The Bigger Picture

THE BIGGER PICTURE is the TRUE story of how two Irish students, Paul Hogan (21) and Billy Fogarty (22), walked out of the Tate with a priceless impressionist masterpiece in April 1956. Snapped by a waiting photographer, the boys became global front-page news and the most wanted men in England. Intended as a stunt to highlight Britain's refusal to return the Hugh Lane bequest of 32 impressionist masterpieces to Dublin on a legal technicality, they never dreamt they'd actually get away with it. But as they walked down the steps unnoticed the boys seized their chance for glory, jumped in a taxi and the race to get the picture back to Dublin was on. Aided by the passionate, free-spirited Mary, an Irish artist living in London, the boy's escape is an odyssey through the heart of 1950s England, hotly pursued by ruthless ace detective and fellow Irishman, Eoin McGrath of the Metropolitan Police. Adding to the heat, the IRA wants them too. Set against an Ireland in thrall to an oppressive Church, racked by mass emigration and poverty, a dawning spirit of rebellion and rock n roll threatens the old order. It's a bittersweet tale of an intense friendship driven by a quest for glory, justice, love and acclaim. But at what cost? THE BIGGER PICTURE is a hugely entertaining, poignant and funny coming of age drama about two charismatic young men set against a richly realised portrayal of 1950's Dublin, Bohemian London and the North of England, which will appeal to a very wide audience. A joyous celebration of the often fraught and contradictory relationship between Britain and Ireland, edge-of-seat suspense and comedy, the film explores the complexity of the boys' relationship and the inevitable tension between youthful exuberance and growing self-awareness.