Search - The Secret of Roan Inish on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Movie Release: 1994 DVD Release: 07/25/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 42 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 27 Genres: Adventure, Children's/Family, Adventure Drama, Children's Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure

The magic of folklore forms the basis of this Irish tale by writer-director John Sayles. Adapted from the book Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, the 1940s story is told from the point-of-view of Fiona (Jeni Courtney), a young girl sent to live with her grandparents in an Irish fishing town. Her grandfather weaves grand stories about the family's evacuation from their home on the tiny island of Roan Inish and about his great-great grandfather, who once cheated death at the hands of the unforgiving sea. As she meets other villagers, Fiona hears even more personal stories about an uncle who married a beautiful, part-human/ part-seal and about how the sea stole her baby brother during the departure from Roan Inish. Later, Fiona believes that she has found Jamie romping in the grass on Roan Inish, and she must convince the family of her vision. While Roan Inish has the feel of a family film, it shares with other Sayles works a character who learns history through storytelling, such as Sam Deeds in Lone Star (1996) and Dr. Fuentes in Men with Guns (1997). Sayles builds cohesive stories from multiple voices, showing the importance of oral history and indicating that learning the past can alter the future. ~ Norm Schrager, All Movie Guide

Mick Lally - Hugh
Eileen Colgan - Tess
John Lynch - Tadhg
Jeni Courtney - Fiona
Richard Sheridan - Eamon

John Sayles' 1993 Irish fantasy comes to DVD with this above-average release. With running audio commentary by Sayles, The Secret of Roan Inish also includes theatrical trailers, talent files, and scene selection. The commentary is a welcome touch, but the most impressive feature is likely the widescreen 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. A standard 1.33:1 pan-and-scan transfer is also included. On the audio end, the disc features an English Dolby Digital Surround soundtrack. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are also available, rounding out a list of features that make this a disc that fans of the film will likely want to add to their collection. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide