The Playboy of the Western World is a 1962 film version of the 1907 play written by John Millington Synge. It was directed and co-written by Brian Desmond Hurst and stars Gary Raymond and Siobhán McKenna. Filmed in County Kerry, the film features many of the Abbey Players. The film was produced by the Four Provinces company created in 1952 by Hurst and Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin who had previously produced John Ford’s The Rising of the Moon[1] and Gideon's Day.
| The Playboy of the Western World | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Brian Desmond Hurst |
| Screenplay by | Brian Desmond Hurst Roland Kibbee |
| Based on | The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge |
| Produced by | Michael Killanin Denis O'Dell Brendan Smith |
| Starring | Gary Raymond Siobhán McKenna |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Music by | Seán Ó Riada |
| Distributed by | Janus Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editA young man from a far away village appears in County Mayo announcing to all and sundry that he has murdered his father with a blow to the head. With the tale growing in the telling, the young man becomes a local hero, until his angry father comes to fetch him home.
Cast
edit- Gary Raymond as Christy Mahon
- Siobhán McKenna as Pegeen Mike
- Elspeth March as The Widow Quinn
- Liam Redmond as Michael James
- Niall MacGinnis as Old Man Mahon
Production
editThe film was shot at Inch Strand on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry. William Constable, the art director built a cottage close to the beach.
Home Media
editAfter years of unavailability, the film was remastered from the original film elements and released on both DVD and Blu-Ray by Network Distributing in May 2021.[2] The release includes an image gallery, a trailer, and an interview with Gary Raymond recorded in March 2021.[3]
References
edit- ^ p.527 McBride, Joseph Searching for John Ford Univ. Press of Mississippi, 15/02/2011
- ^ The Playboy of the Western World Blu-ray (United Kingdom), retrieved 18 November 2021
- ^ "Playboy of the Western World (The)". Network On Air. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
External links
edit- Short film on Brian Desmond Hurst's Playboy of the Western World featuring part of the soundtrack
- The Playboy of the Western World at IMDb
- The Playboy of the Western World at the website dedicated to Brian Desmond Hurst
- The Playboy of the Western World The photographer Padraig Kennelly remembers the shooting of the film