Ballybrando
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The story of perhaps the greatest Marlon Brando film never seen. In 1995 when the filming of Divine Rapture collapsed after just ten days, the hopes of the small Irish village of Ballycotton were dashed and it marked the end of an Irish adventure for the movie legend
Divine Rapture, a black comedy about miracles, starring cinema legend Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Debra Winger and John Hurt began filming on July 10th 1995. The movie crashed just 10 days later, dashing the hopes of an entire village and breaking the heart of its ambitious young producer, Barry Navidi. Ballybrando is the story of that monumental movie collapse. It is also the little known story of Marlon Brando's brief, but heartfelt Irish adventure, where he described himself as feeling 'more at home here than anywhere else in the world'.
The film features interviews with the film's original producer Barry Navidi, director Thom Eberhardt and some stars from the film including John Hurt, Angeline Ball and local girl Elaine Symons, who got her first break acting on the film as a 15 year old local Cork girl.
Ballycotton locals are central to the story, particularly Pat Swanwick, who was Marlon's cook for the duration of his stay. They formed a close friendship and Marlon opened up to her with the problems and tragedy he had endured throughout his lifetime.
Local publican Sean McGrath remembers the festival like atmosphere of the village and local potter Stephen Pearce spotted an opportunity to immortalise the film's collapse with trademark Irish black humour by erecting a headstone in the village's main street which read, Divine Rapture born 10th July 1996, died 23rd July 1996, RIP. Indeed, Barry Navidi literally reels back the years by returning to Ballycotton, 14 years later, to host for the local community, the first ever public screening of the 20 minutes of Divine Rapture that was filmed before the production was forced to shut down. Brando’s flamboyant portrayal of the Parish Priest is definitely one for the archives
Often humorous and sometimes poignant Ballybrando revisits the heady summer of 1995 to reveal a movie dream turned nightmare, when Ballycotton’s main street turned into a real life boulevard of broken dreams.
