Darby Ogill and the Little People

I smiled inwardly. They could and they can have him. I was in love! Not with the admittedly georgeous Connory but with the tiny, powerful, wonderful and surprisingly compassionate King Brian of the Leprechauns, charmingly portrayed (but not credited) by Jimmy O'Dea. Now, 45 years later, I see no reason to change my opinion.

The reasons this film holds up over the decades are its respect for the subject matter (although occasionally it slips a bit by modern pc standards), non-computerized special effects that hold up amazingly well, good pacing and most of all an engaging, delightful story utterly lacking in car chases, explosions, bad language or graphic sex.

Darby O'Gill, the title character, could easily have been played to the stereotypes of the fighting, drunken Irishman. But Darby's frequent visits to the pub are, as his daughter Katie (played by the adorable Janet Munro) explains, both for company and because he loves to tell stories. Albert Sharpe plays Darby many layers deeper than one would expect in a Disney movie or a comedy. Even as we laugh at his misadventures, we feel the abiding terror he has at the prospect of forced retirement, the loss of the house he and Katie have always lived in, a drastically reduced income and a diminished standing in the community. Much of the story advances from Darby's misguided attempt to protect Katie from knowledge of the impending changes in their lives.

Outside the pub, Darby's other source of entertainment is his relentless pusuit of leprechaun gold. Once he has been told that he must retire from his job and be pensioned at half pay, Darby's quest kicks into high gear. The film only hints at how extremely dangerous this avocation actually is. At first it seems like a harmless way for an old man to get a bit of exercise. However, if one reads Irish folklore, one learns that the leprechauns have little reason to like humans. The stories run riot with tales of how far a mortal will go to acquire fairy gold. Even if you do not know these stories, it's well to reflect that to coerce a leprechaun into giving it up is still stealing and the leprechaun has as much right as anyone to protect himself and his property.

With this in mind, our first introduction to King Brian is through Darby's pub tale, in which--naturally--he plays himself as the hero, trapping the little monarch and forcing three wishes out of him. However, as we learn, King Brian is five thousand years old, and quite experienced in tricking avaricious mortals. Moreover, his tiny stature harbors enormous, almost unlimited magical power.

I fell in love with King Brian's patience with Darby, the amazing restraint he shows in the use of that power and the indignities he puts up with out of an undeclared affection for the old man he sees as possibly his only friend. And there is no mistaking that those feelings are returned.

Indeed, there are subtle hints (you have to pay close attention to notice them) that King Brian has befriended others of Darby's line before and that he has an eye to the future when he offers to take a hand as matchmaker between Katie and Michael. Here, too, the sensitivity of the performance is low-key and multi-layered.

Clearly, Brian's restraint is based on his awarness that Darby's desire for the gold doesn't come from personal greed, but from deep, abiding love for Katie. At the climax of the film, the ultimate sacrifice Darby unhesitatingly makes to protect her inspires Brian to make a sacrifice of his own.

Do I recommend this film? I think it should be required viewing as a lesson that a film doesn't have to be violent or vulgar to entertain and stay with you for a lifetime.