"Ryan & # 39; s Daughter" Is a Love Triangle With Passion, Adultery, Rebellion and a Village Idiot

Ryan & # 39; s Daughter - 4 Stars (Excellent)

"Ryan & # 39; s Daughter" is a love story that evolves into a love triangle set in the epic splendor of an isolated village on Ireland 's scenic Dingle Peninsula. Like all love triangles, it ends in a disaster that a tragedy.

Rosy Ryan (Sarah Miles) seeks to find That certainly something that is missing in her life and thinks she finds it when she announces her love for her former schoolteacher, Charles Shaughnessy (Robert Mitchum), who is old enough to be her father.

Unfortunately for Rosy, her marriage brings her love but not passion. Major Doryan is a world (Christopher Jones), a young British officer assigned to the village. War I hero who ends up in the village as part of the British occupation while the war continues on in Europe. The villagers resent the British presence and will jump at a chance to fight for their freedom.

Tim O & # 39; Leary (Barry Foster) leads a resistance force awaits the arrival of German weapons so they can finally arm and defend them against the British takeover. The villagers became aware of Rosy & # 39; s infidelity through the village idiot Michael (John Mills) who is mute and considered a half-wit, but Michael is clever enough to steal away the major & # 39; s uniform and medal while he is busy making love to Rosy in a secluded island cave.

Michael adores Rosy but instinctively knows he has no chance. He feels a kinship with Major Doryan as they both suffer from deep limps. Both the limp and shell shock are from Doryan & # 39; s war injuries.

Tom Ryan (Leo McKern) is Rosy & # 39; s father and owner of the local pub. He is a big freedom talker who is taken at his word to be a freedom fighter by the rebel leader O & # 39; Leary, who leans on He for support in gathering up the German weapons that gets up up the shoulder and sea and floating to shore. You just have to see the storm scene, huge waves are crashing against the rocky shore while villagers are scrambling to recover broken boxes of rifles, bullets and dynamite.

When the rebels seek to haul off the weapons stash, they are met by British soldiers who have been tipped off by Tom Ryan. O & # 39; Leary is shot by Major Doryan and captured while trying to escape. It is assumed he will be hung for leading the rebellion.

Ryan, whose wife has died, has spoiled his daughter growing up The villagers become a mob and always beat up Rosy & # 39; s husband Charles, strip Rosy naked and cut off her lovely long hair. This is apparently the ultimate disgrace in an Irish village, being ostracized and then humiliated.

Major Doryan ends up on the beach with Michael who has recovered some dynamite. When Doryan realizes his affair with Rosy is over, he uses the dynamite to commit suicide.

They both know that they, and he will be adultery but hopes it will run it's over. If he finds he is unable to handle it, he decides to leave Rosy. must leave the village and are led out of town by Father Collins (Trevor Howard), the Catholic priest.

Director David Lean had to wait a storm dramatic enough appeared on the Atlantic Ocean to the film the weapons recovery scene. This turned into a masterpiece of filming by Freddie Young who won an Oscar for his effort.

Cinematographer Freddie Young captures the raw beauty of Ireland with its ocean cliffs, green countryside, lazy pastures and hidden forest love nest. Young shot the film entirely in a 65 mm widescreen format and in Super Panavision. It was the last film shot until 22 years later when Ron Howard filmed "Far and Away" in 1992.

McKern was so upset ___ ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ ___ 0 did not for several years. The film included a passionate love scene between Major Doryan and Rosy who was partly exposed (pretty hot for a film released in 1970).

In addition to Young 'Oscar, John Mills won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as the mute half-wit. Mills bowed at the Academy Awards ceremony when receiving his Oscar and said nothing in the shortest acceptance speech in Oscar history. Sarah Miles received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and the film earned another nomination for Best Sound.

A lot of critics at the time were not kind to David Lean as director of Ryan " He earned two Best Director Oscars for "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia".

Robert Bolt wrote Doctor Zhivago as well as Ryan 's Daughter and "A Man for All Seasons". Bolt was twice married to Sarah Miles.

He was voted the 9th greatest film director of all time in the BFI "British Film Institute" "Directors Top Directors" poll in 2002. The film runs for 3 hours and 16 minutes Like almost all of Lean & # 39; s films, Ryan & # 39; s Daughter was hugely popular with moviegoers and movie lovers alike.

Ryan & # 39; s Daughter is a story about relationships and an epic film worth watching.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley