THE

COMMITMENTS
 PRODUCTION CONTEXT:
 “The Commitments” began as a novel written by
Roddy Doyle as a part of “The Barrytown Trilogy”.
It was written and published in 1987.
 Production for the film adaptation began in 1988
with a script being written by Roddy Doyle, and then
further developed by Dick Clement and Ian La
Frenais.
 The film’s cast was largely composed of relatively
unexperienced actors, who were cast due to their
musical capabilities and resemblances to the
characters.
 It was the first film produced by Beacon Pictures and
was allocated a budget of $12m.
NARRATIVE STYLE
 The book version of “The Commitments” was well
received at the time of its release, creating pressure
for the film adaptation to be both accurate and
entertaining.
 The film’s overall narrative is interlaced with
continual musical numbers throughout the film, so to
reaffirm that this is a story about a band.
 The soundtrack features fourteen different songs, all
of which are various soul numbers.
 The film aims to highlight the roughness and poverty
in Dublin at the time through its use of the city as the
set of the film. Over 44 locations are featured
throughout the picture so to give a broad variety.
TRAILER
 GENRE FRAME
 The Commitments is a film that fits into multiple forms
of genre depending on what way the one interprets the
film.
 On the one hand the film is an irreverent comedy that
highlights the wittiness and energy of the Dublin
people.
 On the other hand it can be described as a portrayal of
the grittiness and harshness of working-class life, made
easier through the idealistic sounds of soul music.
 The film can also be seen as a musical, as half of the
film is taken up with musical numbers, while the other
half of the film is spent discussing music and its
impacts.
CRITICAL RECEPTION
 The film was released in 1991 and was received
extremely well domestically. It premiered in the
Savoy in Dublin and played there for a number of
weeks.
 The film was also popular on a global market,
finding popularity in America and the U.K.
 The film received several awards and nominations
including; a Golden Globe nomination for Best
Picture, an Academy Award for Best Editing and
six nominations for a British Academy award, of
which it won four of. (Best Film, Best Direction,
Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing).
 DISTRIBUTION AND
EXHIBITION
 The Commitments was given a platform release which
involved opening the film in select cities before
expanding distribution in the following weeks. The film
had a limited release in New York City, Los Angeles, and
Ireland on 14 August 1991. The film was released
nationwide in North America on 13 September 1991, and
Ireland on 4 October 1991.
 A motion picture soundtrack album featuring the music
of the film was released on 13 August 1991, by MCA
Records.
 After eight weeks of release, The Commitments grossed
$14,919,570 in America. It earned £8,285,701 in the UK
and the film was the highest-grossing film in Ireland by
the time it left theatres.
THE END