Ryan's Daughter (1970/I)

Director:

David Lean

Writer:

Robert Bolt (writer)

Release Date:

17 December 1970 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A story of love...set against the violence of rebellion

Plot:

World War I seems far away from Ireland's Dingle peninsula when Rosy Ryan Shaughnessy goes horseback...

Plot Keywords:

Father | Village | Pub | Gun | Officer

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Charles Shaughnessy
Trevor Howard	...	Father Collins
Christopher Jones	...	Randolph Doryan
John Mills	...	Michael
Leo McKern	...	Thomas Ryan
Sarah Miles	...	Rosy Ryan
Barry Foster	...	Tim O'Leary
Marie Kean	...	Mrs. McCardle
Arthur O'Sullivan	...	Mr. McCardle
Evin Crowley	...	Maureen
Douglas Sheldon	...	Driver
Gerald Sim	...	Captain
Barry Jackson	...	Corporal
Des Keogh	...	Lanky private
Niall Toibin	...	O'Keefe
Philip O'Flynn	...	Paddy
Donal Neligan	...	Maureen's boyfriend
Brian O'Higgins	...	Const. O'Connor
Niall O'Brien	...	Bernard
Owen Sullivan	...	Joseph
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Emmet Bergin	...	Sean (uncredited)
May Cluskey	...	Storekeeper (uncredited)
Annie D'Alton	...	Old woman (uncredited)
Pat Layde	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ed O'Callaghan	...	Bernard (uncredited)

Directed by
David Lean

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Bolt		writer

Produced by
Anthony Havelock-Allan	....	producer
Roy Stevens	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Freddie Young

Film Editing by
Norman Savage

Production Design by
Stephen B. Grimes		(as Stephen Grimes)

Art Direction by
Roy Walker

Set Decoration by
Josie MacAvin

Costume Design by
Jocelyn Rickards

Makeup Department
Charles E. Parker	....	makeup artist (as Charles Parker)
A.G. Scott	....	hair stylist
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Douglas Twiddy	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Frend	....	second unit director
Michael Stevenson	....	assistant director
Roy Stevens	....	second unit director: storm
Pedro Vidal	....	assistant director
Jonathan Burrows	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Peter Dukelow	....	constructor
Eddie Fowlie	....	property master
Derek Irvine	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
John Bramall	....	sound recordist
Ernie Grimsdale	....	sound editor
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound mixer
Winston Ryder	....	sound editor
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Michael Hickey	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Robert MacDonald	....	special effects

Stunts
Vic Armstrong	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Denys N. Coop	....	camera operator: second unit (as Denys Coop)
Ernest Day	....	camera operator
Robert Huke	....	camera operator: second unit (as Bob Huke)
Bernie Prentice	....	chief electrician
Roy Rodhouse	....	chief electrician
Doug Byers	....	electrician (uncredited)
Jim Dawes	....	grip (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Tony Lawson	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor
Eric Tomlinson	....	music recordist

Other crew
Phyllis Crocker	....	continuity
Eddie Fowlie	....	location manager
William O'Kelly	....	production liaison
Ron Bareham	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
Al Burgess	....	location manager (uncredited)
Julian Holloway	....	voice dubbing: Christopher Jones (uncredited)
John Trehy	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Faraway Productions

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Chapel Distribution (1999) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1970) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Vídeo Arte (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

Michael's Day (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for a sex scene.

Runtime:

195 min (general release version) | 206 min (roadshow/DVD version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:PG | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (f) | USA:R (re-rating) (1996) | New Zealand:M (special edition) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | USA:GP (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Bridges of Ross, County Clare, Ireland

Company:

Faraway Productions

Trivia:

The village of "Kirrary" was built just for the film and dismantled afterwards - shops, schoolhouse, church, pub, post office, etc. 200 workmen built it all using slate and 20,000 tons of granite from a dozen local quarries; anything less substantial wouldn't have stood up to the Atlantic gales. Many buildings had fitted interiors, ceilings, lighting, plumbing and even working fireplaces and chimneys.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Trevor Howard (priest) goes in search of the distressed Robert Mitchum (schoolteacher) he leaves the schoolhouse carrying a bundle of clothes and the schoolteacher's black leather boots. Later, when he discovers the schoolteacher on a rocky shoreline the priest is still carrying the clothes and boots. However, during the search, the priest is stopped on a beach by British soldiers; at this point the priest is in possession of the clothes but not the boots.

Quotes:

Father Collins: Don't nurse your dreams, Rosy. You can't help having them, but don't nurse them. Because if you nurse your dreams, they tend to come true.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Spaceballs (1987)

Sadly forgotten beautiful epic.

It's one of the most underrated, but one of the most beautiful epic that ever put on screen. It's directed by David Lean, who made 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Doctor Zhivago' before and this film ranks up with his previous works. I can only write about this film in superlatives. Foremost the photography - another excellent work by Freddie Young - honoured with an Academy Award, and the acting by John Mills, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his outstanding performance as the dumb fisherman. But I would have awarded Sarah Miles (she's "just" nominated for the Best Actress Oscar). Robert Mitchum has never been better, he fills the widow village teacher's character with life. Also great performances by the supporting cast - the aged Trevor Howard as the priest, and Ryan, the two-faced village pub owner, who risks his daughter's life when the villagers abusing her. It's one of the most disgusting character I've ever seen. Robert Bolt's original screenplay is also one of the most complex story I've ever seen. It' as good as the screenplay of 'Doctor Zhivago' which was honoured with an Academy Award and also written by Robert Bolt. This is a film about an outstanding love at an unbearable period of history between an English officer and an Irish woman. It's about sensitivity, courage, hope, admiring and collaborating. The story is so complex, that it's almost impossible to summarize in few words, so I would like to draw the attention to some WONDERFUL scenes: the love scene between the two young lovers, full of symbols and sensitively photographed. It's the most poetic love scene ever. The other beautiful scene is when Robert Mitchum finds his wife's and her lover's footsteps in the beach sand, follows them, imagines what could have happened between the two lovers and becomes sure, that his wife has got another man in her life. And finally of course the storm scene, when the villagers try to save the weapons from the stormy sea. This enormously powerful scene with those poetic scenes above are my favourites in the movie, but the whole movie is full of wonderful scenes and the 3 hours long film remains a religious experience until the last minute.

Last but not least I have to mention the score which can be explained perfectly in 4 words: made by Maurice Jarre. Could be jungle, desert, Russian winter or wild Irish landscapes David Lean always knew how to use these locations to tell his stories. It's pity, that he didn't make any movies until 1984, because of the bad critics. Waste of talent and genius.