Review of Ryan's Daughter (1970) by Eddy K — 20 Apr 2017
A very flawed film, but NOT the disaster it was made out to be. It is also a beautiful film with some of Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles and Trevor Howard's best performances. The size is too much, and it goes on too long.
.. yes... but it is still a great and impressive film. I think the real problem is in the fact that it is not a love story about Rosy and Major Doryan, but about Rosy and Charles (Mitchum). The problem is that there is nothing between Rosy and Doryan other than a few hot sexual meetings.
How can the audience be expected to think of this as a 'love story' when there is only one scene when Rosy and Doryan actually speak to each other? And that scene is before they start having sex.
The only reason she continues to act so foolishly is for an orgasm. Do we really believe that this woman would leave her husband's bed in the middle of the night, run off to have sex with the major, and scamper back into bed without her husband waking up and knowing she's gone? There is no actual relationship that develops between Rosy and Doryan, at least not that the audience sees.
I totally understand her having a affair for great sex. But it would have been truly moving if we saw more to their 'relationship'. The triumph in all this is that Charles stays by her side. THAT is the love story in this.
Father Hugh (Trevor Howard, who really should have gotten the Oscar, not John Mills), tells them as much at the end. I understand they could only do so much with Major Doryan, as they contracted to use the horrible Christopher Jones, and were stuck with his limitations.
If only it could have been Terrence Stamp, David Hemmings, Michael York instead.
This review of Ryan's Daughter (1970) was written by Eddy K on 20 Apr 2017.
Ryan's Daughter has generally received positive reviews.
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