Product: Ryan's Daughter (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2006)
Rating: 4.0
Pure love
This is a sensitive, heartfelt and mature masterpiece. An exploration of the fine and sometimes dangerous line between love and fantasy, all stitched seamlessly into an epic backdrop supplied by the struggle for independence in pre-republican Ireland. The movie is a little hindered by the casting of non-Irish actors, reminiscent of the absence of Russian actors in Lean's "Dr. Zhivago." But disregard this shortcoming and enjoy. There are moments of pure cinema in this film. Savor the jump to a lingering introductory shot of Rose Ryan's semi-fantasy British army officer, standing quietly in the middle distance on a remote country lane. This comes immediately after a noisy and energetic close-up of Father Collins, on a beach, warning Rose that she might get what she wishes for. Best of all, for me, is the imagery conjured up later by Rose's increasingly suspicious husband, Charles Shaughnessy. He imagines himself silently watching Rose and her soldier strolling together in a scene of intense romance that he knows he himself could never provide for his wife. We watch Charles, on the screen, watching a vision of his own private fears and longings. Be sure to catch this wonderful, beautiful film.