Young Cassidy

1965
Approved
1h 50m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

1.4K

YOUR RATING

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1 Video

32 Photos

Biography Drama

The misadventures of a young idealist man in Dublin, Ireland in the early twentieth century.The misadventures of a young idealist man in Dublin, Ireland in the early twentieth century.The misadventures of a young idealist man in Dublin, Ireland in the early twentieth century.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

1.4K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations total

Trivia
In an interview, director Jack Cardiff said that only four minutes and five seconds of the footage shot by John Ford ended up in the finished movie. 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 (1925).

Goofs
The story is set around 1910. One hour into the story a horse and carriage pass by. A 1960s-era car is seen turning at an intersection where it just came from.

Quotes
W.B. Yeats: You're young Cassidy, and that makes your passion effortless and artless. Think towards the day when you are old and the passion is painful and remorseless. What you have now has given you pity. What you must one day find will give you compassion. Age, the winter days, make the chill of the frost as compelling as the heat of the sun. Lovers look towards the time of day when the sun goes down. But give a thought to the time, when as an old man, you'll be surprised to see the sun come up. The warmth of your girl's body inspires you now, Cassidy. There will be a time when you must be inspired by the Artic waste. Prepare for that.

Crazy credits
Billed as "A John Ford Film", although Jack Cardiff is credited as sole director.

Connections
Featured in Sean O'Casey: The Spirit of Ireland (1965)

User reviews26

Review

Featured review

6/10

I think I wanted to like this one more than I actually did.

"Young Cassidy" is a film about the life of the famous Irish writer and dramatist, Sean O'Casey. It follows him from around WWI to his becoming famous, of sorts, in the late 1920s. Oddly, as you watch the film you'll probably assume it all takes place over one or two years...but 15 to 20 is more like it...and the actors and time never seem to pass.

The story was originally to have been made by John Ford, which isn't surprising due to his love of all things Irish in his movies. It follows O'Casey (Rod Taylor) from working as a day laborer to his becoming a hated dramatist, as you see one of his plays being booed and attacked by many.

I gave this movie a 6 because it tries hard and offers some nice moments. But it was a hard sell to me because the film made O'Casey seem like a bit of a jerk and I really didn't have all that much interest in him and his life. I am not sure if it's because O'Casey was a jerk or just because of the screen play. I just found myself not caring much about him or his life.