In the span of a decade, English filmmaker Sir David Lean (“Brief Encounter”) released a series of epics that are considered to be among the greatest works of cinema. It all started with “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago.” 

In spite of this string of successes, it appears that the fourth time did not seem to work for Lean. In 1970, he released “Ryan’s Daughter,” which focuses on a love triangle set not long after the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. It stars Sarah Miles (“Lady Caroline Lamb”) as Rosy Ryan, a young woman looking for excitement who falls in love with school teacher Charles Shaughnessy (Robert Mitchum, “The Longest Day”). Charles is a quiet man who seems unable to fulfill Rosy’s physical desires, and she begins to have an affair with British Army officer, Major Randolph Doryan (Christopher Jones, “The Looking Glass War”). Meanwhile, the revolutionary spirit is high as the villagers aid members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) in the hopes of throwing the British out of Ireland.

Production for the picture was notably troubled. The character of Father Hugh Collins was originally created for Lean’s long-time collaborator Alec Guinness (“The Bridge On The River Kwai”), but the Catholic Guinness turned down the role as he felt the film’s depiction of a Catholic priest was inaccurate. Thus, the role went to the similarly aged Trevor Howard (“Battle of Britain”). American actor Christopher Jones was brought in to play Major Doryan. Allegedly, Jones was incapable of pulling off an English accent, so he was dubbed over by Julian Holloway (“The Rum Diary”). The film’s troubled production appeared to have been a bad omen, as “Ryan’s Daughter” received a hostile reception upon its release. Humiliated, Lean chose to retire from filmmaking outright, making a brief return in 1984 to helm his final picture, “A Passage to India.”

One of the film’s most pressing issues is that it feels slow and incredibly dragged out. Some scenes, such as one of the final scenes in which Rosy and Charles walk through the village in what feels like a walk of shame, goes on much longer than it really needs to. Other scenes, such as the scene in which Rosy and Doryan make love in the forest, are completely unnecessary. The villagers are depicted as completely uncivilized, but the most insufferable was the supporting character of Moureen (Evin Crowley, “Upstairs, Downstairs”).

It should be noted that “Ryan’s Daughter” has undergone a critical reevaluation in recent years, as many feel that it was not as bad as critics claimed it to be. So what did work? For starters, the cinematography is gorgeous, aided by the natural beauty that is the Irish countryside. Maurice Jarre’s (“Lawrence of Arabia”) score is probably his best, perhaps one of the scores ever put on film. Aside from Jones and Crowley, the cast did a fairly good job in their roles, particularly Miles, Mitchum and Howard. But one cast member that stands out is Barry Foster (“Fall of Eagles”) who plays IRB leader Tim O’Leary, a ruthless man who is not afraid to kill in order to keep off the radar. John Mills (“Gandhi”) does a good job as the village idiot Michael, a role which won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 

Is “Ryan’s Daughter” a bad film? The film may have been more engaging had it been about two and a half hours instead of three. But some of the more positive aspects, like the cinematography, score and most of the performances still make it a serviceable flick. While it is not a bad film overall, it is still Lean’s weakest picture.

Image from Warner Archive via YouTube