Darby O'Gill and the Little People

( 11 )

Overview

Baby boomers who may not remember the plot particulars of Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People nonetheless retain fond memories of Disney's publicity campaign, which included an episode of the producer's weekly TV series, wherein the actor playing leprechaun king Brian (Jimmy O'Dea) was passed off as a genuine little person. One look at Darby O'Gill itself and one is willing to believe Disney's subterfuge. The story, based on the writings of H. T. Kavanaugh, involves one Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe) ...
See more details below
DVD
$11.84
BN.com price
(Save 21%)$14.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (DVD)
  • All (20) from $2.33   
  • New (16) from $7.95   
  • Used (4) from $2.33   

More About This Product

Overview

Baby boomers who may not remember the plot particulars of Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People nonetheless retain fond memories of Disney's publicity campaign, which included an episode of the producer's weekly TV series, wherein the actor playing leprechaun king Brian (Jimmy O'Dea) was passed off as a genuine little person. One look at Darby O'Gill itself and one is willing to believe Disney's subterfuge. The story, based on the writings of H. T. Kavanaugh, involves one Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe) an Irish tall-tale spinner who works as a caretaker. On the night that he is replaced by a younger man (Sean Connery), Darby heads home to tell his daughter Katie (Janet Munro) that he has lost his job. En route, he stumbles into the underground leprechaun kingdom, thanks to the intervention of King Brian, who wants to save Darby the shame of telling his daughter about his job. Advised that he will never be able to leave the land of the leprechauns, Darby escapes, and Brian follows. Because he stays above ground until dawn, Brian loses his powers and becomes the property of Darby, who won't let the leprechaun go until he grants three wishes. Brian tricks Darby out of the first two wishes, but is honor-bound to grant the third: that Darby's daughter Katie be wed to the handsome new caretaker. Before this can happen, Katie is seriously injured. As she lies comatose, the Death Coach descends from the sky to gather her to the heavens. Darby rapidly alters his third wish and begs that he be taken in Katie's place. Brian saves Darby's life by tricking him into making a fourth wish, which immediately cancels the first three. The young caretaker wins Katie on his own merits, and Darby has a whole new slew of stories with which to regale the villagers. The principal drawing card of Darby O'Gill and the Little People is its special effects, the most famous of which finds a life-sized Darby O'Gill fiddling away as hundreds of tiny leprechauns dance about him. Even in this era of computerized "F/X," few films have been able to duplicate the sublimely convincing visual magic - -and the effortless charm -- of this 1959 Disney effort.
Read More Show Less

Special Features

Closed Caption; All new digital transfer; Backstage Disney; Mr. Connery Goes to Hollywood; Little People, Big Effects; I Captured the King of the Leprechauns; French language track; French and Spanish subtitles; Specifications: ; Dolby Digital Mono sound; Presented as originally filmed in 1959 - fullscreen (1.33:1)
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler
Darby O'Gill and the Little People is an utterly charming little fantasy that should captivate all sorts of little people, while providing more than sufficient entertainment for their parents. Darby presents a very Hollywood version of Ireland but does so in such a convivial manner that few will complain about its accuracy -- and, wonder of wonders, it's one film that finds beauty in Irish locations that are not always emerald green. Darby is also delightfully straightforward about its fantasy, with no long explanations and sidebars, just a few words here and there to explain the bare bones about leprechauns. The film also boasts a fine cast, from the jaunty, irrepressible Darby of Albert Sharpe to the youthfully handsome Michael of Sean Connery to the mischievous, impish leprechaun king of Jimmy O'Dea. Robert Stevenson directs the proceedings with a smooth hand, deftly mixing the comic and the fantastic, the romantic and the dramatic, and throwing in a frightful banshee sequence to boot. Best of all, Darby has some marvelous special effects, from the aforementioned banshee and its concurrent black coach to the legion of dancing, prancing little people that light up the screen. It's a merry, engaging frolic of a movie.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 8/3/2004
  • UPC: 786936233599
  • Original Release: 1959

    • Rating:

  • Source: Walt Disney Video
  • Region Code: 1
  • Language: English
  • Time: 1:31:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 7,003

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Albert Sharpe Darby O'Gill
Janet Munro Katie
Sean Connery Michael McBride
Jimmy O'Dea King Brian
Kieron Moore Pony Sugrue
Estelle Winwood Sheelah
Walter Fitzgerald Lord Fitzpatrick
Denis O'Dea Father Murphy
J.G. Devlin Tom Kerrigan
Jack MacGowran Phadrig Oge
Farrell Pelly Paddy Scanlon
Nora O'Mahony Molly Malloy
Maureen Halligan Gossiping woman
Technical Credits
Robert Stevenson Director
Gertrude Casey Costumes/Costume Designer
Carroll Clark Art Director
Robert O. Cook Sound/Sound Designer
Walt Disney Producer
Peter Ellenshaw Special Effects
Winton Hoch Cinematographer
Stanley E. Johnson Editor
Chuck Keehne Costumes/Costume Designer
Emile Kuri Set Decoration/Design
Eustace Lycett Special Effects
Fred MacLean Set Decoration/Design
Pat McNalley Makeup
Joshua Meador Animator
Ruth Sandifer Makeup
Oliver Wallace Score Composer
Lawrence Edward Watkin Screenwriter
Read More Show Less

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. A Man to Cook For [5:33]
2. Darby's Pub Tale [7:34]
3. Changing of the Gardener [7:03]
4. Into the Mountain [6:49]
5. The Fox Chase [7:10]
6. The Wishing Song [10:50]
7. A Good Lad? [4:47]
8. Darby's Big Catch [8:53]
9. Sleeptalking [6:14]
10. Breaking the News [4:07]
11. The Banshee's Return [3:32]
12. Darby Gets His Wishes [7:54]
Read More Show Less

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play Movie
   Set Up
      Spoken Languages
         English
         French
      Captions & Subtitles
         Captions: English for the Hearing Impaired
         Subtitles: French
         Subtitles: Spanish
         Subtitles: None
   Scene Selections
   Bonus Features
      Mr. Connery Goes to Hollywood
      Little People, Big Effects
      I Captured the King of the Leprechauns
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 11 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(6)

4 Star

(3)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Finian's Rainbow

    great old movie

    this is one of the great old movies with a very young Sean Connery. It is a bit scary for young kids though. Has great special effects for the time.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Wonderful classic

    I loved the movie as a little girl, and had to have it. A must see for any person who loves Irish fairytales and folklore. This movie is wonderful for the whole family!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Still great!

    I watched this "back in the day" (I was probably pre-teen)and loved it. I bought it to see if it was still good. It did not disappoint! It's a tad sappy, but it's Disney and it's from a sappier time. It still was fun and remarkably well done. The special effects for the time were fantastic....and they hold up today. Really interesting seeing how they did the effects (watch the "extras). Very enjoyable! Interesting to see a very young Sean Connery.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Irish Eyes are Smiling!

    This is my favorite movies about the fairy tales and folklore of Ireland. The performances are great Albert Sharp is a hoot as Darby.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Fun for All!

    I too am so happy to see this out on DVD. I have fond memories watching it as a kid.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A Really Fun Film

    I loved this film as a child and am very happy to finally see it on DVD. The early special effects are great and so is the early Sean Connery!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 28, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 21, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 20, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 6, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 24, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews