Young Cassidy (1965)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
Biographical drama based on the early life of playwright Sean O'Casey,
depicting his rise from the 1910 Dublin slums to the celebrated openings of his early plays.
Johnny Cassidy, an impoverished idealist whose ambitions are restricted by the demands
of looking after his family, journeys through the social injustices of
Dublin life - involving himself with the rowdy tramway-men strike,
dawdling with prostitute Daisy Battles, seeking a better life.
He falls in love with bookshop assistant Nora who encourages him toward a life of writing.
Finding success at the Abbey Theatre, his unorthodox views estrange him
from family, friends and his own past.
Written by alfiehitchie

Full Cast
Rod Taylor ... John Cassidy
Julie Christie ... Daisy Battles
Maggie Smith ... Nora
Michael Redgrave ... W.B. Yeats
Edith Evans ... Lady Gregory
Flora Robson ... Mrs. Cassidy
Jack MacGowran ... Archie
Siân Phillips ... Ella
T.P. McKenna ... Tom
Julie Ross ... Sara
Robin Sumner ... Michael
Philip O'Flynn ... Mick Mullen (as Phillip O'Flynn)
Pauline Delaney ... Bessie Ballynoy (as Pauline Delany)
Arthur O'Sullivan ... Foreman
Joe Lynch ... 1st Hurler
Vincent Dowling ... 2nd Hurler
Tom Irwin ... Constable
John McDarby ... Carman at Cat & Cage
John Cowley ... Barman at Cat & Cage
Gerry Sullivan ... Barman (as Gerard Sullivan)
Bill Foley ... Publisher's Clerk (as William Foley)
John Franklyn ... Bankteller
Harry Brogan ... Murphy
James Healey ... Bank Clerk
Anne Dalton ... Neighbour
Donal Donnelly ... 1st Hearseman
Martin Crosbie ... 2nd Hearseman
Fred Johnson ... Cab Driver
Eddie Golden ... Captain White
Chris Curran ... Man in Phoenix Park (as Christopher Curran)
James Fitzgerald ... Charlie Ballynoy
Eamon Kelly ... Feeney
Shivaun O'Casey ... Lady Gregory's Maid
Harold Goldblatt ... Abbey Theatre Manager
Daniel Skidd ... Shelly
Ronald Ibbs ... Theatre Attendant
May Craig ... Woman in Foyer
May Cluskey ... Woman in Foyer
Marcella Grimes ... Woman in Riot
Michael O'Brian ... Man in Riot
Derek Young ... Policeman
Clive Geraghty ... Policeman
Wesley Murphy ... Policeman
Donal LeBlanc ... Boy with Books
Henry B. Longhurst ... Doctor (as Henry Longhurst)
Eamon Morrissey ... 3rd Hurler
Jack O'Reilly ... 4th Hurler
Dermot Tuohy ... 1st Man in Drill Hall
John Dunn-Hill ... 2nd Man in Drill Hall (as John Dunn Hill)
David Kelly ... O'Brien
Sheila Manahan ... 1st Neighbour
Nora O'Rawe ... 2nd Neighbour
Guy Doleman ... Officer
Norman Smythe ... Soldier
Michael C. Hennessy ... Theatre Attendant (as Michael Hennessy)
Pat Layde ... Guard
Finnuala O'Shannon ... 1st Girl at Abbey Theatre
Maire Hastings ... 2nd Girl at Abbey Theatre
Geraldine Plunkett ... 3rd Girl at Abbey Theatre
Liz Davies ... 4th Girl at Abbey Theatre

Derry Power ... Captain White's Platoon Member (uncredited)
Larry Taylor ... 2nd Theatre Thug (uncredited)

Writing Credits
John Whiting (screenplay)
Sean O'Casey (autobiography "Mirror in My House")

Original Music
Sean O'Riada

Cinematography
Edward Scaife

Trivia
Director John Ford fell ill during production and was replaced by Jack Cardiff.

In an interview Jack Cardiff said that only four minutes and five seconds of the footage shot by John Ford ended up in the finished film. The riot scene was cited by critics as the obvious work of Ford, yet it was completely done by Cardiff who admitted that he found inspiration from Battleship Potemkin

Filming Locations
County Wicklow, Ireland
MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK (studio)

Original Trailer

Young Cassidy is a 1965 film directed by Jack Cardiff and John Ford,
and starring Rod Taylor, Mggie Smith, Julie Christie and Michael Redgrave.
The film is a biographical drama based upon the life of the playwright Sean O'Casey.

User Review

Quote

Formidable individual performances, weak film
3 March 2003 | by Jugu Abraham (Trivandrum, Kerala, India)

I was most amused to see the credits start presenting a John Ford film and the credits ending with "directed by Jack Cardiff."

I believe John Ford was responsible for a few scenes in the film, including the scene where Rod Taylor (Sean O'Casey/Cassidy) enters the room where his mother (Dame Flora Robson) lies dead. This sequence is extraordinary--described and narrated by Taylor's monologue and actions. This does not stand up to the quality of the rest of the film, which is below average. Now Cardiff is a good cinematographer. He has to deal with a great cast assembled by Ford, who individually perform very well, and are captured well by Cardiff's visual eye but lack the vision of a great director to string the pearls together into a great necklace. The film's ending is amusing--a poor man turned rich man handing a crown to a vagrant who appreciates the worth of the money. What had the ending to do with what preceded it? If anything, the final scene is ambiguous and one begins to wonder whether the director was making a hero of Sean O'Casey or was he chastising him as are the film's oblique comments on Yeats living in sheltered house, policed by the British. The poor man turned into a rich and famous playwright is presented to us in fits and starts. The film did have a good intention but it lapses into mediocrity. Only two characters develop well--the mother (Robson) and Nora (Maggie Smith).

Julie Christie is mesmerising in any film but her character is never developed. Maggie Smith has charmed audiences over the years but this film is definitely one of her finest. Dames Robson and Evans are daunting thespians. Add to them Michael Redgrave. All great actors--including Aussie Rod Taylor. The film does not end with a bang but with a whimper.

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