DVD Review: Darby O'Gill and the Little People

08/04/04

When I was growing up, ?Darby O?Gill and the Little People? was one of my favorite films. I could?ve watched nothing but Darby O?Gill and ?Time Bandits? and been perfectly content for the rest of my childhood. What I didn?t realize at the time was that I was already watching ?Darby O?Gill? via re-runs on the Disney Channel, and its remaining days in the re-run cycle were limited, at best. So when ?Darby O?Gill and the Little People? released on DVD yesterday, my find childhood memories flooded back. I hoped more than anything else that Darby wouldn?t suffer from the same ?only good when I was a kid? syndrome endured by so many other ?classics? from my youth. Imagine me joy, then, when I found that not only had the movie withstood the test of time, but the DVD bonuses made the entire package even better than the original. For those of you unfamiliar with ?Darby O?Gill and the Little People,? a Cliff?s Notes update: old man Darby is being replaced as the Lordship?s gatehouse master, but he can?t bring himself to tell the news to his daughter. His replacement, played by a young Sean Connery (remember, the movie was made back in 1959), ends up falling in love with Darby?s daughter while Darby himself is trying to impress the town after catching the king of the leprechauns. After using a wish to save his daughter from death, Darby is saved from death himself and, in classic Disney fashion, lives happily ever after with his soon-to-be newlywed daughter and son-in-law. Darby?s adventures with the leprechauns are by far the most enjoyable parts of the film, from the lively music to well-choreographed dance sequences with live-action ?little people? to his drunken escapade with King Brian himself. The special effects in these sequences are also impressive, with only a few instances in which Darby looks completely unnatural in the leprechauns? lair. To be perfectly honest, ?Darby O?Gill and the Little People? was well ahead of its time in the special effects department, and only when the banshee raises her head toward the end of the film does the movie display its lower-tech capabilities. In classic Disney fashion, the music in ?Darby O?Gill? is fantastic, both in its composition and performance. And who knew Sean Connery had such a fantastic voice? In fact, I insisted to my wife that Connery had a voice double for the film?until we watched the DVD bonus features and saw that, sure enough, Connery did all his own work. The behind-the-scenes bonus features complement the movie in a way I?d never expected. First off is a retrospective interview with Sean Connery, whose fondness for the film comes through even 45 years after it was released. His insight into the production snafus is entertaining, and the anecdotes he shares about the actors? living arrangements while filming shows just how pampered today?s actors truly are. The second feature, an ?interview? with Walt Disney, is full of classic ?50s kitsch but remains surprisingly entertaining. Disney had imagination of mythical proportions, and to see his own ?documentary? about capturing the king of the little people has got to be seen to be appreciated. The final bonus feature, which highlights the special effects, is equally enlightening in that you truly begin to appreciate the great lengths to which producers had to go in the 1950s to achieve what most people today can do with a little knowledge of photo- and video-editing software. Still, the true appreciation for this film comes in its entire DVD package. The film, both a love story and comedy, is as well-scripted and witty as any film you?ll see today, but it maintains a certain sense of old-school charm. The bonuses, too, show never-before-seen footage that helps round out the Darby O?Gill experience. If Walt Disney were alive today, he would have undoubtedly used these bonus features in his self-promotional television show. As it is, Buena Vista Home Entertainment is carrying on that legacy in a DVD-only presentation that any family should be proud to own. -- Jonas Allen
Send News to N4G | |