Girl with Green Eyes (1964)

In 1960s Dublin a young girl becomes involved with an older man, a much-travelled and still married land-owner.

Director:

Desmond Davis

Writers:

Edna O'Brien (novel), Edna O'Brien (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Finch, Rita Tushingham, Lynn Redgrave

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Finch	...	Eugene Gaillard
Rita Tushingham	...	Kate Brady
Lynn Redgrave	...	Baba Brennan
Marie Kean	...	Josie Hannigan (as Maire Kean)
Arthur O'Sullivan	...	James Brady
Julian Glover	...	Malachi Sullivan
T.P. McKenna	...	The Priest
Liselotte Goettinger	...	Joanna
Pat Laffan	...	Bertie Counham (as Patrick Laffan)
Eileen Crowe	...	Mrs. Byrne
May Craig	...	Aunt
Joe Lynch	...	Andy Devlin
Yolande Turner	...	Mary Maguire
Harry Brogan	...	Jack Holland
Michael C. Hennessy	...	Davey (as Michael Hennessy)

Storyline

An awkward young Irish farm girl Kate Brady moves to Dublin and shares a room with funny, outgoing Baba Brennan, where she soon meets Eugene Gaillard, a middle-aged writer, who is immediately attracted to the shy and innocent Kate, ignoring the more sophisticated Baba.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | writer | irish | ireland | older man younger woman relationship | 

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Taglines:

The film makers who brought you SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, A TASTE OF HONEY and TOM JONES now take pride in presenting...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 January 1965 (Italy)

Also Known As:

La muchacha de los ojos verdes

Filming Locations:

Four Provinces House, Harcourt Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

GBP140,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Woodfall Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the montage of the girls getting ready for their dates near the movie's beginning, the 45 r.p.m. record is "Fell In Love On Monday" by Fats Domino, who is also the topic of the magazine article near the record.

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Quotes

Malachi Sullivan: Ah, the milk of human blindness.

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Soundtracks

The Fly
(uncredited)
Written by John Madara and David Alan White

User Reviews

May-December romance

Desmond Davis, who had worked closely with Tony Richardson, decided to try his hand directing films. For his first effort he decided to use Edna O'Brien's novella "The Lonely Girl", which we read a long while ago, and frankly, we don't remember it well. The result was a movie that has that "English Look" of what came out of England during those years.

"Girl with Green Eyes" owes its success to Rita Tushingham, an actress that was the darling of English movie makers. She had a certain waif look that she used to her advantage in films such as this one, and in others of the same period. She holds the movie together as it's hard to take one's eyes from hers. Ms. Tushingham was not a spectacular beauty, yet she had a certain look that was appealing in her work.

Peter Finch appears as Eugene Gaillard, a man who is divorced with a child, and whose estranged wife has moved overseas. His attraction for Kate Brennan is quite understandable, yet, Eugene can't get Kate to be more than a platonic admirer, never being able to consume the passion she feels for him, and vice versa.

Also in the movie, a young and fresh Lynn Redgrave, who went to make bigger and better things on her own in the British cinema and on the stage and films in America, her adoptive country.

"Girl with Green Eyes" is worth a look for what Desmond Davis was able to accomplish in his first feature. The copy we watched recently was sadly in need of restoration.