Da (1988)

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.

Director:

Matt Clark

Writers:

Hugh Leonard (play), Hugh Leonard (screenplay)

Stars:

Barnard Hughes, Martin Sheen, William Hickey

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barnard Hughes	...	Da
Martin Sheen	...	Charlie
William Hickey	...	Drumm
Karl Hayden	...	Young Charlie
Doreen Hepburn	...	Mother
Hugh O'Conor	...	Boy Charlie
Ingrid Craigie	...	Polly
Joan O'Hara	...	Mrs. Prynne
Jill Doyle	...	Mary 'The Yellow Peril'
Peter Hanly	...	Young Oliver
Maurice O'Donoghue	...	Older Oliver
Amiee Clark	...	Danielle
Frank McDonald	...	'Cat' McDonald
Marie Conmee	...	Nurse
Ronan Wilmot	...	Taxi Driver

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

ireland | father son relationship | ghost | psychological drama | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Exorcizando o Passado

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Gross:

$604,532 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmDallas Pictures, Sheen/Greenblatt/Auerbach Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The 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.

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Quotes

Drumm: The dangerous ones are those who amuse us. There are millions like him- inoffensive, stupid, and not a damn bit of good. They've never said "No" in their lives or to their lives, and they'd cheerfully see the rest of us buried. If you have any sense, you'll learn to be frightened of him.

User Reviews

My all-time favorite movie

... and yet virtually no one I know has ever heard of it. A story of reminiscence, regret, and reconciliation (a little too late), as Charlie, a successful Broadway playwright, returns home to Ireland for his father's funeral. His father, though dead, is very much alive in Charlie's thoughts.

Every character in the movie is 100% believable, and real. The dialogues are genuine, ordinary, but insightful, and keenly sculpted. It's clear that Hugh Leonard crafted this as a play, and the cinematography leaves you with more of a stage feeling, than a film setting, but this doesn't detract from some stellar performances by the venerable Bernard Hughes, and what is probably Martin Sheen's finest performance.

Funny, timeless, and ultimately very sad and touching. I hate to gush, but this movie brings it out in me. Flawless.