"Young Cassidy" is based on Sean O'Casey's autobiography of his early years, "A Mirror in My House."
Set in the early 1920s in Dublin, Johnny Cassidy is from a large, working class family and, like most families, struggles to put food on the table. His sister gave him a love of reading and writing which belies his rough exterior. Johnny loves his family, and feels the loss of family members very deeply, particularly his sister and his mother (Flora Robson).
But Johnny is young and enthusiastic, and, as portrayed by Rod Taylor, very attractive. (I don't think the real O'Casey was quite as good- looking.)
Cassidy becomes involved with a prostitute, Daisy Battles (Julie Christie), and his good friend is Mick Mullen (Philip O'Flynn). Mick gets him involved in Irish nationalism, defending the working class, and ending the British rule over Ireland.
Much of that activism seeps into his writing and informs it. One day, walking into a bookstore, he mets Nora (Maggie Smith), the clerk, and ultimately they fall in love.
Little by little, Cassidy finds success as his work is published and the Abbey Theatre decides to put on his plays. This is a controversial and difficult decision, as there will be some who will find the plays unacceptable. But the founders, William Butler Yeats (Michael Redgrave) and Lady Gregory (Edith Evans) take that chance anyway.
A powerful story with good production values that was let down by the script. It's a shame with a cast like this to give them such weak writing. Frankly, it was difficult for me to keep my attention on the movie.
But the making of the film was not without problems. John Ford became ill and was replaced by Jack Cardiff and supposedly only 4 minutes of Ford's work remained in the finished film. Had Ford's hand been all the way through, the film might have come off better.
Ford wanted Peter O'Toole or Richard Harris in the lead, and the role was offered to Sean Connery. Any one of them would have been effective and had great gravitas, but there was nothing wrong with Rod Taylor's work. And I think casting him gave the other actors a chance to shine as well.
The big surprise for me was Flora Robson as Cassidy's mother. In Fire over England (1937) I would have told you she was in her fifties, so I assumed she would be doddering around in this. She was 35 in 1937 and 63 here. She's excellent as Cassidy's encouraging and loving mother.
All in all, interesting, but for me, not really great. Deserves to be seen for the acting and the production values.
Set in the early 1920s in Dublin, Johnny Cassidy is from a large, working class family and, like most families, struggles to put food on the table. His sister gave him a love of reading and writing which belies his rough exterior. Johnny loves his family, and feels the loss of family members very deeply, particularly his sister and his mother (Flora Robson).
But Johnny is young and enthusiastic, and, as portrayed by Rod Taylor, very attractive. (I don't think the real O'Casey was quite as good- looking.)
Cassidy becomes involved with a prostitute, Daisy Battles (Julie Christie), and his good friend is Mick Mullen (Philip O'Flynn). Mick gets him involved in Irish nationalism, defending the working class, and ending the British rule over Ireland.
Much of that activism seeps into his writing and informs it. One day, walking into a bookstore, he mets Nora (Maggie Smith), the clerk, and ultimately they fall in love.
Little by little, Cassidy finds success as his work is published and the Abbey Theatre decides to put on his plays. This is a controversial and difficult decision, as there will be some who will find the plays unacceptable. But the founders, William Butler Yeats (Michael Redgrave) and Lady Gregory (Edith Evans) take that chance anyway.
A powerful story with good production values that was let down by the script. It's a shame with a cast like this to give them such weak writing. Frankly, it was difficult for me to keep my attention on the movie.
But the making of the film was not without problems. John Ford became ill and was replaced by Jack Cardiff and supposedly only 4 minutes of Ford's work remained in the finished film. Had Ford's hand been all the way through, the film might have come off better.
Ford wanted Peter O'Toole or Richard Harris in the lead, and the role was offered to Sean Connery. Any one of them would have been effective and had great gravitas, but there was nothing wrong with Rod Taylor's work. And I think casting him gave the other actors a chance to shine as well.
The big surprise for me was Flora Robson as Cassidy's mother. In Fire over England (1937) I would have told you she was in her fifties, so I assumed she would be doddering around in this. She was 35 in 1937 and 63 here. She's excellent as Cassidy's encouraging and loving mother.
All in all, interesting, but for me, not really great. Deserves to be seen for the acting and the production values.