Ryans Daughter-Special Edition (1970)

Editor's Note David Lean's epic tale of forbidden love, set during the Irish Rebellion of 1916 tells the story of Charles Shaughnessy (Robert Mitchum), a kind and gentle widower, who falls in love with and marries the much younger Rosy (Sarah Miles). On her wedding night, however, Rosy finds that her new husband does not make her romantic dreams come true. When a handsome young Major arrives to take over England's occupying forces, he and Rosy feel an immediate sexual attraction to each other. Unable to resist temptation despite the dangers, the two begin a passionate affair. But when someone betrays the Irish rebels to the British authorities, the whole town suspects Rosy. They're determined to make her pay... and it doesn't matter whether or not she's innocent. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Actress--Sarah Miles. Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor--John Mills, Best Cinematography.

	John Mills
	Robert Mitchum
	Sarah Miles
	Trevor Howard
	Anthony Havelock-Allan - Producer
	David Lean - Director
	Freddie Young - Cinematographer
	Maurice Jarre - Musical Score
	Norman Savage - Editor
	Robert Bolt - Writer
	Stephen Grimes - Production Designer

Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "Today it looks like genius; as Lean's visionary leanings run off the hook with symbolic weather and flora..." 03/01/2006 p.134

New York Times
"[A] marvel of pinpoint resolution and stable, saturated color." 02/07/2006 p.E4

Premiere
4 stars out of 4 -- "[A] cinematic expression of romance against a harsh backdrop of nature, politics, and human cruelty....RYAN's picture-perfect style of filmmaking is a pleasure to revisit." 04/01/2006 p.102

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
The very first shot of David Lean's "Ryan's Daughter" shows us a tiny speck of a figure running along the ridge of an enormous cliff. Alas, this shot introduces the tone of the film all too well; Lean's characters, well written and well acted, are finally dwarfed by his excessive scale.

Not every subject is suited to the epic treatment, to the vast landscapes and towering clouds and portentous musical scores, of the recent Lean style. "Dr. Zhivago" could support it because the Russian revolution was appropriate to the heroic scale. But a simple little love triangle on the Southwest coast of Ireland simply can't bear the weight of Lean's overachieving. - Roger Ebert