A Man of No Importance

A Man of No Importance - 1994 | 99mins | Drama | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Suri Krishnamma.
Producer: Jonathan Cavendish.
Script: Barry Devlin.
Cinematography: Ashley Rowe.
Film Editing: David Freeman.
Production Design: Jamie Leonard.
Art Direction: Frank Flood.
Costume Design: Phoebe De Gaye.
Makeup Department: Bernie Dooley and Ken Jennings.
Sound Department: Nick Adams, Paul Hamblin and David Stephenson.
Original Music: Percy Faith and Julian Nott.

The Cast

Albert Finney - Alfred 'Alfie' Byrne
Brenda Fricker - Lily Byrne
Michael Gambon - Ivor J. Carney
Tara Fitzgerald - Adele Rice
Rufus Sewell - Robbie 'Bosie' Fay
Patrick Malahide - Inspector Carson
David Kelly - Christy 'Baldy' Ward
Mick Lally - Father Ignatius Kenny

Plot Synopsis

Engaging if underwhelming period drama concerning a closeted gay bus conductor in 1960s Dublin who encounters persecution in his narrow-minded community when staging a production of Oscar Wilde's masterpiece Salome. A fine lead performance by Albert Finney is supported by Rufus Sewell, Tara Fitzgerald, Michael Gambon and Patrick Malahide.

Set evocatively in 60s Dublin, theatre-loving bus conductor Alfie Byrne (Albert Finney) who regularly gives free poetry recitations to his passengers is inspired to put on a play when he meets an attractive passenger, Adele (Tara Fitzgerald), who he feels would be perfect as the princess. Alfie is forced to re-evaluate his feelings for both the beautiful country girl and his handsome driver Robbie (Rufus Sewell) while boldly staging the amateur production of Oscar Wilde's Salome at the local church. While life-long bachelor Alfie struggles with a rather despairing, repressed homosexual love life, his controversial staging of Salome meets with any number of impediments – chief among them intolerant butcher Ivor Carney (Michael Gambon), a grudging Herod.