TOO SOON FOR BOMB FILM
Too soon for bomb film
In reply to Catherine Scott's letter about the making of the Omagh Bomb Film (February 5) could I say that I have met no one who agreed with her point of view. Sadly no one either has been courageous enough to pick up a pen and support mine, perhaps one of the relatives may decide to have a go. Ms Scott seems to imagine that she is indeed the voice of those people who aren't really shocked by anything they see in a film or on television.
Those of us who lack the stamina for such robust entertainment have got the option, in her words, to boycott it. By that she obviously means either not going to see it in whatever cinema it is being shown or refusing to watch it on a TV set. She is also trying to make up my mind for me, fully expecting me to jump up and down in righteous indignation after I have viewed this film and even consider writing another angry letter to your paper! Who knows, after I have seen it I may feel that it has been tastefully screened and could even qualify for a European Award like the 'Bloody Sunday' film depicting events in Londonderry, 30 years ago. One could easily get the impression from M/s Scott's letter that the Omagh film will concentrate on the Gallagher family and the efforts of the Omagh Victims Support Group to obtain truth and justice for all the relatives, which so far has eluded them. It would be good to know which other relatives were involved in the making of the film. Some of them obviously wouldn't want any publicity from it whatsoever. I would repeat for the benefit of Catherine Scott and those like-minded folk that I am not against the dramatisation of even such an appalling atrocity in our town over five years ago. What I really cannot comprehend is the indecent haste in the making of a film, which takes up a past event, even before the mental and physical scars of many of the injured victims have had time to heal completely. Is it to try to convince those deluded revolutionaries who may see it of the error of their ways and cause them to co-operate with the powers that be and give themselves up? I doubt it. It would certainly be a 'good thing' in M/s Scott's words, if they did.
Perhaps someone will tell us the reason for the rush. In my opinion 20 or 30 years should have been allowed to elapse before still grieving families were subjected to facing yet another shocking trauma. I really believe that making a financial profit was a foremost consideration of the Company that embarked on this enterprise who will prove me wrong?
Wilfred Breen
In reply to Catherine Scott's letter about the making of the Omagh Bomb Film (February 5) could I say that I have met no one who agreed with her point of view. Sadly no one either has been courageous enough to pick up a pen and support mine, perhaps one of the relatives may decide to have a go. Ms Scott seems to imagine that she is indeed the voice of those people who aren't really shocked by anything they see in a film or on television.
Those of us who lack the stamina for such robust entertainment have got the option, in her words, to boycott it. By that she obviously means either not going to see it in whatever cinema it is being shown or refusing to watch it on a TV set. She is also trying to make up my mind for me, fully expecting me to jump up and down in righteous indignation after I have viewed this film and even consider writing another angry letter to your paper! Who knows, after I have seen it I may feel that it has been tastefully screened and could even qualify for a European Award like the 'Bloody Sunday' film depicting events in Londonderry, 30 years ago. One could easily get the impression from M/s Scott's letter that the Omagh film will concentrate on the Gallagher family and the efforts of the Omagh Victims Support Group to obtain truth and justice for all the relatives, which so far has eluded them. It would be good to know which other relatives were involved in the making of the film. Some of them obviously wouldn't want any publicity from it whatsoever. I would repeat for the benefit of Catherine Scott and those like-minded folk that I am not against the dramatisation of even such an appalling atrocity in our town over five years ago. What I really cannot comprehend is the indecent haste in the making of a film, which takes up a past event, even before the mental and physical scars of many of the injured victims have had time to heal completely. Is it to try to convince those deluded revolutionaries who may see it of the error of their ways and cause them to co-operate with the powers that be and give themselves up? I doubt it. It would certainly be a 'good thing' in M/s Scott's words, if they did.
Perhaps someone will tell us the reason for the rush. In my opinion 20 or 30 years should have been allowed to elapse before still grieving families were subjected to facing yet another shocking trauma. I really believe that making a financial profit was a foremost consideration of the Company that embarked on this enterprise who will prove me wrong?
Wilfred Breen
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1638
Published Date: 26-Feb-04
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