My Left Foot

For other uses, see My Left Foot (disambiguation).

My Left Foot
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJim Sheridan
Screenplay by
Based onMy Left Foot
by Christy Brown
Produced byNoel Pearson
Starring
CinematographyJack Conroy
Edited byJ. Patrick Duffner
Music byElmer Bernstein
Production
companies
Distributed byPalace Pictures
Release date
  • 24 February 1989 (1989-02-24)
[1]
Running time
103 minutes[2]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget£600,000[4]
Box office$14.7 million[5]

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown is a 1989 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan (in his director debut) adapted by Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from the 1954 memoir by Christy Brown. A co-production of Ireland and the United Kingdom, it stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy, who could control only his left foot. Brown grew up in a poor working-class family, and became a writer and artist.[6] Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Hugh O'Conor, Fiona Shaw, and Cyril Cusack are featured in supporting roles.

The film was theatrically released on 24 February 1989 to critical acclaim and commercial success, grossing $14.7 million on a £600,000 budget. Reviewers praised the film's screenplay and direction, its message, and especially the performances of Day-Lewis and Fricker.[7][8] At the 62nd Academy Awards, the film received five nominations, including Best Picture, with Day-Lewis and Fricker winning Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. In 2018, the British Film Institute ranked it as the 53rd greatest British film of the 20th century.[9]

  1. ^ Jackson, Laura. Daniel Day-Lewis: The Biography Archived 31 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. John Blake, 2005. p. 137.
  2. ^ "My Left Foot". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b "My Left Foot (1989)" Archived 26 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine. British Board of Film Classification.
  4. ^ GDN Online Desk (27 August 2017). "Hollywood: 15 low-budget movies that did well at the Box Office". Gulf Daily News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  5. ^ "My Left Foot (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  6. ^ The Irish Filmography 1896-1996; Red Mountain Press; 1996. page 43
  7. ^ "My Left Foot". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. ^ "My Left Foot, critic reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. ^ British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films Archived 12 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine (1999). Retrieved 27 August 2016