Far & Away (1992)
1. While watching think about the immigrant experience.
What to Know:
Story: This is the story of Irish immigrants to America in the late 1800s, who
struggle with hunger, hatred, prejudice and “just plain hard work” to start a
new life. In this movie, the daughter of a wealthy landlord left a big house
and privileged life to become an immigrant; the son of a poor tenant farmer
found success as a boxer—for a while! Like the people in this film, many
immigrants came to the United States following Reconstruction and leading
up to WWI (1877-1914). They all had very different reasons for coming.
Joseph’s reasons represent more common push factors.
(1992; Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Directed by Ron Howard; Imagine Films;
Boxing, Romance, Drama, US History; PG-13; 130 min)
Setting: Ireland and America – early 1890’s
Main Characters:
Joseph Donelly – the youngest son of an Irish farmer; one of three brothers
Mr. Daniel Christie – the landlord for Joseph, his family, and most of his
neighbors
Shannon Christie – Mr. Christie’s daughter, who thinks of her family’s status
as a prison
Mr. Stephen Chase – Mr. Christie’s property manager, who wants to marry
Shannon
Mike Kelly – The "ward boss" in Boston, who ran the "social club" for Irish
people
Day 1
Far and Away begins its story in Ireland. Joseph Donnelly (Tom Cruise), a
headstrong Irishman, is the son of a poor tenant farmer who will never be
able to reach his true potential and realize his dreams if he remains on the
family land. A rich landlord, Daniel Christie (Robert Prosky), owns the
Donnelly’s land. This was the case for the majority of farmers in Ireland,
which caused them to leave Ireland for the United States. The beginning of
the film creates the situation for the meeting of Joseph and Shannon and the
plot for the rest of the film. A carriage carrying a rich, aristocratic lord kills
Joseph’s father. His father is brought home to die and instills the dream of
owning land in Joseph. The desire to own land is another reason why Joseph
and other immigrants leave Ireland for the United States. Farmers who were
under the control of the rich landlords had additional problems besides not
being able to own their own land. It was difficult to provide for their families
on very little money and land because they were under the control of their
landlords. During the funeral Shannon’s future fiancée, Stephen Chase
(Thomas Gibson “Aaron Hotchner”), sets fire to Joseph’s home because the
Donnelly family has not paid their rent. Joseph vows vengeance and leaves
the only home he has ever known to find Daniel Christie and kill him. The
extreme violence and animosity by the upper class against tenant farmers in
Ireland is based on the violence that led nineteenth century immigrants out
of Ireland (Daniels 2002; Meagher 2005). Stephen Chase and Joseph Donnelly
perfect the tensions between the two classes in Far and Away.
Critical Thinking – Day One
1. Joseph is a poor tenant farmer. Notice how he is dressed and how
he carries himself. Describe him.
2. Mr. Christie and Joseph both feel “oppressed” and long for
“freedom.” They are not referring to actual slavery as was
constitutionally banned in the United States in 1865. What is keeping
Joseph from feeling free? What is keeping Mr. Christie from feeling
free?
3. Why does Shannon want to go to America? What type of life is she
leaving behind? What type of life is she expecting to find?
4. Why does Joseph decide to take Shannon up on her offer to go to
America? What is he is looking for? Why does he not have it at
home? How does he expect to get it in America?
5. Shannon is an Irish aristocrat – upper class by birth, never having to
worry about money or hard work. Up to this point she has had six
different costumes. This was fairly typically for a proper lady of the
Victorian Era. What can be observed about her clothing and how she
wears it? What does this say about her?
Day 2
Shannon and Joseph embark on their journey after she rescues him
from a duel with Stephen Chase. Shannon resembles the naivety of
most immigrants of the time when they came to the United States. A
gentleman onboard her ship promises to help her when she arrives in
the United States but seems to only be after the fortune she has in the
form of spoons. Shannon starts to leave with the gentleman when he
is killed. The spoons he was trying to steal are tossed out onto the
crowd and stolen by the onlookers. As a result, Shannon loses her
fortune and must rely on Joseph’s assistance. With nowhere to go,
Joseph and Shannon seek the help of a fellow Irishmen, Mike Kelly
(Colm Meaney). Kelly becomes the brutal antagonist of the film, as he
runs what could be the equivalent of the corrupted Tammany Hall in
the urban cities of the nineteenth century (Daniels 2002; Meagher
2005). Kelly finds the pair jobs and a home in a brothel that he
controls. This is where the filmmakers take advantage of the time
period. Most new immigrants found homes in boarding houses or
tenements, but the film looks to sensationalize the time period by
placing them in a brothel to live (Daniels 2002; Meagher 2005; Ebert
1992).
Critical Thinking – Day Two
1. Mike Kelly is the area Ward Boss. What does he
want from Joseph? What does he provide for
Joseph and Shannon in return? What are the
“strings” attached to this arrangement?
2. Shannon is adjusting to live in poverty – both at
her job and in her private life. How have her
clothes and behaviors changed? How is she still
holding on to her old ways?
3. Boxing was an extremely popular sport in the late
1800s that reached its peak in popularity in the
1930s. How did joining the boxing scene at Mike
Kelly’s “Social Club” (“The Burle-Q” – a play off the
word “burlesque”) change Joseph’s experience in
America?
Day 3
After realizing he will never be able to afford a
horse and wagon to Oklahoma by working in the
meat factory, Joseph becomes what many Irish
immigrant men of the time became, a boxer
(Daniels 2002; Meagher 2005). His time as a
boxer is a central part of the film because it
helps him gain money and boosts his selfesteem, which will help him in his fight for land
at the end of the film. It also sets up the
separation of Joseph and Shannon when they
are kicked out of their home and jobs when
Joseph loses a critical fight.
Critical Thinking – Day Three
1. Up to this point Joseph and Shannon were comfortable in an Irish
neighborhood of Boston. Few immigrants were actually banished from their
community like this. The situation was added to make the movie interesting
and to show how hard life could have been without a community with a
similar background. Once they are no longer protected by the Ward Boss
they face many hardships. Describe them.
2. Joseph, now alone, headed west and was in the Ozarks of Missouri eight
months later. What major industry is he now working in? Why are they
blasting the mountain? What do you notice about the other workers?
3. Joseph hooks up with a wagon trail headed to Oklahoma. Who does he
find? How have they adjusted to their life in the West? Who seems the
most changed and adapted? How does this show?
4. The Oklahoma Land Rush actually happened – five times. The first was in
1889. This scene depicts the biggest of these events in which around 100,000
people raced to claim 42,000 pieces of land totaling over 6.5 million acres – of
free land. Those who went ahead “sooner” than allowed did break the law
but many were able to keep their land. This is where the state of Oklahoma
gets its nickname, The Sooner State. Describe what you saw. Notice (by the
clothing) who was in charge of keeping order during this madness. Was it
worth it?
Wrap Up
Shannon and Joseph each separately have their own journeys to Oklahoma
for the Land Race of 1893. Joseph works on the railroad, while Shannon
comes on the train with her parents and Stephen Chase. The scene where
Joseph is working on the railroad shows a valuable part of immigrant history
when immigrants worked to build the railroads of the United States. On the
train taking the employees to the next section of the railroad, the audience
can see Irish, Chinese, and other immigrant groups. The couple’s dream of
land is finally recognized with the Oklahoma Land Run of 1893. This is when
the film embraces the immigrant’s dream, to have his or her own land. This is
based largely on the American dream but most immigrants during the
nineteenth century were not lucky enough to own their own land. The
majority of immigrants settled in cities where they were “stuck” for the rest
of their lives because it was difficult to get out of the financial difficulties they
were in. Shannon and Joseph find each other the day before the race and the
second antagonist of the film, Stephen Chase, works to keep the two apart.
Stephen does not want to give up his oppressive tendencies in the United
States. The film adequately portrays the history of the Oklahoma Land Run in
the first few minutes, but then the competition between the two rivals,
Joseph and Stephen, takes over. The ending points out the happiness and
hopefulness of immigrants who wanted their dreams to come true in the
nineteenth century, as Shannon and Joseph’s did in the film (Daniels 2002;
Meagher 2005).