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Schule > Englisch > Gerry Conlon - In the Name of the Father > In the Name of the Father - summary

Movie: In the name of the father – summary

Gerry Conlon is a Catholic man living in Belfast. During the time he grows up, the civil right marches are going on. Sure this fights between Catholics and Protestants seemed to be very exiting for Conlon and so he joins the others fighting against the RUC. Nevertheless the IRA doesn't want Gerry and his friend Paul Hill starting fights on their own. They are tortured by the IRA and Gerry's family is frightened of him getting shot through his legs. As a consequence of that the two boys are send to Gerry's aunt Annie McGuire, living in London.
Nevertheless Gerry doesn't spend much time with his aunt. As having made new friends Gerry often hangs around with them in their house. However one member of clique is jealous of Gerry, because he often flirts with the girls of the clique. Gerry and Paul have to leave the house an as they haven't any money, they decide to rob a prostitute. They use the money to go back to Ireland. Yet during their way to harbour they meet Charly Burke, a man, who hasn’t got any home. They talked to them and at this moment a pub in Guildford is destroyed by a bomb. Not until they've returned to Belfast, get they to know about this attack. While they had done their journey back to Ireland, the boy, they hadn’t liked, had went to police. He had told the officer, Gerry and Paul had built the bomb. So leaving the ferry, both are flown to London again. There they’re questioned. Because of a new law police is allowed to keep people, who are thought to be terrorists, for seven days, even if they haven't any proofs. During this time Paul and Gerry are tortured by the man in change, while Gerry's father, seeing them on TV, goes to Annie McGuire. Paul Hill signs an agreement first, when he doesn't bear being tortured. This agreement says, that Paul, Gerry, Carol Richardson and Paddy Armstrong are guilty. Seeing Paul has signed the declaration Gerry begins to cry, but soon he signs, too. His father and his aunt had been kept in this time, and Gerry is threatened his father to be killed. Some days after signing the agreement, a legal proceeding against the four young men, Gerry's father and his aunt starts. The 'Guildford Four` are thought to be the elite of the IRA, while the prosecutor believes Gerry's family to support the IRA. When Gerry tells about the physical abuse, the man in change denies having tortured him. In the end all the defendants are found to be guilty. Carol Richardson and Paddy Armstrong have to spend 30 years in prison, Gerry's aunt 14 years and Gerry and Paul get life sentences.
In prison there is more and more trouble between Guiseppe Conlon and his son and finally Guiseppe Conlon becomes ill. During their time in prison, the real Guildford bomber goes to police and says he would be guilty. Some time later he’s put into prison, too. But Gerry and his father still have to stay there. They do everything they can do to be set free. But the chief of prison can’t help them and the campaign they start doesn't work, either.
That’s also the time, when Gerry changes his attitude to life. When the real Guildford bomber lights an officer, Gerry saves the man. He doesn’t want to be a rebel any longer. His father also likes Gerry's new attitude and they become friends again. However his father becomes very ill and one night Gerry even has to revive him. While he’s taken to a hospital, Mrs Pierce, their lawyer goes to the man in change. Yet she isn’t very successful asking him about Gerry. Gerry meanwhile waits for his father in prison, because he hadn’t been allowed to go to hospital with hi father. Some days later a priest visits Gerry and tells him that his father was dead. Gerry first behaves very quiet, but then he demolishes his whole cell.
Outside of prison many people begin demonstrating, when they hear about Guiseppe Conlon having died.
This is what finally makes the British legal authorities begin a new case. The `Guildford Four' are brought to a Scottish police station. In the meantime Gerry's lawyer looks up his case file an finds some interesting information. First the prosecutor doesn’t want the judge to allow her showing the proofs. But then the judge lets her. She gives a piece of paper and Gerry’s statement to judge. Officer Dixon then is questioned and he isn’t believed any longer not to have torture Gerry and the others. In the end they are found innocent and all the people, who had insulted them last time, clap happily.

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