The Rising of the Moon (1957)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Lady Augusta Gregory (story)
Michael J. McHugh (story)
(more)

Release Date:

10 August 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Three vignettes of old Irish country life, based on a series of short stories. In "The Majesty of the...

Plot Keywords:

Episodic | Ireland

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Introduced by
Maureen Connell	...	May Ann McMahon
May Craig
Eileen Crowe	...	Police Sergeant's Wife
Cyril Cusack	...	Inspector Dillon
Maureen Cusack
Maureen Delaney
Donal Donnelly	...	Prisoner
Paul Farrell
Harold Goldblatt
Frank Lawton	...	British officer
Edward Lexy	...	Quartermaster Sergeant
Jack MacGowran	...	Mickey J. - the poitín maker
Doreen Madden
Denis O'Dea	...	Police Sergeant
Jimmy O'Dea	...	Paddy Morrisey - porter
Joseph O'Dea
Maureen Potter	...	Pegeen Mallory - barmaid
Michael O'Duffy	...	The Singer
Noel Purcell	...	Dan O'Flaherty
Godfrey Quigley
Tony Quinn	...	Station Master
Anita Sharp-Bolster	...	Colonel Frobisher's Wife (as Anita Sharp Bolster)
Michael Trubshawe	...	Colonel Frobisher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dennis Brennan		(as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
John Cowley	...	Gombeen Man (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Ann D'Alton		(as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
J.G. Devlin		(as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Dennis Franks	...	Black and Tan Officer (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Maurice Good	...	Constable O'Grady (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Eric Gorman		(as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Joe Hone	...	I.R.A. Man (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
John Horan	...	Billposter (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
David Marlowe		(as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Mafra McDonagh	...	I.R.A. Man (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Paddy O'Donnell	...	Railway porter (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)
Martin Thornton	...	Sergeant (as Players from the Abbey Theatre Company)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lady Augusta Gregory		story "The Rising of the Moon"
Michael J. McHugh		story "A Minute's Wait"
Frank S. Nugent		writer
Frank O'Connor		story "The Majesty of the Law"

Produced by
Michael Killanin	....	producer

Original Music by
Eamonn O'Gallagher

Cinematography by
Robert Krasker

Film Editing by
Michael Gordon

Art Direction by
Ray Simm		(as Raymond Simm)

Costume Design by
Jimmy Bourke

Production Management
Edward Joseph	....	production manager

Production Companies

• Four Provinces

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

Ireland | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Company:

Four Provinces

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Abbey Theatre: The First 100 Years (2004)

A rarely screened Oirish classic! A humorous portrayal of an Ireland long past, but not forgotten.

1. `The Majesty of the Law' - Frank O'Connor & Frank S. Nugent.

This is the story of a proud Irish small-holder and his 'encounter' with the Law. It humorously portrays rural Irish people, the nature of village relationships, small-town disagreements, the people's attitude to the law and the officials' accommodation of those ways. Noel Purcell, as the small-farmer, and the other village people over-act in a typically stage-irish manner. ( `Is it yourself?' - `It is, to be sure.' and many, many other oirish lines that have become classics.) Cyril Cusack gives a much more subtle performance (one of his few!).

2. `A Minute's Wait' - Michael J. McHugh. Another funny story of rural Ireland has the Ballyscran to Dunfaill train at the station for its scheduled one minute stop. As the title suggests the story looks at the Irish attitude to time-keeping, and how in rural Ireland time could wait for man, . for prize goats, for Bishop's dinners, and most importantly, for a pint of porter (just the one, of course). A rare chance to see the great Jimmy O'Dea again - `Merciful hour!'

3. `1921' - Adapted from The Rising of the Moon by Lady Augusta Gregory. This is the more serious story of a young patriot who is to be hanged by the `Black and Tans' (a vicious paramilitary force which terrorised Ireland during the last years of British control). The story does show, and is true to, the different attitudes of the various factions at the time. The vicious Black and Tans, the more considerate British military, the double standards of the RIC Royal Irish Constables and collaborators, and the belligerence of the oppressed Irish people. While the acting is much more subtle than the previous short films, `1921' is let down by being poorly written and adapted. There are some great shots of 1950s Dublin, including the Liffy bridges and the Four Courts.