna
understand a word we say.
And half of them,
they'll take the hand out of us
for sounding different.
And the other half,
they'll hate us
'cause men here are killing
their young sons on our streets.
They'll think
we don't give a shite.
And you think they're gonna
welcome us with open arms?
What, and say, "Come on in.
Well done for stealing
the house off of us"?
Things change.
Aye. They do.
We need to decide by Christmas.
You need to decide by Christmas.
You're coming back,
aren't you, Daddy?
You look after your mummy.
Be good. If you can't be good...
"And if you can't be good,
be careful."
DRIVER:
Right, off we go.
Aldergrove Airport,
ladies and gents.
["Stranded" by Van Morrison
playing]
PA:
We'll talk on the phone, okay?
MA:
Give me a ring.
Tell me when you've got there.
I'm stranded
At the edge of the world
It's a world I don't know
Got nowhere to go
Feels like I'm stranded
NURSE: I caught you looking
at Dr. Kildare.
- [laughter]
- NURSE 2: Right. You can talk.
POP:
Have you wrote to Santa?
MA: Oh, he has,
but Santa's explained
that money's
a bit tight this year,
so he's not to expect too much.
Sure, Santa has plenty
of surplus
if you talk to
the people in the know.
[chuckles]
Your health is all you need
- for a Christmas present.
- Ah. Well, you've the right one
to keep you cheerful here,
haven't you, Pop?
You tell your mammy
to stop her cheek,
or I'm not taking you
to the show.
What show's that?
MA:
I don't know. I think there's
Christmas carols in it, though.
GRANNY: Oh, that's
me waterworks. [grunts]
MA:
And you, behave yourself.
Don't be annoying your pop.
Don't be asking
for any Christmas presents.
He's no money, either.
Taxman's got it, like ours.
Ach, don't worry.
Your mammy will persuade Santa
to bring some presents.
Ach. Don't think so, Pop.
I always know
when there's no money.
- [knocking]
- MAN: Hello?
- It's the rent man.
- BUDDY: I'll get it, Mam.
Shut your mouth.
Is your mum in there, wee man?
Nobody's here.
- [muffled shouting]
- [knocking]
Oh, that puts me in mind
of a great wee system
we had in the old days
for paying the rent.
The rent man would come round
and collect the money
for every house
in the whole street,
and once he had done
and all the rent books
were marked up to date,
one of the boys would
hold him up at gunpoint
in the back entry
and take all the money
back off him,
and then he'd hand it
straight back
to all the residents
in the street,
with a little commission
for the service.
Yeah, it was
a very effective system.
And the rent man was
so good about it in the end
that eventually they cut him in
for a wee bit, too,
and everybody was happy.
Except for the council,
I suppose.
His work's giving my da a house
in England now if he wants one.
It's got a garden
and everything,
and two toilets, and they're
both inside the house.
There's nothing wrong
with an outside toilet,
except on an aeroplane.
[chuckles]
My ma says,
if we went across the water,
they wouldn't understand
the way we talk.
That shouldn't be
a problem, son.
I've been married
to your granny for 50 years.
I've never understood
a word she's said.
And if they can't
understand you,
then they're not listening,
and that's their problem.
You know, when I was
in Leicester,
they said the same thing
about me.
You know, so I put on
a different bloody accent
every day just to annoy them.
They never knew who I was.
But I did,
and that's the only one
who needs to know.
You know who you are, don't you?
Yes, Pop.
You're Buddy from Belfast 15,
where everybody knows you
and your pop looks out for you
and your mummy looks out
for you,
your daddy looks out for you,
your granny looks out for you,
your brother looks out for you,
and the whole family
looks out for you.
And wherever you go
and whatever you become,
that'll always be the truth.
And that thought
will keep you safe.
It'll keep you happy.
Will you remember that for me?
- Yes, Pop.
- Aye.
Fine man you are.
Now, forget about
what your father
and your mother want.
What do you want?
I want you
and my granny to come, too.
- [bell tolling]
- [howling]
GHOST [in play]:
Hear me.
Hear me.
I am here tonight to warn you
that you have yet
a chance and hope
of escaping my fate.
Who wears chains that size?
[whispers]: Granny, you're not
allowed to talk in the theater.
It makes one heck of a necklace.
You were always
a good friend to me.
Thank you.
You will be haunted.
Is this the chance and hope
you mentioned, Jacob?
It is.
I think I'd rather not.
Oh, I'm bloody well sure
you wouldn't.
[engine chugging and whirring]
When will Pop get out
of the hospital?
When the doctors say
his lungs are fine.
When Pop went to England
to be a coal miner,
did you go with him?
Did you want to?
Neither do I.
Has your father said
what he's doing?
He says it has to get decided
by Christmas.
When's he coming back?
At the weekend.
We're going to the pictures.
He's taking us to
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
What in the name of God is that?
It's a flying car.
Oh, God, I've heard it all.
It goes over a cliff, and you
nearly fall out of your seat.
Do you want to come?
It'll be company for you
till my pop's home.
If God had wanted me
to see flying cars,
I'd have been born
with blinking wings.
[Granny chuckling]
You love your films, don't you?
I was a great one for the
pictures when I was your age.
I used to think you could
climb right inside the screen
and visit all those
strange places you saw.
[chuckles]
Like that one in that film.
What was that, uh...?
Uh, Lost Horizons.
- Did you ever see that?
- No.
What was the name
of the place, Granny?
Shangri-La.
That's what they called it.
Did you ever go there?
There were no roads
to Shangri-La
from our part of Belfast.
So, will you go one day?
[chuckles softly]
[chuckling]
[sighs]
- [bell jingles]
- [kids shouting]
What? Where do they think
they're going?
[gasps] Look out!
[tires squealing]
[characters and audience
screaming]
TRULY [in movie]:
What's happening?
CHILD [in movie]:
Look!
- Oh!
- Look at that!
It's fantastic. [gasps]
- [kids shouting excitedly]
- TRULY: You're a genius.
[Caractacus chuckling in movie]
CARACTACUS:
It's nothing, really.
- Chitty Bang Bang
- Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
Chitty Bang Bang
[singing along]:
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Oh, you,
pretty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
we love you...
No, shut up.
You'll get us thrown out.
- [laughing]
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
What we'll do?
Near, far, in our motorcar
Oh, what a happy time
we'll spend
Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Our fine
four-fendered friend
Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Our fine
four-fendered friend
Chitty Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...
Oh, look at this.
Chitty Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Oh, you,
pretty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...
WILL:
Get Da, not me.
- Mummy.
- PA: Don't shoot me.
No, Buddy, don't. Hey, hey!
Near, far, in our motorcar
Oh, what a happy time
we'll spend
Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Our fine
four-fendered friend...
- [all exclaiming]
- BUDDY: 20-nil!
- [laughter]
- Our fine four-fendered
- Friend...
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
fine four-fendered
Chitty Chitty friend.
[toy gun blasting]
Ah, come on. Here.
Sit down for a few minutes here.
We've a wee word
to have with you.
Buddy, uh, Mum and I want
to talk to you about something,
something that we might
have to do as a family.
You know the way your dad's
over in England
and he's been working
over there for quite a while?
Well, we were thinking that,
uh, you know,
maybe we'd all go as a family
and go live there.
[Buddy whimpers softly]
And, um, your dad's seen
a really nice wee house,
and it's got
a lovely garden and...
Play football, Buddy.
- Aye.
- There's loads of room there.
- More room than we have here.
- [Buddy cries]
- I don't want to go to England!
- Could you switch that off?
I don't want to go to England!
It's all right, darling.
- Hey, it's okay.
- It's all right.
I'll have no friends
and no cousins,
and I won't be able
to see Catherine at school!
Hey, listen, you'll make new
friends, and you're gonna have
a big garden
to play football in.
I don't care about the garden!
I want my granny and my pop,
and I want to do my project
on going to the moon
and get on the first desk,
and I don't want to
- have to talk funny.
- Hey, hey, Buddy.
And I don't want to forget
what road I have to
- go down when I'm dead.
- That's enough now, darling.
No one's asking you
to talk funny.
- No decision's been made yet.
- It's all right. Exactly.
No, we were just trying to see
what everyone thought first.
- You're just overtired.
- Exactly. Yeah.
I don't want to leave Belfast!
[thunder rumbling]
[snoring softly]
Let's just leave it till Easter.
- See where we are then.
- [sighs]: Aye.
These boys are suffering.
I don't think we've got
till Easter.
I don't think you and me
have got till Easter, either.
Well, come home.
We'll fight this together.
Kids the same age as ours
are getting killed
around the corner.
Well, we'll be careful.
You can't be with them
24 hours a day.
You can't take away
their childhood, either.
You know, whatever happens...
what you've done with these two,
it's phenomenal.
[sighs]
What are you talking about?
You raised them.
Not me.
Not us.
You.
Thank you.
We'll see what happens
by Easter.
I'll take the bins out,
make a cuppa,
get these'ns to bed.
["Carrickfergus"
by Van Morrison playing]
I wish I had you
In Carrickfergus
PA [whispers]:
Back to bed.
Only for nights
See you in two weeks.
In Ballygrand
I would swim over
The deepest ocean
The deepest ocean
To be by your side
But the sea is wide
And I can't swim over
And neither have
I wings to fly
Oh, I wish I could find me
A handy boatman
[kids chattering playfully]
To ferry me over
GIRL: Hey, you're gonna bring
the whole thing down.
To my love and die.
- Five. -Six.
- Seven.
REPORTER:
There used to be 40 houses here
in this mainly
Roman Catholic street.
That was before the trouble
in the middle of August.
Now the government are proposing
to rebuild this street,
but there are increased
tensions in the city,
and the move comes amid
warnings of renewed violence.
Moondance at seven-to-two.
Has to win, don't you think?
What's going on in your comic?
Well, he has to defeat
the monster.
- What?
- Oh.
- They're my chips.
- What's yours is mine,
- and what's mine's my own.
- Granny says that.
- What does that even mean?
- You'll find out.
Now, you go and wait
at your granny's.
I'll come and pick you up
after I've seen my father,
- okay, son?
- All right, Daddy.
Right, wee fella,
you did well for not
grassing us to the police,
so you're in.
What do you mean?
You're one of us now,
and this is it.
- This is what?
- This is war.
[alarm ringing]
Let's go, boys! Let's do this!
BUDDY:
What are we gonna do?
Whatever the hell we want.
MAN: Our blood's up, lads.
Our bloods up.
MAN [over TV]:
Authorities are urging citizens
to return to their homes
immediately
and to stay inside and off the
streets until further notice.
Effective immediately.
MAN 2 [on TV]:
They machine-gunned us.
Armored cars paving the way
for the hooligans to come in.
WOMAN:
Everybody, home now.
MAN: This doesn't look good.
Come on, let's go.
[crowd clamoring]
BUDDY:
I'm going home! I'm going home!
MOIRA:
No, you're not.
BUDDY:
I want to go home!
MOIRA:
You're coming with us.
BUDDY:
I want to go home.
RIOTER:
Go on, smash them!
- [alarm ringing]
- Come on! Get in here!
- Get it! Go on!
- [clamoring]
SHOPKEEPER:
Take it easy, man!
We don't want any trouble!
RIOTER:
Oh, for God's sake, leave it!
Come on, let's go!
[clamoring continues]
This city belongs
to the Protestants!
Get yourself something.
- What?
- Whatever you need.
[clamoring continues]
BUDDY:
Washing powder!
MAN:
Lock the doors! Lock the doors!
[objects clattering]
[kids chattering playfully]
BUDDY:
Mammy! Mammy!
Here, what the hell's going on?
Oh, Mammy!
We're looting the supermarket.
Where did you get that?
I told you, we're looting
the supermarket.
You're what?
You wait right there, young man.
Why did you take
that washing powder?
It's biological.
[Ma grunts angrily]
[helicopter whirring]
[clamoring]
MA:
Come on.
Move! Move it!
You watch yourselves.
Now, you put that back.
Do you hear me?
And if you ever,
ever do anything
like that again,
I will kill you.
Do you hear me?
And you, young madam,
if you ever drag my son
into something like this again,
I will beat you black and blue
until you never get home again.
Do you hear me?
All right? Put it back I said.
BILLY:
Hey, woman!
We don't put things back.
That's not the statement
we're trying to make.
MAN: Billy, come on.
The army are coming. Come on!
Out! Go on, get out!
- Out!
- All right, all right.
- [sirens wailing]
- MAN: Come on!
[explosions]
SOLDIER [over speaker]:
Clear the street!
Clear the street now!
Tear gas and rubber bullets
will be used!
We're clearing this area!
Move out the way now!
- BILLY: Time to get out of here.
- McLAURY: Don't try anything.
BILLY: So you two are going
to guarantee safe passage
for me and my men.
If you try to run,
I'll put a bullet
in your son's head.
- [clamoring continues]
- [solders shouting orders]
[tires squeal]
BILLY: Ah, here he comes,
the Lone Ranger.
SOLDIER:
Clear this area right now!
I can see your kind needs
a little discipline.
You let them go now.
No, I think if I do,
one of them soldiers
is gonna take my head off.
If they don't, I will.
Over their dead bodies.
["Do Not Forsake Me"
by Tex Ritter playing]
Folks always have
a problem with change.
But you'd better get
used to it, mister.
People like me
run this town now.
And it's people like you
that bring us all down.
I do not know
what fate awaits me
I only know I must be brave
And I must face
a man who hates me
Or lie a coward
A craven coward
Daddy!
Or lie a coward
In my grave
[gun fires]
Oh, to be torn
twixt love and duty
S'posin' I lose
my fair-haired beauty
Look at that big hand
move along
Nearin' high noon
He made a vow
while in state's prison
Vowed it would be
my life or his'n
I'm not afraid of death,
but, oh
What will I do
If you leave me?
Do not forsake me,
oh, my darlin'
BILLY:
This isn't the end, pal!
You made that promise
as a bride
Do not forsake me,
oh, my darlin'
[trembling breaths]
Although you're grievin'
I can't be leavin'
Now that I need you
By my side.
[song ends]
BUDDY:
Thanks.
It's gonna be all right.
I'll talk to the committee,
get this fixed.
There'll be no more bother.
I caught sight of my face
in that shop window
when I was running
down the street
and dragging them poor kids
behind me.
[inhales deeply]
And I was looking
in the mirror just now...
at that same face.
And I asked myself...
"What the hell am I doing?"
[shuddering inhale]
And then I was sick.
Like I am every morning now.
And I realized...
I don't think
it really matters anymore.
[Ma sniffles]
So, tomorrow...
when Uncle Mack
and Auntie Violet come round...
we're going to start packing.
[inhales, shudders]
POP:
You have no choice.
You know they're gonna come
for you, don't you?
And this time,
they'll send somebody serious.
Get yourselves to the moon.
London's only
one small step for a man.
Belfast will still be here
when you get back.
Will you?
I'm going nowhere
you won't find me.
[thunder rumbling]
MISS LEWIS:
And now to announce the winners
of our school moon project.
[kids cheering]
Well, how'd it go with this?
BOTH:
We got a gold star.
Ah, good on youse.
Now, tell me this,
seeing as you two will know...
How do I get to the moon
with only ten pound,
three leaky umbrellas
and my bus pass?
[chuckles]
[retching]
See, there's an art
to an Ulster fry, son.
Mind you, I'm glad
your Aunt Violet's away
up the stairs there
with your ma.
She keeps banging on now
about how Northern Ireland's
got the highest rates of
"chlomestremol" in the world.
Sure, I think it's great that
we're world champions
at something.
- [laughs]
- [knocking]
Do you mind answering that
for me, son,
while I've got this hot pan on?
OFFICER:
Is your mother in, son?
-[horn honks] -DRIVER:
Watch yourself, missus!
Where's your white stick?
MAN:
Are you all right, son?
BUDDY: Will you ask in there
for my daddy, please?
- Point out who he is.
- PA: The farmer says, "No,"
and he goes,
"Do you have any bread?"
[laughter]
Excuse me.
Your little lad's here.
What's that?
[quiet chatter]
WOMAN: It was good to see him
one last time.
There.
[sighing]
[Granny groans]
Oh, I'm done.
- Here. You're all right.
- Oh, dear.
- Will!
- [Granny sighs]
- You're all right.
- Yeah.
Take that note up
to Mrs. Hewitt
and get the wee message
for your granny.
For her nerves.
- Come on.
- [Granny groaning]
That was a lot of people
that came to see him today.
Aye.
He was very popular.
And he owed half of them money.
[chuckles]
He used to help me
with my maths.
He was a very deep thinker.
A very deep thinker.
Did he help you?
Yeah.
Yeah, he did help me.
He helped me a lot.
MINISTER: "For now we see
through a glass, darkly;
"face-to-face:
"for now I-I know in part;
but then I shall know
"as also I am known.
"For when I was a child,
"I spake as a child,
I understood as a child,
"I thought as a child:
but then I became a man and
I put away childish things."
So do not say in grief
that you are sorry he is gone,
but rather, say in thankfulness
you are grateful he was here.
MAN:
God love him.
WOMAN:
That wee dote.
MAN 2:
Ah, I'll miss him, now.
MAN 3: And we'll be sure
to toast him down the club, eh?
MAN: Will we head down now,
sure, will we?
WOMAN:
I'm sure your man'll have
a wee sing-along
with the jukebox.
["Everlasting Love"
by Love Affair playing]
[jovial chatter]
[singing along]:
Hearts gone astray
Leaving hurt when they go
I went away
Just when you need me so
You won't regret
I come back begging you
Won't you forget
Welcome love we once knew
[cheering]
Open up your eyes,
then you realize
Here I stand
with my everlasting love
Need you by my side,
girl, to be my bride
You'll never be denied,
everlasting love
From the very start,
open up your heart
Feel that you're part
of everlasting love
Need a love to last forever
Need a love
to last forever.
[song fades]
MAN [in distance]:
Top o' the world, Ma!
WOMAN:
Top o' the world!
[birds chirping]
PA:
Buddy. Follow me.
- Hi, Buddy.
- Hello.
- Thanks.
- Thanks.
I'll come back.
Make sure you do.
- Cheerio.
- Cheerio.
Daddy, do you think me and
that wee girl have a future?
Well, why the heck not?
You know she's a Catholic?
Oh.
That wee girl can be
a practicing Hindu
or a Southern Baptist
or a vegetarian antichrist,
but if she's kind and she's fair
and you two respect each other,
she and her people are welcome
in our house
any day of the week.
Agreed?
Mind you,
does that mean you and me
have to start going
to confession?
- Probably.
- [sighs]
That's us two in trouble, then.
[bell tolling in distance]
[engine starting]
Go.
Go now.
Don't look back.
I love you, son.
["And the Healing Has Begun"
by Van Morrison playing]
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
And we'll walk down
the avenue again
And we'll sing all the songs
from way back when
Yeah
And we'll walk down
the avenue again
And the healing has begun...
And we'll walk
down the avenue in style
And we'll walk
down the avenue
And we'll smile
Yeah, we'll say
"Baby, ain't it all
worthwhile
When the healing has begun?"
All right,
when the healing has begun
Oh, yeah
Whoo
Whoo
All right, whoo
Yeah
Ah
Whoo
When you hear the music
ringing in your soul
And you feel it in your heart
and it grows and grows
And it came from
the backstreet rock and roll
And the healing has begun
That's where
it come from, man
Baby, you know how I feel
When the healing has begun
When the healing
When the healing has begun
And the healing
And the healing has begun
We're gonna dance
We're gonna stay out
all night long
We're gonna dance
to the rock and roll
When the healing has begun
Oh, baby
Now you just
Let me ease on a little bit
You dig this
Backstreet jelly roll
And the healing
And the healing has begun
Yeah, yeah
And the healing has begun
And the healing,
and the healing...
[song fades]