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I saw this movie several decades ago when I was a child myself, but for me to have remembered it so fondly all these years, it must have been a great movie. My parents watched it with me and also thoroughly enjoyed this tale with its lovely little romance, so it's not merely a story for kids. It paints an enchanting picture of village life on the Emerald Isle back in the 1920's, complete with both fairy folk and very endearing human characters, all of course speaking with magnificent Irish brogues.
The Irish Darby O'Gill lives in County Kerry where he serves as caretaker for Lord Fitzpatrick, the lord of the manor. At the village pub he frequently weaves his tall tales of leprechauns and banshees, and the disbelieving villagers humour him by listening. However, one day Darby does indeed capture the king of the little folk and discovers the legendary pot of gold. Of course none of his fellow villagers take his claims seriously. The battle of wills that ensues between Darby and the lovable but crafty leprechaun King Brian is the heart of the story, as each tries to outsmart the other. Meanwhile, Darby also has a beautiful daughter, Katie O'Gill, who has two suitors vying for her affections, Michael McGill and Pony Sugrue. Michael is himself the new replacement for the aging Darby's caretaker job.
There are some creepy scenes of the banshee and the death carriage with its headless driver, but overall this movie is just plain magical fun. All the idealized features of Irish village life back then are present here...the thatched cottages, village priest, and local pub. The movie has wonderful special effects for its era, totally convincing me that there are indeed leprechauns! It also boasts lovely green Irish scenery and lively fiddle tunes.
While I don't specifically remember the actors, the two main likable but dueling characters, Darby and King Brian, are both very convincingly portrayed. I was surprised to note here that a young Sean Connery plays Katie's suitor, Michael McGill, and even sings in this picture. This actor is one of my favourites and simply grows more appealing with age, but I'd love to watch him again back in this early role before James Bond.
This movie is surely one of Disney's best and would make great St. Patrick's Day entertainment. It's pure whimsical fun, indeed right up there with Mary Poppins, and alas, such as they don't make any more. There's no movie I'd recommend more than this Irish fantasy for charming and highly entertaining family viewing. I smile myself just thinking about this tale that captured so magically for me all that Irish folklore back during my own childhood.
score 9/10
roghache 29 May 2006
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1380478/ |
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24-2-2021 03:04:07