Rare Holiday Flix: Darby O'Gill and the Little People

It's been a long time coming, Movie!  I've wanted to do this mostly-forgotten Disney Classic for a while, but things have never worked out.  Disney keeps a strong pay-wall on their stuff, so my temporary subscription to Disney Plus pays off.  This is Darby O'Gill and the Little People, a 1959 Film by Disney based on many old, Irish folk tales.  It comes to us from a long-time Disney Director Robert (not Louis) Stevenson who did such Films as Bed Knobs and Broomsticks, The Love Bug, That Darn Cat! and Mary Poppins.  He did 19 Films in total for them, which is kind of bonkers if you think about it!  Little side-note here: Stevenson did Old Yeller, but *not* it's Sequel (!!!) Savage Sam, which is conspicuously absent on Disney Plus.  Interesting.  The Plot of this Film involves the titular Darby and him dealing with a big change in his life.  Will dealing with some Leprechauns help him out or make things worse?  If you don't know anything about this Film, I won't SPOIL who its Star is yet.  To find out if this is a Film just for your Parents or for the rest of your family, read on...

Darby cares for the Lord's patch of Land and tells tales of his dealing with the Leprechauns, especially their King Brian.

People pass of his tales as nonsense, of course, but we know otherwise.

Big change comes into his life as the Lord decides to retire him and replace him with a young stud from Dublin- Sean Connery?!?

Yes, arguably the most famous SCOTTISH Actor in modern history is Irish.  Why not?!?

The Leprechauns decide to 'help' Darby- by trapping him in their land under an old Castle.

Can the wily man find a way out though?

Back home, sparks fly between this Daughter (did he have her when he was 50?) and Connery.

At this point, he is leaving her shaken, but not stirred.

Darby, of course, escapes and tricks the King into staying with him until he uses his 3 wishes.

Naturally, the impetuous imp won't take that laying down.

As both witness things blooming between the pair, the truth eventually comes out about Darby's new (lack of) position.

His attempts to hide it for the short term don't pay off...

The daughter is injured and the Banshee- a genuinely-freaky creature even in 2020- comes for her.

Through some good deeds on Darby's part and kind trickery on Brian's part, the day is saved for them all.

...and Connery ends up with the Daughter after punching out the other (admittedly terrible) suitor.

Good lesson, kids- solve your problems with violence.  The End.

A pretty fun, fanciful affair.  If you watch live-action Disney Films from this Era, you know what to expect.  It is going to have big Characters.  It is going to have some songs and/or musical numbers.  It is going to be bright and vibrant.  It isn't going to be terribly-deep.  This Film certainly fits the bill all around.  Darby and King Brian have really good chemistry, which comes from casting two veteran Actors to work as a pair.  They are definitely the most fun and inspired part of the Film.  Others- like Connery, Pony the suitor and the Daughter- are okay, but not nearly as memorable.  If you know this Film by reputation, it is 'That Irish Disney Film with Sean Connery in it.'  He's okay in this, but his presence is a bit limited here, only coming through in small doses.  The Songs are fun and don't manage to drag too long.  They make the Film feel as fresh as Irish Spring!  The look of the Film is very nice, as they disguise alot of California as Ireland through good set-dressing and matte work.  Even by modern standards, the effects overall look good.  As far as depth, there's a little bit of it.  There are some nice Arcs to the story, like King Brian tricking Darby for his own benefit in the beginning and then for Darby's in the end.  It is not high drama, but everyone tries.  All in all, Darby O'Gill is a fun Film that holds up pretty well (exaggerated characterizations aside) and still looks good 60 years later.  It looks so good that even Walt himself had to come visit...

Next up, a 2-part review of Films about Witches.  First up, a fairly-tame Horror Film that has risen from the depths of obscurity (and a swamp).  Stay tuned...