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starring: Robert Mitchum, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Christopher Jones, Leo McKerndirected by: David Lean
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304366035
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
ISBN: 6304366035
Label: MGM (Warner)
Manufacturer: MGM (Warner)
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Release Date: March 04, 1997
Running Time: 206 minutes
Sales Rank: 13588
Studio: MGM (Warner)
Theatrical Release Date: 1970
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
In 1970, Ryan's Daughter had the distinction of being the first David Lean film to be included in Playboy magazine's annual 'Sex in the Cinema' round-up, thanks to a back-to-nature sex scene that earned the film its R rating. This old-school epic went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor for a grotesquely made-up John Mills as the cruelly put-upon village simpleton. But the years have not been quite kind to Ryan's Daughter. This brooding and storm-tossed epic is lovely to look at, but hard to hold with its miscast principles and unsympathetic characters. The film is set in 1916 in a British-occupied Irish village on the seacoast of Western Ireland. Lean's Ireland is a world apart from the colorful characters and close-knit community of John Ford's The Quiet Man. The village is populated by hooligans, slatterns, and traitors. No wonder the local priest (Trevor Howard) is compelled to haul off and slap several of his parishioners, including Rosy Ryan, the dreamy-eyed romantic daughter of the local 'publican.' The 'graceless gal,' as the priest calls her, is married to 'a good man,' a middle-aged local schoolteacher (a cast-against-type Robert Mitchum). She has enough money, and she has her health. But it's not enough, she declares. Enter--at the film's hour mark--a shell-shocked British officer (Christopher Jones) with whom she enjoys an illicit and scandalous affair that offers the promise of the 'satisfaction of the flesh' for which she yearns. Ryan's Daughter reunited Lean with Robert Bolt, the screenwriter of Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. Alas, the third time was not quite the charm. Miles and Jones generate little heat and Rosy's heedless behavior rouses even less audience empathy. Little in Maurice Jarre's sweeping score equals the high notes of his Oscar-winnings scores for Lawrence or Zhivago. But the landscapes, magnificent and foreboding, cast a ravishing spell of their own. Ryan's Daughter, too, will be embraced by those who have a soft spot in their hearts for love stories set against the backdrop of historical events and this Hollywood epic that in the year of M*A*S*H and Five Easy Pieces, was stubbornly out of style. --Donald Liebenson
On the DVD
This two-disc special edition would seem to be everything for which champions of Ryan's Daughter would wish. It presents the film in its original 206-minute running time, and preserves the original aspect ratio of the theatrical 70mm presentation. The audio commentary views the film from a variety of perspectives, including Miles, Lean's widow, Lean's biographer, Robert Mitchum's daughter, and directors John Boorman and Hugh Hudson. These and others are also featured in an illuminating new three-part documentary, 'The Making of Ryan's Daughter,' which also features archival interviews with Lean, and is candid enough to address the film's less-than-welcome reception with critics and audiences. Rounding out this set are two period documentaries that went behind the scenes of the production. --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - ROMANCE SET IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Ryan's Daughter (Two-Disc Special Edition)
David Lean's very interesting romance set in Northern Ireland in 1916. Robert Mitchum is almost type-cast as the sleepy-eyed and plodding village school - master, who marries young Sarah Miles. Christopher Jones is the British Officer who has an affair with Sarah during his stay in the village. But there are only two real stars of the show - the beautiful, sweeping scenery and John Mills, who won a supporting actor Academy Award, for his brilliant, ... Read More
Rating:  - Not your typical epic chick flick
Most would probably consider this a 70s chick flick, but it is far superior to that genre. These are characters imbued with all the frailties of real people. Sarah Miles had a brief run in the 70s on the A list of female British stars. Though I was never a huge fan (she always projected a very fragile and neurotic vibe), she is perfect for the role of Rose, the refined, romance obsessed, spoiled daughter of the local pub keeper in a small village on the Western coast of Ireland. Her older cuckolded ... Read More
Rating: - Masterpiece
A masterpiece and IMO David Lean's best film by far. A good story (originating in Madame Bovary) with excellent screenplay (by Robert Bolt) and production. Several superb performances, but Sarah Miles is outstanding and not just as a beauty. She plays the part of Rosie Ryan to perfection and is totally convincing. Fabulous scenery though some of the shots, taken out of necessity on a South African beach, show water a bit too blue to be Ireland. Many notable scenes, but my favorite is the one with the ... Read More
Rating: - Review...Ryans Daughter
What a wonderful epic about Love, Politics, War and Betrayal in 1940's Ireland. The characters are unique and well played...Trevor Howard and John Mills are a forceful precence.....and Oh, the scenery! Long,.... but a must see!
Rating:  - Disappointing
I am quite surprised at all the glowing reviews for this film. With the exception of Trevor Howard, the acting was pretty bad. Rose's love scenes with the English soldier did nothing to make the viewer believe this was a passionate love that could not be denied. In fact, they didn't appear much different than her love scene with Robert Mitchum. There was nothing about either Rose or the English soldier that would indicate irresistability. Perhaps each was particulary attracted to woodenness.
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