Da
- 1988
- Tous publics
- 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
546
YOUR RATING
A New York playwright is summoned to Ireland to bury his father (his "Da"). While at his boyhood home, he encounters his father's spirit and relives memories both pleasant and not.A New York playwright is summoned to Ireland to bury his father (his "Da"). While at his boyhood home, he encounters his father's spirit and relives memories both pleasant and not.A New York playwright is summoned to Ireland to bury his father (his "Da"). While at his boyhood home, he encounters his father's spirit and relives memories both pleasant and not.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Featured reviews
Irish writer Hugh Leonard has made a career out of coming to terms with his father's death, writing first a book and then a theatrical play about the experience, and now a screen adaptation of the same play, each of them an unashamedly sentimental vehicle for his memories of the proud but playful old man. Of the three it probably works best on screen, where the episodic timeline and playful unreality of the script are better served by creative editing, and by some handsome location photography (in the Irish seaside village of Dalkey). Martin Sheen, fatally miscast, portrays the expatriate Irishman who returns to the Shamrock Shores to bury the body and memory of his father, but not before trading some serio-comic banter with the old man's spirit and reviewing with him the key episodes of their life together. The screen version makes little attempt to camouflage the awkward stage dialogue, but does at least serve it with a gentle air of whimsy and plenty of local brogue. Barnard Hughes recreates his award-winning performance in the title role, but the entire cast is upstaged by a pet dog with an aversion to the Catholic Church.
The movie was interesting but the sad thing is that when a movie is not in Midwestern English dialect it very hard to follow. The Irish brogue has a person trying to figure out what was said and by the time you figure it out you is in another seen. Close Captions are a great learning tool for all ages.
A week ago I received this DVD free in a national newspaper. Until then , I was unaware of its existence. I have to tell you that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Martin Sheen and Barnard Hughes are superb and their interplay is wonderful to see. Martin Sheen is excellent as the grieving son but is, in my opinion, surpassed by Barnard Hughes as the irascible Da. The film is a simple story but is all of the following ; unusual, funny, sad, uplifting and heartwarming.Everything about this movie oozes class, from the wonderful opening title music to the wonderful Irish humor of Da. You may have difficulty obtaining this movie on DVD, as I haven't seen it anywhere but if you do find it, even on video, you just have to see it.I promise you will love it.
Martin Sheen can do no wrong in my book. All his roles reflect reality and truth and this film is no exception. Any one of us who has lost a crotchety, cranky old parent can relate to this movie as Martin tries to understand his history with his father and how it has shaped him and impacted on him. Barnard Hughes is a delight as is the boss from the office. I have known these people in Ireland, they lived and breathed all around me in the sixties. Well done again, Hugh Leonard.
10bkcase4
"Da" is such a wonderful movie. The acting is superb and the grief process wonderfully dramatized. As a descendant of Irish families this story made me laugh and cry - I recognized the antics and special ways of many of my relatives who filled my life with color and drama! Hugh Leonard has told a story of deep emotion in a very human and down to earth way - it comes across as true and then the actors, especially Bernard Hughs and Martin Sheen, carry it out magnificently. I have searched and searched for a DVD copy and have been informed that the Australian DVD will not work here in the USA. Please produce this movie on DVD for the USA. Please.
Did you know
- TriviaThe original Broadway production of "Da" by Hugh Leonard opened at the Morosco Theater in New York on May 1, 1978, ran for 697 performances and won the 1978 Tony Award for the Best Play. Barnard Hughes recreated his stage role in the movie version and the screenplay was written by Hugh Leonard who wrote the original stage play.
- GoofsCharlie and Young Charlie pronounce "clerk" in the American fashion; in Britain and Ireland it is pronounced like "clark."
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $644,532
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,085
- May 1, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $644,532
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content