Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1975)

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This American Film Theatre production is based on the stage play by Brian Friel. Gar, a young Irish man, prepares to leave his dull Gaelic community--and his seemingly insensitive father--to live with his aunt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The hero has an alter ego, seen only by himself and the… More This American Film Theatre production is based on the stage play by Brian Friel. Gar, a young Irish man, prepares to leave his dull Gaelic community--and his seemingly insensitive father--to live with his aunt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The hero has an alter ego, seen only by himself and the audience: the public Gar (Des Cave) holds back his true emotions, while the private Gar (Donal McCann) tells the brutal (and sometimes hilarious) truth. As Gar packs his bags, he and his inner self examine his relationships with his boorish dad, his former sweetheart, his frustrated schoolmaster, his shallow buddies, and his loving housekeeper. Philadelphia Here I Come works beautifully as theatre, though the cinematic possibilities of a dual hero are barely explored. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi