Darby O'Gill et les farfadets

I first saw this film when I was 6 years old (I'm 49 now) and it stayed with me since then. The special effects are so good that I REALLY believed that the "little people" existed.(I also love Walt Disneys acknowledgement in the credits, thanking the "wee folk" for their cooperation in making the film). I still watch the film (usually around St.Patricks day) and after 43 years it still delights me. The story is short sweet and to the point, the acting wonderful, especially Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro and a very young Sean Connery(who sings very nicely), and Robert Stevensons' direction is right on the money. The later scenes, with the death carriage and the banshees scared me silly as a child and are still quite creepy. This is a film that holds up extraordinarily well and is terrific for family viewing. I have a copy on laser disc but look foward to its eventual release on DVD.

I will begin by saying that I do not know anything about Irish lore and hence cannot tell how accurate this movie is in its portrayal. What I can tell is, it is a charming piece of work. Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe)is an old caretaker in a small village. Though he is too old to do his job effectively, he is well beloved by the village folk, to whom he tells stories of his encounters with the King of leprechauns(Jimmy O'Dea).

Darby and King Brian are friendly yet are constantly trying to out-fox each other. Their bromance is the best part of the movie. There is another story running in parallel: the romance between Darby's daughter, Katie (Janet Munro) and the new caretaker, Michael McBride (a then unknown Sean Connery). Katie has one of the sweetest smiles in movie history and we discover Sean Connery's singing voice. Estelle Winwood plays a devious widow and Kieron Moore plays her son, a local ruffian and Connery's rival in love. They are both extremely entertaining.

The sets and the locations are beautiful and full of old-fashioned charm. The effects are pretty good and most of them hold up even by today's standards. The banshee and the death coach are really scary. This is an under-appreciated Disney gem.

Like "The Wizard of Oz", this is one of those movies that transcends time itself. It is a true family movie that will never go out of style. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is the approach of the Death Coach, coming to claim his sick daughter. Having no where else to turn, the hysterically-frightened Darby calls for his old friendly nemesis, King Brian. See if you feel the same sense of relief at his appearance as I did!

This movie covers the entire spectrum of emotions. It's sad, funny, scary, happy, you name it. You might want to shield the arrival of the Banshee from the little ones, as I remember how it frightened me at that age, but don't let that sway you from watching this masterpiece.

Until "Mary Poppins" came along, I don't think Hollywood took Walt Disney seriously as a live-action movie producer. James Baskett received a special Oscar for "Song of the South", as did Hayley Mills in 1960 for "Pollyanna". However a great many performances in Walt's early output deserved a more substantial recognition, such as James Robertson Justice in "The Sword and the Rose" and Albert Sharpe in this film. Playing storytelling Irish codger Darby O'Gill, Sharpe is charming spinning tall tales in a quaint village, capturing himself a real live leprechaun and being rewarded with three wishes before the little King is freed. Colorful outing for older children and nostalgic adults, relying less on sugary sentiment and doting tots than on old-fashioned whimsy. Sean Connery has a nice romance with Janet Munro (who is always a pleasure) and the special effects, particularly near the end, are quite marvelous. **1/2 from ****

I do not know how much I would like this movie if I saw it today for the first time. But, since I grew up on this movie, I have no choice but to absolutely love it. We had this videocassette in our closet for years, it didn't have a cover on it, but it didn't need one. Wow, how I grew up on those colorful special effects. Those leprechauns riding small white horses around an old Irish man playing the fiddle. The horse turning silvery when enchanted by the leprechauns. The Banshee. Oh, that Banshee. You've never seen a scarier Banshee on film and you never will. A fantastic movie. A young Sean Connery is in it, and that old woman with that scary voice is fantastic. And Darby O'Gill...ahh.. one of the best family films and fantasy movies out there. ANd don't forget the scary, black creativity of the Death Cab.

Here's to Darby O'Gill. Clink

My grade: 9/10