Darby O’Gill and the Little People (Robert Stevenson, 1959): USA

Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy. Viewed on DVD.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the following review of Darby O’Gill and the Little People is a terrific example of Disneyana at its best.  Fraught with leprechauns, pots of gold, a banshee and also a coiste-bodhar (death coach); this family-friendly film is also froth with humor, a catchy tune, and highly skillful special effects.

Long before the days of CGI, studios actually employed real-life artists, such as Walt Disney Studios’ Peter Ellenshaw.  Ellenshaw (whom I met and had an occasion to speak with) began working for Disney in the late 1940’s as a matte painter.  Matte painting was a special technique in which the artist would paint on glass – which was positioned in front of the camera, and blended naturally with (and was an extension of) the landscape, the actors, and the remaining sets.  Ellenshaw’s skill may be observed in a number of Disney hits such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Richard Fleischer, 1954), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Robert Stevenson, 1971), and Mary Poppins (Robert Stevenson, 1964), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Special Visual Effects.

Darby O’Gill (Albert Sharpe) is an old coot who avoids work and spends most of his time in the local pub, telling tall tales of his encounters with King Brian and the rest of the leprechauns.  Michael McBride (Sean Connery) is a younger man from Dublin who has been sent to replace Darby as caretaker of a wealthy estate. It just so happens that Darby has a cute daughter named Katie (Janet Munro), with whom McBride falls in love.  One night, with great skill and trickery, Darby manages to capture King Brian, who is obliged to grant three wishes for his freedom.  Darby squanders his first two wishes, but when his daughter’s life is at stake, he pulls it together and makes a third (unselfish) wish.

Great special effects sequences are the haunting of the banshee (or death angel), the arrival of the coiste-bodhar (death coach), and namely the interaction with the leprechauns.  Sean Connery moved on to greater roles starting with 007 after the making of this film, but it is his Michael McBride which I find most endearing.

Watch Darby O’Gill and the Little People for pure fun and enjoyment, but also for admiration of a lost skill – the likes of which can never be reproduced.