Young Cassidy
| Young Cassidy | |
|---|---|
 1965 theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Jack Cardiff John Ford |
| Screenplay by | John Whiting |
| Based on | Mirror in My House 1956 novel by Seán O'Casey |
| Produced by | Robert Emmett Ginna Robert D. Graff |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sean O'Riada |
Production company | Sextant Films |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million (est.)[1] |
Young Cassidy is a 1965 British biography drama film directed by Jack Cardiff and starring Rod Taylor, Julie Christie, and Maggie Smith.[2] It is a biographical drama based upon the life of the playwright Seán O'Casey.
Plot
Set in 1911 and the growing protest against
Cast
- Rod Taylor as John Cassidy
- Maggie Smith as Nora
- Julie Christie as Daisy Battles
- Michael Redgrave as W. B. Yeats
- Augusta, Lady Gregory
- T. P. McKenna as Tom
- Jack MacGowran as Archie
- Siân Phillips as Ella
- Flora Robson as Mrs. Cassidy
Production
As early as 1907, performances of John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World resulted in riots by theatergoers, which had to be quelled by police.[4] The real W. B Yeats, a friend of both authors, said similar words at or after both riots.[3][5] Young Cassidy brings this parallel history (the riots of The Plough and the Stars and The Playboy of the Western World) to vivid life, tied together by the character of Yeats.
Based on Seán O'Casey's autobiography Mirror in my House (the umbrella title under which the six autobiographies he published from 1939 to 1956 were republished, in two large volumes, in 1956), the movie began production in 1964, changing his name in the film to John Cassidy. O'Casey had read earlier drafts of the movie, and gave his approval to the script, as well as to the choice of lead actor, Rod Taylor.[6]
Rod Taylor stepped in when the original choice for the role, Sean Connery, had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts with the James Bond movie Goldfinger. Prior to Connery, Richard Harris was attached.[7]
The movie was initially directed by
Sean O'Casey: The Spirit of Ireland
During the making of the film, a behind-the-scenes documentary, Sean O'Casey: The Spirit of Ireland, was filmed looking at the making of Young Cassidy. Narrated by Herschel Bernardi, the film intersperses footage from Young Cassidy with footage of the actors preparing for their roles.[6]
Reception
John Simon of The New Leader wrote that Young Cassidy is 'a well-meaning but fairly lackluster pseudo-or-screen biography' and 'There is one very effective scene of a street riot and its bloody suppression, but the Easter Rising falls flat'.[10]
Home media
Young Cassidy was released to DVD by Warner Home Video on 6 September 2012 via the Warner Archive DVD-on-demand system available through Amazon.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Vagg p. 106
- ^ IMDB: Young Cassidy (1965)
- ^ a b Sean O'Casey on Dublin Info page.
- ^ Seán O'Casey article on the similarity of The Plough and the Stars and Playboy riots.
- ^ John Millington Synge#Playboy Riots and After on riots and Yeats.
- ^ a b The Complete Rod Taylor Site
- ^ Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood, Bear Manor Media, 2010 p107
- ^ Vagg p. 109
- ^ Vagg p. 110
- ^ Simon, John (1967). Private Screenings. The MacMillan Company. p. 154.
External links
- Young Cassidy at IMDb
- Young Cassidy at the TCM Movie Database
- Young Cassidy at AllMovie
- Young Cassidy at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Young Cassidy at the better source needed]
