Family values, the romance of the Old West and Celtic mysticism add up to "Into the West," a delightful film about two young boys and their magical horse showing tonight in Loew Auditorium.
"Into the West," was directed by Mike Newell and written by Jim Sheridan, who has proven skillful in bringing diverse views of Ireland to the screen in such films as "The Field," "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father." This film enters the world of the "travelers," or Celtic gypsies.
Gabriel Byrne plays the role of Papa Riley, a man who was once King of the Travelers, but who has since renounced this title and settled down in a housing project in Dublin following the death of his wife.
Now all he can do is drink, mourn, and dwell on the past. Living with him are his two young sons, Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy) and Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald) and Riley's father-in-law, Grandpa Ward (David Kelly).
The audience watches as a mysterious white horse, who is first seen running on the beach in the moonlight, finds its way to the two boys in Dublin and forms a close attachment to them.
Grandpa Ward tells the boys that its name is Tir na nOg (Land of Eternal Youth) and the horse begins living with them in the flat, much to the dismay of the neighbors.
When the police are alerted and take the horse away, it is sold by a corrupt policeman to a wealthy businessman who intends to turn him into a champion jumper.
Then Ossie and Tito, who have grown up watching television westerns, steal the horse with the intent of riding him "into the west."
Caught in the act by television cameras, police are hot on their trail, and the responsibility falls on Papa Riley to return to the traveler community to track down his sons.
Mike Newell, who also directed "Enchanted April," and "Four Weddings and a Funeral," knows how to mix whimsicality and serious drama. He also contends well with the difficult task of directing a film whose main characters are two children and a horse.
