Divine Rapture the movie that never was.

This is the article from the Independent talking about Divine Rapture the movie that never was.

MARLON Brando and the greatest film never made in Ireland is now the focus of a remarkable tribute.

The Cork seaside village of Ballycotton thought it had won the Lottery back in 1994 when it was confirmed that the Hollywood movie, Divine Rapture, was to be filmed on location there.

The movie -- planned by US firm CineFin and set to be distributed by Orion Pictures -- featured a star-studded cast including Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Debra Winger.

It revolved around the tale of an elderly priest who believed in miracles and was so eagerly anticipated that Johnny Depp, then one of Hollywood's hottest properties, agreed to work for a reduced salary just to feature again with Marlon Brando.

But Divine Rapture was quickly re-dubbed Divine Rupture after the film ran into financial difficulties -- less than three weeks into its Cork shooting schedule.

Despite desperate efforts to sort out a finance package, the entire set was shutdown and all operations ceased. Marlon Brando -- who was based in Ballymaloe -- packed up and flew back to Los Angeles. It later emerged that just 24 minutes of film footage had been secured, while the cameras had been rolling on the set for two days with no film loaded.

It was a disaster for Ballycotton, which hoped Divine Rapture would do for its tourism industry what The Quiet Man had done for Cong in Co Mayo.

But now an Irish film company is preparing a special documentary on Divine Rapture and Marlon Brando's ill-fated time in Ireland.

Produced by Hot Shot Films, Ballybrando will be a nostalgic tribute to the greatest film never made here.

Last month, Hot Shot arranged for several of the Divine Rapture crew to fly back to Ballycotton for a nostalgic chat with locals about the move that never was.

Singer Darragh McGann was an extra on Divine Rapture and now credits his singing success to a morale-boosting chat he had with Marlon Brando.

"I think it was a very special time for everyone associated with the film. There was a fantastic buzz in Ballycotton and East Cork. When Marlon praised my singing after a break in filming and told me I should make a career out of it, I believed him. I have never looked back since," he said.

Locals were stunned when, as part of the tribute, they were shown the 24 minutes of footage that the two-and-a-half-week shoot back in 1995 delivered.

Despite indications that a legal action in the late Nineties could revive the film, it has been consigned to the vault of history's what-might-have-beens.

Marlon Brando lost an estimated €4 million salary due to the film's collapse while Debra Winger was reported to have been down €1.5 million.

But for Darragh McGann and everyone else who featured in Divine Rapture the memories are now priceless.

"There aren't too many people who can claim Marlon Brando as a fan of their singing. That's something I will treasure for life," Darragh said. Ballybrando is set to be screened by RTE as part of its winter schedule.

- Ralph Riegel

Sunday Independent

Thanks for the heads up JJ