From Shane Conto

What do you do to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day? Well…I assume most of you will be taking a drink…or two…or three. But like many holidays, there are always films to enjoy to get into the holiday spirit. There are so many great Irish films that capture the spirit of the people and the lands. Cartoon Saloon has been doing great with so many great tales of Irish folklore from The Secret of Kells to Song of the Sea to Wolfwalkers. Martin McDonaugh delivers something truly special with The Banshees of Inisherin. Even John Ford delivered quite a few Irish films including The Quiet Man. But Disney certainly had a delightful little flick as well.

What makes Darby O’Gill and the Little People such a nice little Irish film? This certainly is a more stereotypical outing than some of the others mentioned above but it is unabashedly about the mythology and folklore of the Irish people. The presence of leprechauns is such a delightfully fun element as we see the wiley King Brian going toe-to-toe with our clever Irish gameskeeper. There are some much darker elements as well as director Robert Stevenson delivers some nightmare fuel in the form of the Banshee. That cry and scream has haunted me since I first watched this as a child. There are the fantastical elements as well but the small village feel makes this film all the more charming. The village is rustic and comfy to live in for 90-minutes. 

Why is this Disney film from the 1950s worth experiencing today? There are effects in this film that are still impressive. Long before Peter Jackson worked with force perspective and little people in wigs, Stevenson performed movie magic with the leprechauns. The ability to make full sized human beings look so small is really tricky but looks so good for a film from 1959. There is a whole sequence where we see the whole kingdom of leprechauns at once and it is incredible. Then they speed up that sequence with fastforwarding film and music to create complete mania. Then the Banshee. That rotoscope animation is haunting and unnerving with the creepy green tinting. The sound design is bone-chilling. You get the same effect later with the Dullahan and the Death Coach. For what seems like a throw away live action family film from Disney, this has incredible filmmaking. 

But where does the charm come from that has made this a beloved classic for so many? This cast and the character dynamics make something special. Albert Sharpe is a charming old fool. He might drink a bit and is obsessed with leprechauns. If it weren’t for Sharpe, we could not create such a good connection and stick by him with all of his hyper focused and selfish hunts for leprechauns. Janet Munro is an absolute delight as Katie, Darby’s daughter. There is a lot of tension between them and Munro sells the strength in her character. But of course…you get Sean Connery as well. He might not be a songbird like Munro but he is quite the charming one with his iconic accent. Munro and Connery had great chemistry which helps create a nice romance to add to this charming fantasy. But the dynamic between Darby and King Brian is the key to the film. They drink and joke together like pals and constantly are trying to screw each other over. Their budding friendship is the real heart of the film. There is some solid human drama that builds up to quite the emotional stakes for the climax of the film. 

Are you ready for a whimsical and fun Irish fantasy to enjoy on your own or with the whole family? Stevenson was such the classic old school type of filmmaker and Darby O’Gill and the Little People  is a wonderful example of classic filmmaking. There are wonderful character dynamics and fun characters. The genre mixes fantasy, romance, and some (family friendly) horror. This is a funny film and a wonderfully adventurous one as well. This one just might hit you with some poignant emotion in the end as well. 

You can find Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959) streaming on Disney+.

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