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DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE

Review by Ed Nguyen

Stars: Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery, Jimmy O'Dea
Director: Robert Stevenson
Audio: English Mono 2.0, French Mono 2.0
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Video: Color, full-frame 1.33:1
Studio: Disney
Features: Mr. Connery Goes to Hollywood, Little People Big Effects, I Captured the King of the Leprechauns
Length: 93 minutes
Release Date: August 3, 2004

She is my dear, my darlin' one,

My smilin' and beguilin' one,

I love the ground she walks upon,

My pretty Irish girl.

Film ****

What would you do if the King of the leprechauns were to grant you the boon of three wishes?  Would you wish for riches?  For love?  For immortality?  This very dilemma faces Darby O'Gill one day when he has the great fortune to capture none other than Brian Connors, the Leprechaun King himself.  Frustratingly for Darby, he just can't make up his mind about what to wish for.  If only everyone had such perplexing problems!  

In Disney's delightful and charming Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe) is a clever old Irish caretaker with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  Every morn of every day, for the folks of the local pub who care to listen, he spins his fantastic tales of magic and pots of gold and the "little people."  Darby's friends whimsically humor him, allowing him to prattle delightfully onward, equally for the pleasure of expression as for audience.  However, Darby's sweet but sensible daughter, Katie (Janet Munro), occasionally upbraids him for not tending to his more earthly duties about the manor with a more practical mind.  Nevertheless, Darby swears by his stories, and his firm belief is rewarded one evening when, chasing after his runaway horse, Darby stumbles into a well off the top of mysterious Knocknasheega, the old mountainous ruins rumored to hide the entrance to the very kingdom of the leprechauns.  Indeed, the well leads straight to the Underworld of Brian Connors, the Leprechaun King, who in gratitude for Darby's faith has placed the come-hither upon him and brought the peaceable fellow to his realm.

King Brian has word of Darby's skill with the fiddle and so offers the caretaker a Stradivarius upon which to attest to his skills while scores of leprechauns listen on.  The ensuing jig, a fox chase, sends the little people into a frenzy of dance and merriment, and in the festive gaieties of the evening, Darby is able to slip away unawares.

Re-emerging into the mortal realms above, Darby at home awaits the imminent arrival of King Brian, who lately appears to rebuke Darby for this "betrayal" of friendship and to insist at length upon Darby's return to the Underworld.  Unfortunately for King Brian, he overstays his visit, and when the cock crows in the morn, he loses his ability to leave.  Leprechauns are, of course, mostly helpless during the daylight hours.

Darby, having captured his magical friend, strikes a deal - if the King will grant him the gift of three grand wishes, Darby will promise to set him free.  King Brian bemoans his absence from the leprechaun kingdom, fearing a reign of chaos and mischief until he is released.  But, a leprechaun is naught if not deceitful, and Brian Connors, being king of them all, quickly tricks Darby into perilously squandering nearly all of his wishes.  As any leprechaun is apt to note, "Three three wishes I'll grant you, great wishes or small, but you'll wish a fourth one, and you'll lose them all!"

Albert Sharpe is an utter delight as Darby O'Gill.  A fine character actor, he had established a nice niche for himself in similar roles for such mildly fantastical films as Portrait of Jennie, Royal Wedding, and Brigadoon.  Sharpe is the heart of this film, and his interactions with his worthy adversary, King Brian, are among the most delightful scenes in the film.

Equally wonderful is Janet Munro, Disney's top pre-Hayley Mills leading lady.  As an actress, Munro completely personifies the sweet and fetching girl-next-door, a role she would portray in various permutations for all her Disney films.  Munro's Katie in this film has that winsome smile and bubbly personality that would capture the heart of all but the most stoic of men.  Katie's presence in the film adds a foundation of gravity to Darby's more cloud-headed meanderings.

Perhaps the most surprising cast member is a young Sean Connery as Michael McBride, a young caretaker and Katie's potential love interest.  Seeing the dashing actor in his prime in a very pre-007 role is a revelation.  Furthermore, he sings!  Even this early on, Connery clearly has presence and charisma, and his scenes with Janet Munro exhibit wonderful screen chemistry.

Of course, any magical film such as Darby O'Gill and the Little People has to rely heavily on special effects, too, although the virtually-seamless effects here serve the story instead of overwhelming it.  We can readily accept the images of dozens of diminutive leprechauns dancing all about.  And of course, I haven't even mentioned the frightening cóiste-bodhar, the death coach which arrives late in the film. Nor have I yet mentioned that dreaded harbinger of death, the shrieking banshee, whose appearance in the film is as unsettling as any ringwraith's.

Darby O'Gill and the Little People has something for everyone.  There is the wonderfully comic banter between Darby and King Brian.  There is a heart-warming romance between Michael McBride and Katie.  And, there is even a town bully (and challenger for Katie's affections) upon whom the pre-007 Connery might test his mettle.  Last but not least, there are all those magical leprechauns!

Disney was once the champion of wholesome family entertainment.  Darby O'Gill and the Little People represents one of the finest efforts of that long-standing tradition, and even now, nearly a half-century after its first release, the film remains as enchanting and as enjoyable as ever.

Video ***

Darby O'Gill and the Little People is presented in its original full-frame format.  The print is in fairly decent condition, and colors are bright and cheerful.  Aside from a few nicks and dust marks here and there, the video presentation on this DVD, with an average bit rate of 6.5 Mbps, is fairly satisfactory.

Audio **1/2

Darby O'Gill and the Little People is presented with its original English monaural soundtrack.  An optional French track is also available.  The soundtrack is clear and generally pleasant without any hisses or pops from age.  While the sound is not particularly dynamic, it is adequate for a film of this age and does not distract from the viewing experience.

Features ***

Disney may not have pulled out all the stops for this DVD release, but the bonus features on this disc should please fans of the film.  First is Mr. Connery Goes to Hollywood (8 min.), a short featurette about the actor from his start in the movies.  From an early lead role in Requiem for a Heavyweight to his arrival as a Fox studio player, Connery himself describes his initiation into Hollywood and how Fox loaned him to Disney for Darby O'Gill and the Little People.  Included in this featurette are many production photos of Connery with various cast and crew members from the film.

Little People Big Effects (11 min.) is another featurette describing how some of the bigger special effects were created for the film.  In particular, we learn how important matte paintings and forced perspective shots were in completing the illusion of a bygone Ireland and the world of the little people.  Many of the tricks described here still hold up perfectly well and influenced later, similar effects for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The difference, of course, is that according to Disney, the leprechauns used in Darby O'Gill and the Little People were quite real, while hobbits are only make-believe, of course.

I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (49 min.) is an archival episode of the Disney television show from the 1950's.  This particular episode chronicles Walt Disney's own journey from California to Ireland to find a real leprechaun and to persuade him to return to Hollywood to appear in the movie.  Disney not only encountered a real leprechaun, but it was none other than Brian Connors, the actual King of the leprechauns himself.  This episode includes many clips from the movie itself and might spoil some of the fun of watching the film, so I would recommend watching this afterwards.  Nevertheless, this episode is a prime example of how Disney regularly used his television program to promote his theatrical films or his amusement park and to generate interest in his latest endeavors.

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