The Secret of Kells

I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Secret of Kells. Initially, I did not really enjoy the animation style of the film. In fact, after watching the first few minutes I assumed the movie was very old based on the seemingly antiquated animations. I was surprised, therefore, to learn that the movie was released recently. Upon further reflection, I realized that the animation style of the film was no accident. The movie is about a famous illuminated manuscript after all, so it fits to incorporate some creative license. After making this realization I think I enjoyed the movie even more, especially because the light-hearted animations were refreshing in the context of some of the dark scenes. I definitely understood the story, but there were a few questions I was left with primarily concerning the identity of Aisling and the history of the Abbot as an illuminator and his prior relationship with Aidan. I found the parts of the movie that concerned the making of the illuminated manuscript to be very interesting. These parts of the film backed up some of what we read in the Clemens & Graham reading and what we talked about in class regarding the making of parchment, ink, and illuminations in general.

There were a couple of things about the illuminations themselves that I found very interesting. Firstly, throughout the film, when Brendan was creating an illumination the pictures came to life on the page. The insects moved, and depictions of Aisling and Brendan climbed through the images. I thought that this part of the movie exemplified the personal twist that an illuminator could add to any given illumination. Each illumination, while similar in style, has its own added flair that may be informed by the experiences of the author. I thought that the way the movie depicted Brendan’s illuminations suggested that his ideas were informed by many of his experiences in Kells, in the forest with Aisling, and in the scriptorium with Aidan. Secondly, I found the commentary on the detail of the illuminations to be interesting. When training Brendan, Aidan emphasizes the importance of the eye of Colm Cille in making manuscripts. I think this emphasis on detail speaks to the intricacy of the manuscripts in The Book of Kells. Aidan suggests that, without the eye, Brendan will never be ready to create the manuscripts needed to complete the book, underscoring the importance of attention to fine detail in each illumination. I really enjoyed this movie, as I thought it was a great story that gave great insights into the creation of illuminated manuscripts.