The Playboy Of The Western World (1962)

Set on the coast of Northern Ireland, a young stranger (Gary Raymond) appears at a remote tavern and announces he's on the run because he murdered his father (Niall MacGinnis). The innkeeper's daughter (Siobhan McKenna) takes a shine to him. Based on the 1907 play by John Millington Synge and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst (SCROOGE). Synge's comedy caused riots in 1907 Dublin because of its supposed "immorality" and an "insult" to the Irish people. Although the majority of the action takes place in the tavern, it's beautifully shot in Eastmancolor by Geoffrey Unsworth (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) who makes the most of the Dingle Bay exteriors in Ireland's County Kerry. As for the movie itself, I moderately enjoyed it even though I found its Irishness a bit much but at least it was real and not that phony Irish twee that infected John Ford's films. Many of the cast members were members of the famed Abbey Players. As the "playboy" of the title, Gary Raymond is quite good but it's Siobhan McKenna's performance that dominates the film. It may not be cinematic but it's a solid adaptation of the Synge play. With Elspeth March and Liam Redmond.