Héritage et vieux fantômes

I have to agree with the consensus here that this a comic gem of its type. In its depiction of Irish country life it reminded me a lot of "The Quiet Man," right down to Barry Fitzgerald playing essentially the same character as in that flick, though its production values are not as high and it does not achieve the exalted rank John Ford attained with that movie. Still it's a sparkling comedy with a lot of cracklingly excellent dialogue. The viewer who commented that Niven shows his "dark side" is a bit off the mark, as this is hardly a movie about character development and Niven's character is basically a cartoon, very reminiscent of his Phileas Fogg in "Around the World in 80 Days." He may be nasty but it's hard to dislike him entirely. Yvonne deCarlo does excellent work here. She's great with accents; she's as convincing as an Irish woman here as she was as an Algerian in "The Captain's Paradise." Though the movie is not an Ealing Studios production, it has all the hallmarks of the best of that great studio's comedies in the post-WWII period. Be sure to catch this if you get the chance (thanks, TCM!).

I saw this movie with my family when it came out in 1954. I was 10 yrs old & laughed & cheered with everyone else in the theatre. The next day I described the movie almost scene by scene for my school bus driver who roared with laughter along with me. I have never written an IMDB review before, & this really isn't a review, just memories of the joy a really good comedy could give people. My dad, a bartender, told his customers about this movie, & they laughed & laughed as well. Seeing it again on TCM two days ago, I appreciated the script, the great Irish actors, Niven & DeCarlo giving great performances, but mostly the memory of seeing this comedy & the joy of telling people about it & enjoying it all over again as we did when this movie first came out.

Thanks for letting me share this with you.

Really love this movie. David Niven just sparkles and has some of the best lines of his illustrious career, especially the ending one. Supporting cast is superlative too. Everyone really seemed to enjoy making the movie. In addition the perfect song to set the mood. Please, someone put it one DVD or VHS.

On TV I found this titled TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT. It's right up there with The Quiet Man and The Titfield Thunderbolt. And the cast perform exactly how you want to. Magnificent.

Has to be said that this is a wonderful little farce which pushes all the right buttons. Some great Irish accents and some dodgy 'oirish' accents.

Lots of familiar Irish actors who regularly appeared in British films during the 40's & 50's are on show. Some of the comedy pieces are very funny indeed.

For me though, George Cole as the put-upon, hyper-nervous cellar-boy Terence, whose comedic timing allows him to steal every scene he's in, is the standout amongst a very talented cast. I think Bernard Cribbins must have studied this performance for his 60's comedy film appearances.

The lovely Irish-born actress, Noelle Middleton, makes a rare screen showing. The following year she appeared with David Niven again, in the excellent Carrington V.C, for which she received a BAFTA Best Actress nomination.

A 'slow to start' film that in the end seems to finish too quickly.

All in all, a little gem, so it is!