My Left Foot 4

Film Institute of Ireland.
6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Phone. [phone]. 
e-mail: [e-mail]. web: http://www.fii.ie/ifc

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My Left Foot 
1
What do you already know about this film? 
When was it made? 
What’s it about? 
Who are the stars?
When and where is it set? 
2
What do you know about the context of the film?
Find out what you can about:
• Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s;
• Health issues, families, education, social problems;
• The role of the church during this period.
3
The film is about the life of Christy Brown. 
Who was he? Why would someone want to
make a film about his life? (see interview with Noel Pearson on pgs 19-20) 
4
What is Cerebral Palsy? What are its affects and how are they treated? 
5
The director of this film was Jim Sheridan. 
Do you know other films he has directed or
worked on? Make a list of these, noting the main characters and themes, then compare
with 
My Left Foot
.
6
The film belongs to a genre of filmmaking described as ‘biography.’
What does this mean? 
Do you know other films that could be placed in the same category? Other books? Make 
a list using the table below and compare.
Biography
Film / Book Title 
Main Character
Setting (location and era)
Plot Synopsis
3
M Y L E F T F O O T
Student Pre-Viewing Worksheet

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‘I saw it as more than a rather grim story of a man in a wheelchair. Christy represented 
for me a real kind of heroism and I really wanted to try to capture the rage and frustration