Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)

My 27 movie A-Z film-a-thon: Day 5

My 27 movie A-Z film marathon, day 5.

I am watching a movie for each letter of the alphabet I otherwise probably wouldn’t get to (anytime soon).

So far, my journey is this:

13 Assassins (Takashi Miike, 2010) – 9/10

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson, 2023) – 7.5

Blow Out (Brian De Palma, 1981) – 8.5

Cold War (Pawel Pawlikosski, 2018) – 6.5

The next one is one I was *hoping* I would enjoy, but didn’t think I actually would much. It’s the exact type of film this project was made for.

Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959) – Review

I wish I had watched this on VHS instead of Disney+. The Disney+ version uses a widescreen 1.85 aspect ratio rather than the original 1.33 full frame—the image feels zoomed in, with the tops and bottoms noticeably cropped.

Nevertheless, I’m glad I finally saw this little-known Disney classic. Why I don’t watch it every St. Patrick’s Day, I have no idea. It’s wall-to-wall Irish charm: Celtic music, drinking, leprechauns… It’s a slightly altered Beauty and the Beast, only it’s the father who must remain instead of the daughter.

This movie ticks all the boxes for a holiday tradition: tall tales, improvised Irish pub songs, elaborate dance numbers, even a house cat chasing a leprechaun. It’s full of charm—the kind of film my grandma would’ve adored, smiling through the whole thing. It really is what so-called “classics” like White Christmas and The Sound of Music only aspire to be.

My favorite part is the music. Every minute is soaked in the very best of the era—it’s joyful and varied. The plot keeps introducing new ideas to match the melodies and movement. I love this for all the same reasons I love Singin’ in the Rain and A Night at the Opera. This might be my third-favorite feel-good movie.

9/10