Brendan Behan (1923-1964) was, among other things, a drunkard, an IRA activist, a public nuisance, and an ex-con. He once approached a group of shoppers standing in line and begged money from them, saying he had ten children at home to feed. What he didn't say is that he wanted the money so that he could get good and drunk and forget about his children for a while. Offsetting that, if anything can, is the fact that he became a worldwide celebrity for his literary works, including several plays (The Quare Fellow, The Hostage), his autobiography (The Borstal Boy) and many poems and short stories. This respectful but unflinching documentary interviews family members and associates (he had few friends) to portray the life of this driven, self-absorbed man.
by Clarke Fountain
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