The Rising of the Moon (film)
Encyclopedia
The Rising of the Moon is a 1957 anthology film
directed by John Ford
. It consists of three episodes all set in Ireland:
) reluctantly sets out to see an old friend, Dan O'Flaherty (Noel Purcell
). Along the way, he encounters Mickey J. (Jack MacGowran
), a poitín
maker who, fortunately for him, is not Dillon's target today. The inspector has the unfortunate duty of serving a warrant on O'Flaherty for striking Phelim O'Feeney (John Cowley
) on the head. O'Flaherty refuses to pay the fine, as he feels he has done nothing wrong, nor will he allow O'Feeney to pay it for him. Instead, he heads off to prison.
). Later, Paddy finally proposes to his longtime girlfriend Pegeen.
Mrs. Falsey (May Craig) chats with her old friend Barney Domigan (Harold Goldblatt), while her niece Mary Ann MacMahon (Maureen Connell) becomes acquainted with his son Christy (Godfrey Quigley
). Domigan is on his way to arrange a marriage between Christy and a young woman with a substantial dowry. Mrs. Falsey persuades him to change his mind by informing him that the U.S. Army has awarded Mary Ann $10,000 for her father's death in battle. The young couple, unaware of this development, insist they will only marry each other.
Meanwhile, the train is repeatedly delayed, much to the befuddlement of an older English couple (Anita Sharp-Bolster and Michael Trubshawe
). They are first displaced from their first class compartment to make way for a prize-winning goat. Then, they have to share their new compartment with lobsters intended for the bishop's golden jubilee. When they finally get off for some tea, they are left behind when the train finally departs.
) awaits his execution by the British during the "Black and Tan War"
. This is very unpopular with the Irish public who consider him a hero. The British warden (Joseph O'Dea) allows two "nuns" (Doreen Madden and Maureen Cusack), one of them his grieving "sister", to visit him; the false sister (an American citizen) swaps clothes and places with him. Unsuspecting Police Sergeant Michael O'Hara (Denis O'Dea
) helps the pair into a waiting carriage. He notices that one is wearing high heels, but thinks little of it.
The city is immediately sealed off as the manhunt for the fugitive begins. O'Hara is assigned to watch a section of the waterfront and daydreams of what he could do with the £500 bounty
. Already conflicted by divided loyalties, he is visited by his overtly nationalistic wife (Eileen Crowe). Then, Curran shows up disguised as itinerant ballad singer Jimmy Walsh. O'Hara is suspicious and has him sing; Curran chooses the patriotic "The Rising of the Moon
". Despite his unconvincing rendition, he manages to slip away on a boat sent for him while O'Hara bickers with his wife. When the policeman sees Curran getting away, he starts to raise the alarm, then reconsiders and starts singing "The Rising of the Moon" himself.
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
directed by John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
. It consists of three episodes all set in Ireland:
- "The Majesty of the Law", based on the short story of that title by Frank O'ConnorFrank O'ConnorFrank O’Connor was an Irish author of over 150 works, best known for his short stories and memoirs.-Early life:...
in Bones of ContentionBones of ContentionBones of Contention is a 1936 short story collection by Frank O'Connor featuring the following stories:*Michael's Wife*Orpheus and His Lute*Peasants*In the Train*The Majesty of the Law*Tears - Idle Tears*Lofty*The Man That Stopped... - "A Minute's Wait", based on a 1914 one-act comedy by Martin J. McHugh
- "1921", based on the play The Rising of the MoonThe Rising of the Moon (play)The Rising of the Moon is a play by Augusta, Lady Gregory.It is a political play which examines Anglo - Irish relations.It was first produced on March 9, 1907 by the Irish National Theatre....
by Lady Gregory.
The Majesty of the Law
Police Inspector Dillon (Cyril CusackCyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
) reluctantly sets out to see an old friend, Dan O'Flaherty (Noel Purcell
Noel Purcell (actor)
Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
). Along the way, he encounters Mickey J. (Jack MacGowran
Jack MacGowran
John Joseph "Jack" MacGowran was an Irish character actor, whose last film role was as the alcoholic director Burke Dennings in The Exorcist. He was probably best known for his work with Samuel Beckett.-Stage career:...
), a poitín
Poitín
Poitín , anglicised as poteen, is a traditional Irish distilled, highly alcoholic beverage . Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, meaning "pot"...
maker who, fortunately for him, is not Dillon's target today. The inspector has the unfortunate duty of serving a warrant on O'Flaherty for striking Phelim O'Feeney (John Cowley
John Cowley (actor)
John Cowley was an Irish actor, best known for his role as paterfamilias, Tom Riordan, in the long-running RTÉ Television drama series, The Riordans....
) on the head. O'Flaherty refuses to pay the fine, as he feels he has done nothing wrong, nor will he allow O'Feeney to pay it for him. Instead, he heads off to prison.
A Minute's Wait
A train pulls up to the Dunfaill station, where Paddy Morrisey (Jimmie O'Dea) announces there will be "a minute's wait". The passengers and crew crowd into the bar for refreshments, served by Pegeen Mallory (Maureen PotterMaureen Potter
Maria Philomena Potter , known as Maureen Potter, was an acclaimed Irish singer, actor, comedian and performer.-Life:...
). Later, Paddy finally proposes to his longtime girlfriend Pegeen.
Mrs. Falsey (May Craig) chats with her old friend Barney Domigan (Harold Goldblatt), while her niece Mary Ann MacMahon (Maureen Connell) becomes acquainted with his son Christy (Godfrey Quigley
Godfrey Quigley
Godfrey Quigley was an Irish stage, film and television actor.Quigley was born in Jerusalem where his father served as an officer in the British Army...
). Domigan is on his way to arrange a marriage between Christy and a young woman with a substantial dowry. Mrs. Falsey persuades him to change his mind by informing him that the U.S. Army has awarded Mary Ann $10,000 for her father's death in battle. The young couple, unaware of this development, insist they will only marry each other.
Meanwhile, the train is repeatedly delayed, much to the befuddlement of an older English couple (Anita Sharp-Bolster and Michael Trubshawe
Michael Trubshawe
Michael Trubshawe was a British actor and former officer in the Highland Regiment of the British Army. Trubshawe was very close friends with the famous British actor David Niven, serving as best man for both Niven's weddings, and is constantly referred to in Niven's memoirs The Moon's a Balloon,...
). They are first displaced from their first class compartment to make way for a prize-winning goat. Then, they have to share their new compartment with lobsters intended for the bishop's golden jubilee. When they finally get off for some tea, they are left behind when the train finally departs.
1921
Sean Curran (Donal DonnellyDonal Donnelly
Donal Donnelly was an English-born Irish theatre and film actor. He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, but raised in Dublin, Ireland....
) awaits his execution by the British during the "Black and Tan War"
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
. This is very unpopular with the Irish public who consider him a hero. The British warden (Joseph O'Dea) allows two "nuns" (Doreen Madden and Maureen Cusack), one of them his grieving "sister", to visit him; the false sister (an American citizen) swaps clothes and places with him. Unsuspecting Police Sergeant Michael O'Hara (Denis O'Dea
Denis O'Dea
Denis O'Dea was an Irish stage and film actor.O'Dea was a leading member of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, where his work led to a number of notable film roles, including two mid-1930s John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars , and the part of the police inspector in pursuit of IRA man...
) helps the pair into a waiting carriage. He notices that one is wearing high heels, but thinks little of it.
The city is immediately sealed off as the manhunt for the fugitive begins. O'Hara is assigned to watch a section of the waterfront and daydreams of what he could do with the £500 bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
. Already conflicted by divided loyalties, he is visited by his overtly nationalistic wife (Eileen Crowe). Then, Curran shows up disguised as itinerant ballad singer Jimmy Walsh. O'Hara is suspicious and has him sing; Curran chooses the patriotic "The Rising of the Moon
The Rising of the Moon
"The Rising of the Moon" is an Irish ballad recounting a battle between the United Irishmen and the British Army during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.-Description:...
". Despite his unconvincing rendition, he manages to slip away on a boat sent for him while O'Hara bickers with his wife. When the policeman sees Curran getting away, he starts to raise the alarm, then reconsiders and starts singing "The Rising of the Moon" himself.
The Majesty of the Law
- Cyril CusackCyril CusackCyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
as Inspector Dillon - Noel PurcellNoel Purcell (actor)Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
as Dan O'Flaherty - Jack MacGowranJack MacGowranJohn Joseph "Jack" MacGowran was an Irish character actor, whose last film role was as the alcoholic director Burke Dennings in The Exorcist. He was probably best known for his work with Samuel Beckett.-Stage career:...
as Mickey J. - John CowleyJohn Cowley (actor)John Cowley was an Irish actor, best known for his role as paterfamilias, Tom Riordan, in the long-running RTÉ Television drama series, The Riordans....
as Phelim O'Feeney
A Minute's Wait
- Jimmy O'DeaJimmy O'DeaJames Augustine "Jimmy" O'Dea was an Irish actor and comedian.-Life:Jimmy O'Dea was born in Lower Bridge Street, Dublin, where his mother kept a small toy-shop. He was one of 11 children. His father was an iron-monger and had a shop in Capel Street. He was educated at Blackrock College and...
as Paddy Morrisey, the porter - Maureen PotterMaureen PotterMaria Philomena Potter , known as Maureen Potter, was an acclaimed Irish singer, actor, comedian and performer.-Life:...
as Pegeen Mallory - Paul FarrellPaul FarrellPaul Farrell was an Irish film and television actor.He is best remembered as the "Tramp", in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange .-Selected filmography:* Ourselves Alone...
as Mr. O'Brien, the train engineer - Harold Goldblatt as Barney Domigan
- May Craig as Mrs. Falsey
- Godfrey QuigleyGodfrey QuigleyGodfrey Quigley was an Irish stage, film and television actor.Quigley was born in Jerusalem where his father served as an officer in the British Army...
as Christy Domigan - Maureen ConnellMaureen Connell-Selected filmography:* Golden Ivory * Port Afrique * Lucky Jim * Town on Trial * The Man Upstairs * The Crowning Touch * Never Let Go * Skyjacked -External links:...
as Mary Ann McMahon - Michael TrubshaweMichael TrubshaweMichael Trubshawe was a British actor and former officer in the Highland Regiment of the British Army. Trubshawe was very close friends with the famous British actor David Niven, serving as best man for both Niven's weddings, and is constantly referred to in Niven's memoirs The Moon's a Balloon,...
as Colonel Frobisher - Anita Sharp-Bolster as Mrs. Frobisher
1921
- Denis O'DeaDenis O'DeaDenis O'Dea was an Irish stage and film actor.O'Dea was a leading member of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, where his work led to a number of notable film roles, including two mid-1930s John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars , and the part of the police inspector in pursuit of IRA man...
as Police Sergeant Michael O'Hara - Eileen Crowe as Police Sergeant's Wife
- Donal DonnellyDonal DonnellyDonal Donnelly was an English-born Irish theatre and film actor. He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, but raised in Dublin, Ireland....
as Sean Curran - Maureen Cusack as "Sister Mary Grace"
- Doreen Madden as "Sister Matthias"
- Joseph O'Dea as British Warden
- Maureen Delaney as Old Woman
- Frank LawtonFrank LawtonFrank Lawton was an English actor, born Frank Lawton Mokeley. He was married to Evelyn Laye, with whom he acted several times including in My Husband and I .His parents were stage players Daisy May Collier and Frank Mokeley...
as British Officer - Edward LexyEdward Lexy-Filmography:* Under Secret Orders * Mademoiselle Docteur * Farewell Again * Knight Without Armour * Action for Slander * Smash and Grab * The Green Cockatoo...
as Quartermaster Sergeant