The Little People (1959)

Purportedly one of Walt Disney's most personal pet projects, Darby O'Gill shows the effort and care put into it. Even now the special effects hold up shockingly well. Darby O'Gill is an estate caretaker, but in his advanced years he's more fond of telling tall tales in the local pub about the wee folk than keeping the grounds. A new man (a very youthful Sean Connery) is sent in to take his place, and O'Gill doesn't know what will become of himself and his daughter. He snags three spectacular opportunities, however, when he catches the king of the leprechauns. This film is whimsical without being silly, supernatural without being outlandish, and all and all a treat for the whole family. --Keith Simanton Amazon.com

Disappointed

I was delighted when the DVD arrived but, very disappointed when I realised that I would not be able to view it on my Aussie TV because it was not the correct format for Australia :(

Regards,
Miss Terry O'Connor October 2, 2008

back to my childhood

First seen when Sean Conery and I were both a lot younger. A great fantasy of celtic culture and music - a movie all the family can watch. August 29, 2008

Darby....

Cute classic from Disney. It is very entertaining for those of us raised on these movies. I doubt it would be interesting to teens of today though. It is good and clean. I can recommend it for the whole family.

Darby is full of his stories of the little people. After he catches one, all stuff breaks loose. He just has to prove that he hasn't lost his mind and get the right husband for his daughter. August 22, 2008

Not Up To Snuff

"Darby O'Gill and the Little People" is given some highly rated reviews here at Amazon.com (which is why I bought it) but it misses the mark, I think, when it comes to being the type of movie we want to watch again and again.

Darby O'Gill is the name of an old Irish man who is a poor caretaker for a rich man's estate in a small Irish village around the year 1900. Darby and his daughter Katie have lived in the gate house (on the estate) for more than 20 years, but old Darby would rather spend his time at the local pub ... drinking stout (a strong dark beer) and telling his leprechaun stories ... instead of doing his caretaker work ... which is why the estate owner decides to bring in a new man (Michael) to replace him ... forcing Darby and his daughter to move out.

But Darby lives a charmed life in that he is the only person in the village who has seen real live leprechauns. Some of the people in the village believe Darby's stories ... some don't ... but Darby himself never wavers in his respect and honor for "the little people". Darby also tries to out-fox the leprechauns ... matching wits with the king leprechaun himself ... to get the three wishes that are given to anyone who captures a leprechaun. It is during these encounters that the movie is at its most fun. Darby's daughter Katie and the new caretaker Michael hit it off, and this gives the movie some moments of romance too. But there are also some ... unsavory story lines in "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" and it is at these moments that we want to use the "fast forward" button to get to the fun parts.

Albert Sharpe was hand-picked by Walt Disney to play Darby, and he delivers his lines convincingly ... with flair and humor ... but he is, well, hard to look at, and it is hard to want to be on his side. Janet Munro was chosen to play Katie, and she is pretty and all that, but she doesn't have the depth of goodness ... the honesty and humbleness of spirit ... that makes a girl pretty on the inside ... something I think it is fair to expect from a poor Irish girl like Katie. Sean Connery plays Michael, and he mugs it up for the camers pretty much, but he doesn't really look or act like a caretaker. Jimmy O'Dea plays the leprechaun king, and he is wonderful ... the heart of the movie's appeal and fun.

The DVD comes with an "extra" that explains how the special effects were done ... mostly how the actors portraying the leprechauns were made to look small ... and it is truly amazing to see the effort and ingenuity that went into them. Peter Ellenshaw, the man who supervised the special effects, is the real star of this movie.

But "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" misses the mark for high quality entertainment, which is too bad because it had the makings of a classic. It is the writing of the story ... the first, and by far the least expensive, stage of the movie making process, but it's the area where movie makers invariably do their worst work ... and in "Darby" too many unpleasant story lines were allowed to creep in to what should have been a thoroughly charming movie.
August 18, 2008

When You Wish Upon A Star

Disney has released some good movies the last few years but nothing can beat the movies they released 20 to 30 years ago. I love the older movies and really enjoyed this one as a child as well as after I became an adult. The special effects are pretty good too considering the era in which the movie was made. July 24, 2008

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