I agree with the general consensus on this site. The treaty is an excellent, historically accurate dramatisation of the negotiations that led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.
Comparisons with Neil Jordan's epic big budget Michael Collins are inevitable - so here goes! The Treaty is not only much more accurate in terms of events but also in terms of characterisation. The portrayal of Michael Collins by Brendan Gleeson is excellent and comes very close to what the historical Michael Collins was like. Liam Neeson's portrayal in Neil Jordan's film by contrast made Collins a little too 'nice' and emphasised Collins' moral qualms. Rightly or wrongly I don't think Collins had moral qualms about his actions. He certainly didn't express many in public. Credit also to the actor (I don't know his name) who portrayed Cathal Brugha. The quiet menace he showed was again much closer to the historical character than the somewhat hysterical portrayal in Jordan's film. The late Tony Doyle also plays Arthur Griffith very well (Griffith is justifiably given a higher place in this film than in Michael Collins). Also good was Barry McGovern's portrayal of DeValera.
In short, the film Michael Collins is a good yarn but looking at the comment pages about how much people 'learned' from it makes me suggest they'd learn a lot more by watching the Treaty.
The Treaty is low budget and originally made for TV so don't expect an epic scale or special effects. It is however, well done throughout. One slight negative (Spoiler Alert) is the one occasion where the film depicted ordinary people, which veered close to stereotype.
That said, if you want to learn about this period of Irish history in a manner that is accurate and leaves you to decide for yourself the moral and historical issues involved then I would unhesitatingly recommend the Treaty. I give it 9/10.
Comparisons with Neil Jordan's epic big budget Michael Collins are inevitable - so here goes! The Treaty is not only much more accurate in terms of events but also in terms of characterisation. The portrayal of Michael Collins by Brendan Gleeson is excellent and comes very close to what the historical Michael Collins was like. Liam Neeson's portrayal in Neil Jordan's film by contrast made Collins a little too 'nice' and emphasised Collins' moral qualms. Rightly or wrongly I don't think Collins had moral qualms about his actions. He certainly didn't express many in public. Credit also to the actor (I don't know his name) who portrayed Cathal Brugha. The quiet menace he showed was again much closer to the historical character than the somewhat hysterical portrayal in Jordan's film. The late Tony Doyle also plays Arthur Griffith very well (Griffith is justifiably given a higher place in this film than in Michael Collins). Also good was Barry McGovern's portrayal of DeValera.
In short, the film Michael Collins is a good yarn but looking at the comment pages about how much people 'learned' from it makes me suggest they'd learn a lot more by watching the Treaty.
The Treaty is low budget and originally made for TV so don't expect an epic scale or special effects. It is however, well done throughout. One slight negative (Spoiler Alert) is the one occasion where the film depicted ordinary people, which veered close to stereotype.
That said, if you want to learn about this period of Irish history in a manner that is accurate and leaves you to decide for yourself the moral and historical issues involved then I would unhesitatingly recommend the Treaty. I give it 9/10.