Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  guilty pleasure

• Anthony L

  
  No one does 'Epic' like David Lean, although in this case, I'm not sure it was warranted. For the length of time the film lasts, there is still very little character development of some of the key characters and some would argue the pay off wasn't really worth it.… More
  No one does 'Epic' like David Lean, although in this case, I'm not sure it was warranted. For the length of time the film lasts, there is still very little character development of some of the key characters and some would argue the pay off wasn't really worth it. While I can't quite understand why John Mills won Best supporting actor (although it seems true what they say, you play retard, you win awards - just don't go too far) and why Trevor Howard didn't win or was even nominated (apart from the at the Golden Globes). It's just one of those film I suppose, very much of its time and very much a David Lean film. Give me Doctor Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia over this any day but that's not to say I didn't like it, Freddie Young definitely deserved to win for best Cinematography as it is beautiful throughout.

• jay n

  
  Visually stunning but dramatically drawn out love story. This takes far too long to tell it's sad tale but good performances and once again absolutely breathtaking cinematography compensate a great deal. The storm sequence is one of the most beautifully shot scenes I've… More
  Visually stunning but dramatically drawn out love story. This takes far too long to tell it's sad tale but good performances and once again absolutely breathtaking cinematography compensate a great deal. The storm sequence is one of the most beautifully shot scenes I've ever seen in any film.

• Mister C

  
  Depending on one's point of view,David Lean's RYAN'S DAUGHTER, is either an epic romantic tragedy or a film whose extravagant production overwhelms what might have been a genuinely affecting drama. It may have been a rare misfire or a self-indulgent mess,this was in… More
  Depending on one's point of view,David Lean's RYAN'S DAUGHTER, is either an epic romantic tragedy or a film whose extravagant production overwhelms what might have been a genuinely affecting drama. It may have been a rare misfire or a self-indulgent mess,this was in fact the only movie David Lean did during the entire decade of the 1970's. Written by Robert Bolt,who had far more to chew on with his impressive screenplays of other David Lean masterpieces like "Lawrence of Arabia",and "Doctor Zhivago". RYAN'S DAUGHTER tells the story of a headstrong pub owner's daughter(Sarah Miles)living in a coastal town in English-occupied Ireland in World War I. She fulfills a childhood dream by marrying her handsome school teacher(a poorly cast Robert Mitchum got the part,but Lean insisted on either Peter O'Toole or Omar Sharif),only to be disappointed by the realization he is actually a passionate bore. She is subsequently all to open to fall in love with a shattered,shell-shocked,yet handsome British soldier(Christopher Jones),who has been sent to complete his duty in her otherwise sleepy town. Despite its simplicity,it was originally released theatrically, in November of 1970, in Super-Panavision 70MM,and it many cities was shown on the curved screens designed for the already abandoned Cinerama format(which was huge during the 1960's). It was given a sweeping lavish "Zhivago" style score by Maurice Jarre,while the cinematopgraphy was directed by the great Freddie Young-who would win one of its two Oscars. The other went to veteran John Mills(Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1970)as the village idiot.

• Michael S

  
  A rare misfire from a master. RYAN'S DAUGHTER, arguably David Lean's weakest film, is a self-indulgent mess; shot wonderfully but weak story and character wise. It tested my patience due to it's overlength (the version I saw was 206 minutes, but the theatrical version… More
  A rare misfire from a master. RYAN'S DAUGHTER, arguably David Lean's weakest film, is a self-indulgent mess; shot wonderfully but weak story and character wise. It tested my patience due to it's overlength (the version I saw was 206 minutes, but the theatrical version isn't much shorter), and after a while it was hard to care about what was going on. But did I mention the gorgeous cinematography?

• Michael G

  
  Ryan's Daughter, like any other David Lean film is beautiful and epic. But it also drags at points--probably more so than Lean's other films. If you're a fan of Lean's other work I'd recommend it.

• Walter M

  
  In attempting to tell a romantic story in full view of Irish independence and World War I in 1916 with a backdrop of a small village and all the petty cruelties within, David Lean fails through sheer ambition with "Ryan's Daughter." A simpler story might have had a… More
  In attempting to tell a romantic story in full view of Irish independence and World War I in 1916 with a backdrop of a small village and all the petty cruelties within, David Lean fails through sheer ambition with "Ryan's Daughter." A simpler story might have had a better chance of success as Ken Loach proved with "The Wind that Shakes the Barley." By contrast, "Ryan's Daughter" is a bit of a mess as it introduces characters, then conveniently forgets about them until they have to put in an appearance at the climax. Along the same lines, the emotionally and physically wounded Major Doryan(Christopher Jones) is introduced an hour into the movie, despite his importance to the plot. That only made me reconsider what had come before in the courtship of Rosy Ryan(Sarah Miles) and Charles Shaughnessy(Robert Mitchum, underplaying nicely), a widowed schoolteacher she has always had a crush on. It always surprises me when a character who has always lived in a system and knows what the consequences are of breaking the rules, does so and here it is done more casually than I could have imagined. On the plus side, Freddie Young's cinematography is beautiful and works its magic especially during one spectacular sequence on the rocks while Maurice Jarre's musical score only serves to distract. And the cast is very good but should I be concerned that none of the principal actors are Irish?

• Byron B

  
  I was extremely bored with this story. I don't remember any of the plot developments as described in the plot description. I've liked Lean's films, but the performances and story in this one just didn't grab a hold.

• Andre T

  
  1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours. The film is a very loose adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel… More
  1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours. The film is a very loose adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary. The film stars Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, John Mills, Christopher Jones, Trevor Howard and Leo McKern, with a score by Maurice Jarre. It was majestic photographed in Super Panavision 70 by Freddie Young on Slea Head, on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. A very dense movie with breath-take photography and music.A festival of glorious performances, specially by John Mills and Trevor Howard.The cinematography is made poetically, almost like the sea tide , showed in the movie.A movie to be discovered by the new generation of cinema lovers.

• Dimitris S

  
  Compelling,aesthetic to the flesh,Miles is divine and superb as the no strings attached Rosy.Lean is masterful depicting long,riveting landscapes stretching to the edge of feelings.The storyline is actually far more solid than in Zhivago and the epic quality of this fairytale… More
  Compelling,aesthetic to the flesh,Miles is divine and superb as the no strings attached Rosy.Lean is masterful depicting long,riveting landscapes stretching to the edge of feelings.The storyline is actually far more solid than in Zhivago and the epic quality of this fairytale juxtaposes the sexual lust.

• Barry L

  
  Absolute belter and the hair cutting scene aint ni CGI....

Read all 11 featured audience ratings