Drama

The Field (1990): Cast & Plot

Name: The Field
Genre: Drama
Released: 1990-09-13
Duration: 1 h 50 min
Cast: Sean Bean, Richard Harris, Brenda Fricker, Tom Berenger, John Hurt

The Field is a 1990 drama directed by Jim Sheridan, starring Sean Bean as Tadgh McCabe, Richard Harris and Brenda Fricker. It runs 1 hour 50 minutes.

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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: September 13, 1990
Runtime: 1h 50m (110 min)
Director: Jim Sheridan
Genre: Drama
Original language: English
Studio: Sovereign Pictures
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is The Field About?

The premise of The Field without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Bull McCabe's family has tended a farm field, sacrificing everything for the land. When the widowed owner puts it up for public auction, McCabe resolves to buy it. No locals dare bid, but a wealthy American wants the land for a highway. Bull and his son try to persuade him to abandon the plan, but their effort leads to a dark, sinister outcome.

The Field Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

village
intimidation
horse
greed
guilt
priest
pub
church
catholic
heritage
farm
dancing

+38 more

dancer
dance
rural setting
fight
land auction
mother son relationship
death of brother
love
death
1930s
irish
murder
father son relationship
ireland
farmer
tragedy
death of son
based on play
sandwich
gate
gypsy
sex in bed
clubbed in the head
outbid
clubbed in head
holding someone's head underwater
head pushed underwater
falling off a cliff
wealth
live action
tragedy drama
field
american
widow
land
public auction
auction
starvation

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Cast & crew

The Field Cast & Characters

Sean Bean leads the cast as Tadgh McCabe, with Richard Harris as 'Bull' McCabe and Brenda Fricker as Maggie McCabe. Directed by Jim Sheridan; 29 actors are credited in all.

Director Jim Sheridan

Sean Bean as Tadgh McCabe
Richard Harris as 'Bull' McCabe
Brenda Fricker as Maggie McCabe
Tom Berenger as Peter - The American

Also Starring in The Field

· 25 more

John Hurt Bird' O'Donnell
Brendan Gleeson Quarryman
David Wilmot Boy at Dance
Malachy McCourt Sergeant
Joan Sheehy 2nd Tinker Woman
Frank McDonald Kłótnik
Sean McGinley Father Chris Doran
Ruth McCabe Tinker Woman
Jer O'Leary Tinker Girl's Father
Peadar Lamb Paddy Joe O'Reilly
Áine Ní Mhuirí Priest's Housekeeper
Ronan Wilmot Tinker
Frances Tomelty Widow
Rachael Dowling Girl at Dance
John Cowley Flanagan
Noel O'Donovan Tomás

Show all 29 cast members

Spencer Chandler Villager
Tom Jordan Villager
Sarah Cronin-Stanley Girl at Dance
Johnny Choil Mhaidhc Villager
Jenny Conroy Katie - The Tinker Girl
Eamon Keane Dan Paddy Andy
Sara Jane Scaife McRoarty
Máirtín Jaimsie
Bina McLoughlin Villager

From the director

More from Jim Sheridan

More films directed by Jim Sheridan, best-rated first: My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, In America and The Boxer.

Full filmography

Plot

The Field Plot Summary

What happens in The Field from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Bull McCabe, Richard Harris is an Irish farmer whose pride in a field he and his family have tilled for generations runs deeper than a simple plot of land. One day he disposes of a dead donkey by dumping it in a lake, an act that sets off a chain of blame and grief. It soon emerges that his son, Tadhg, killed the donkey after discovering it had broken into the family’s long-cared-for field. The owner of the donkey accuses Bull McCabe of the death and demands “blood money,” intensifying a feud that already tugs at the heart of the family’s history.

Full summary

The whole story of The Field, scene by scene

Read the full summary