Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959) is a magical movie with a touch of blarney perfect to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! The film is directed by Robert Stevenson who is well known for his Disney films. He directed 19 live action movies, defining the Disney family pictues from the 60’s and 70’s. Stevenson directed Old Yeller (1957), wrote and directed Kidnapped (1960), and also The Love Bug (1968) which just celebrated its 55th anniversary. He is best known for directing Mary Poppins (1964). The story is based on the collection of stories in Darby O’Gill and the Good People (1903) by Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. The screenplay is by Lawrence Edward Watkin who also wrote for Treasure Island (1950), the documentary short, Beaver Valley (1950), and The Story of Robin Hood (1952). It currently streams on Disney+.
We open to the pastoral town of Rathcullen where the townsfolk go about their business. Walt Disney gives a thanks to King Brian of Knocknashega. A woman with a black shawl, Mrs. Sugrue (Estelle Winwood), rushes from the road and peeks into the house. She is noticed by pretty gal, Katie (Janet Munro), churning the butter. Mrs. Sugrue has stopped by to borrow some tea and hints that Katie should find herself a man. Her father is the caretaker for the manor house of Lord Fitzpatrick and they have a fine house. Lord Fitzpatrick arrives in a carriage and Katie dashes off to greet him. He asks where is her father and Katie runs to find him. Lord Kitpatrick tells his driver, Michael McBride (Sean Connery) that Darby retired five years ago and is now telling stories at the inn. This was Connery’s first film, three years before he was James Bond in Dr. No (1962).
Darby O’Gill (Albert Sharpe) is at the Rathcullen Arms, hands in one hand, telling about the king of the leprechauns. Sharpe was in the fantasy musical, Brigadoon (1954). He is mocked by tall bully, Pony Sugrue (Kirnan Moore), the son of Mrs. Sugrue. Father Murphy (Denis O’Dea) as Darby continues spinning his tale of King Brian Connors. Darby says they can’t escape if you keep looking at them. We enter Darby’s world seeing the ruins of Knocknashega perched on a hill above the town in the moonlight. The special photographic effects are by Peter Ellenshaw and Eustace Lycett. Ellenshaw worked on the special effects for Mary Poppins, he was credited for special photographic effects on The Love Bug, and was miniature effects supervisor for The Black Hole (1979). I didn’t notice the beautiful vista of the town from the road expanding the set with effects! So I think the effects hold up today and were made by artists not mathematicians and computers.
We push into the castle, now more of a painting, until we get the figure of King Brian (Jimmy O’Dea) with his crown and green, royal vest and trousers. O’Dea starred in the crime drama, Johnny Nobody (1961), The Rising of the Moon (1957), and the comedy Blarney (1926). Darby towers over the twenty one inch frame of King Brian, blocking his way until he grants three wishes, impressive without matte lines. Darby proves he is clever and asks for health which is granted by King Brian. His second wish is for a large crop of potatoes and King Brian also grants him the wish. I don’t know why he doesn’t wish hlath for his daughter. Potatoes? Darby wishes for a crock of gold and the leprechaun king instantly makes the pot of gold appear. He digs his hands into the gold coins. King Brian slyly brings up a fourth wish.
Darby asks for a crock of gold for his friend and two other people. King Brian laughs at his foolishness! The fourth wish takes all of the wishes! Greed. He could have shared the coins with his friends. The pot disappears. King Brian dances wildly before he is also gone. At the table, his friend, Paddy Scanlon (Farell Pelly), warns him that King Brian is 5,000 years old and wise to any tricks. He doesn’t want any gold and Darby says he will give his share to the church. They start to laugh until Father Murphy walks forward. He says the chuch will get a new bell, but needs a horse to carry it. Pony will use his horse, but asks for more money than Father Murphy can afford. Darby volunteers to carry the bell for free. He has generosity and Father Murphy gives him the music of the bells for every generation of his family.
Katie bursts in to take her father to se Lord Fitzwilliam. He is walking the grounds with James Bond, I mean, Michael who finds a rabbit was poached. Darby happily walks up with a scythe. Lord Fitzwilliam introduces him to Michael from Dublin. He says he needed a younger man and offers Darby half pay and to stay in the cottage without rent for the rest of his life. Sounds like a great deal, but Darby is sad because he doesn’t want to leave the gatehouse. There is kindness with Lord Fitzwilliam and he says he will give Darby two weeks to move. Michael says they can take as much time as they need. After the day’s work, Lord Fitzwilliam wants Darby and Katie to stay at a Rathcullen Arms room. They see Lord Fitzwilliam and Darby wants Michael to stay. He introduces Michael to Katie, they both smile at each other, and has her make a bed for him at the loft.
Pony is sulking, drinking at the bar, his mother pulls him to see Lord Fitzwilliam. She wants him to take Darby’s job and Katie. She introduces Lord Fitzwilliam to Pony and he continues on. At the gatehouse, Darby tells Katie that Michael helped him with the groundskeeping. Michael is shocked and then smiles at Katie. Darby starts playing the fiddle while the food is cooking. Michael is not familiar with the song and Darby says he heard it at the ruins when the leprechauns were dancing. He smiles at Darby’s story and Katie’s expression turns stern, she doesn’t like anyone humoring her father. Darby sits for dinner as he tells Michael about not needing the gold from King Brian. He tells him to keep it a secret. Later, at night, Darby mentions taking the horse the next day for transporting the bell.
At the barn, Michael says he wants to go to the inn for a room, he is upset that Darby didn’t tell Katie about leaving their home. Darby says Katie was born there and lived all of her 20 years there. Michael presses him to tell her about the move. He smiles as Darby goes to find his horse, Cleopatra, out in the hills. The horse trots away and Darby chases after her to the ruins. Celpatra is by a well that starts to glow with light! Darby catches up with her and then the horse turns spectral, freaky!, and begins to rear up with her hooves! There are some spooky scenes in this film so caution with very young ones. Darby falls into the darkness of the well! He has fallen and two leprechauns find him. The effects of tiny people around a full size human is more convincing than Ray Harryhausen effects in The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960).
The leprechauns climb up a cliff and bounce off Darby’s tummy like a trampoline! Darby is furious and waves his cane so a leprechaun uses his magic to animate the cane to whack at Darby! They lead Darby to the king. A tunnel has the delightful tunes of a bagpipe. King Brian’s throne room is set amoungst stalagtites (obviously painted) and a floor filled with dancers! Darby walks into the cavern and the leprechaun guards announce Darby to the king playing a massive bagpipe! The song ends, the dancers stop, and King Brian calls Darby forward. The crowd parts, Darby walks past them, amazed at the leprechauns. Stunning effects. King Brian has Darby sit on chest of jewelry taken from the Spanish armada. He points out the throne from the ancient king of Ireland and other legendary objects.
Darby says the people at the pub won’t believe him, but King Brian says he can never return. He worries about Katie and tells King Brian that he has made all of the townspeople respectful of King Bian and all of the signs of the leprechauns. He says the king’s heart is cold which angers all of the leprechauns. Darby says he knows what they are saying in Gaelic. King Brian says he heard what happened to Darby and brought him to his kingdom. He asks what is the first thing his guest would like to do and Darby says to play his fiddle. King Brian says he must stay in the kingdom and has Phadrig Oge (Jack MacGowran) get the Stradivarius. He uses magic to take out the violin which King Brian was given from the Italian fairies in 1700. Darby says his grandfather told him the leprechauns love to hunt and starts playing a tune that gets everyone dancing.
The effects ae so convincing like the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings you just give up and accept you are seeing leprechauns. The speed of Darby's music increases until the leprechaun dancing is almost a blur. King Brian sounds a hunting horn that sends the leprechauns riding on white horses. Darby laughs and plays as King Brian joins them in a circle! The king uses magic to opens the walls to his kingdom! They leave and Darby again greedy takes hold of the jewels. Cleopatra watches the hunting riders pass in the night. Darby sees the walls closing and runs scattering the jewels. He takes Cleopatra back to the stable. Darby brings out a jug for his guest and hopes to keep him until the morning. There is a banging at the stable door. King Brian flies in angry at Darby for making him a fool in front of his people.
Darby says he was just going back for his pipe and was impressed by the dancing in Fairy Mountain. He brings up the poteen, alcohol made from potatoes, and says it is not good enough for the king. King Brian wants a taste and Darby pours him a cup. The leprechaun king holds the giant cup and begins drinking. Darby gives a wink and Cleopatra winks back, funny! King Brian finishes the cup, which would be his entire body size!, and Darby says they should return. Of course the king says they should have a drink together. Darby also brings up the “Wishing Song” and challenges King Brian to come up with a rhyming lyric. While the king drinks, Darby pours his cup back in the jug, and the song and drinking continues. Cleopatra pretends to sleep.
At the window, Darby sees the morning sunlight. Their drinking is interrupted by a rooster crowing. King Brian leaps at the barn door, but it is locked. His power is weak and he can’t cast charms until night time and he threatens Darby. A cat, Ginger, appears at the windowsill, about to pounce on King Brian who takes refuge behind a wagon wheel. He promises wishes and Darby makes a first wish to stay for a fortnight until the other two wishes are made. Darby taunts King Brian with Ginger until he agrees to the wish. Then, he stuffs the leprechaun king into a sack! Darby sees Mrs. Sugrue before she walks away. Michael greets Katie and tells her about the leprechaun. He says he maybe taking too much of a drink. She tells him that her father doesn’t drink. He is lonely since her mother died. Darby gets company at the pub and with the wee folk. There is later even some singing by James Bond in a duet (dubbed) with “Pretty Irish Girl”! Plus, impressive effects, a great cast, and a story out of folklore. Darby O’Gill and the Little People is delightful, full of storytelling, music, and magic!
Five Wishes out of Five!
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