▁not ▁afford , ▁and ▁family ▁photograph s ▁show ▁the ▁children ▁and ▁Ang ela ▁as ▁well - f ed . ▁ ▁American ▁journalist ▁Mike ▁Meyer ▁visited ▁L imer ick ▁and ▁took ▁the ▁tour ▁of ▁the ▁city ▁spark ed ▁by ▁publication ▁of ▁the ▁book . ▁He ▁realized ▁how ▁much ▁the ▁city ▁had ▁changed ▁since ▁McC ourt ' s ▁child hood ▁years ▁there , ▁including ▁destruction ▁of ▁the ▁sl um ▁area ▁where ▁his ▁family ▁lived ▁when ▁Frank ▁was ▁in ▁school . ▁ ▁McC ourt ▁described ▁the ▁book ▁as ▁" a ▁mem oir , ▁not ▁an ▁exact ▁history ", ▁and ▁admitted ▁to ▁fabric ating ▁the ▁story ▁about ▁Will ie ▁Har ro ld ' s ▁sister . ▁Similarly , ▁Alan ▁Parker , ▁who ▁directed ▁the ▁film ▁version , ▁said ▁that ▁Ang ela ' s ▁Ash es ▁" was ▁a ▁work ▁of ▁art ▁which ▁met ▁G ore ▁Vid al ' s ▁definition ▁of ▁aut obi ography , ▁being ▁an ▁' im pression ' ▁of ▁a ▁life , ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁mem oir ." ▁ ▁Film ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁a ▁film ▁version ▁was ▁released . ▁It ▁was ▁co - written ▁and ▁directed ▁by ▁Alan ▁Parker ▁st arring ▁Joe ▁B reen , ▁C iar an ▁O w ens , ▁and ▁Michael ▁Leg ge , ▁as ▁the ▁Young , ▁Middle ▁and ▁Old er ▁Frank ▁McC ourt ▁respectively ▁and ▁Em ily ▁Watson ▁as ▁McC ourt ' s ▁mother ▁Ang ela , ▁Robert ▁Car ly le ▁as ▁the ▁father . ▁ ▁The ▁film ▁begins ▁when ▁the ▁McC ourt ▁family ▁move ▁back