Product: Ryan's Daughter (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2006)
Rating: 4.0
Not your typical epic chick flick
Most would probably consider this a 70s chick flick, but it is far superior to that genre. These are characters imbued with all the frailties of real people. Sarah Miles had a brief run in the 70s on the A list of female British stars. Though I was never a huge fan (she always projected a very fragile and neurotic vibe), she is perfect for the role of Rose, the refined, romance obsessed, spoiled daughter of the local pub keeper in a small village on the Western coast of Ireland. Her older cuckolded husband, the local grammar school teacher, is played to perfection and against type by Robert Mitchum. A man who loves her so deeply he cannot even bring himself to confront her regarding her affair with the handsome, young English officer who has been snatched from the front lines and assigned to this godforsaken outpost due to a bad case of post traumatic stress from WWI. The movie was unfairly panned when it was released. Although it may not suit the audiences of today who need gory slam bam action scenes in every frame to hold their attention, for those who enjoy a beautifully photographed landscape, and intense character development, along with grade A acting, this film will satisfy. The characters display the whole gamut of emotions and behaviors, noble and depraved, of which humans are capable. Robert Bolt's screenplay is to be credited greatly with the success of this film. Some of the scenes between the characters are so touching and heartbreakingly authentic that it is easy to forget these are not real people. The one disappointment for me: though I have been a big fan of much of Maurice Jarre's film scores, this was not one that lived up to the subject. I found the music for the most part trivial and uninspiring, especially when it is contrasted with the exotic and breathtakingly beautiful locale. (If you haven't visited this part of the world, you will definitely want to after seeing this film). Another reviewer suggested that maybe American audiences didn't really get this film due to a lack of understanding of the Irish/English animosity. There is probably a lot of truth to that. I don't believe the repression of the Irish has ever been taught to any meaningful degree in American education, and one must self-educate on that topic. A good film to start with on that topic would be the "The Wind That Shakes the Barley".