Ryan's Daughter

"A story of love...set against the violence of rebellion"

1970 3h 26m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 183

RomanceHistoryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising, a married schoolteacher in a small Irish village has an affair with a troubled British officer.

“A story of love...set against the violence of rebellion”

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Cast

Robert Mitchum
Charles
Trevor Howard
Father Collins
Christopher Jones
Major Doryan
John Mills
Michael
Leo McKern
Thomas Ryan
Sarah Miles
Rosy
Barry Foster
Tim O'Leary
Marie Kean
Mrs. McCardle

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Lean
Writers: Robert Bolt
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 206 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Lean, shot by Freddie Young. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Norman Savage shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard and Christopher Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A story of love...set against the violence of rebellion".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0066319 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Lean directs. Freddie Young behind the camera. Maurice Jarre scores. Norman Savage cuts. A long sit — settle in. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 206 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by David Lean, shot by Freddie Young. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Norman Savage shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard and Christopher Jones carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A story of love...set against the violence of rebellion".
8IMDB entry: tt0066319 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 22 themes, including "rebellion", "world war i", "gun", "village".

The technical file

Cinematography: Freddie Young
Original score: Maurice Jarre
Editing: Norman Savage
Makeup / hair: Colin Arthur
Sound: John Hayward
Runtime: 206 min · 3h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,300,000
Box office: $30,800,000
Return: 232% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

David Lean

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-07-03
★ 7/10
I don't always remember that in the midst of the Great War, the Irish republicans were keen to capitalise on British distractions elsewhere and use this moment to further their cause. Sadly for them, though, they hadn't the weaponry neccessary and getting it to the remote west coast of Ireland was quite a task. In a small village, pub landlord "Ryan" (Leo McKern) is one such man, dedicated to the freedom of his nation but also sensible enough not to pick fights with the army. His daughter, the school teacher "Rosy" (Sarah Miles) has just got married to "Shaughnessy" (Robert Mitchum) and though he's a decent enough cove she's less than impressed by marriage and so proves fairly susceptible to the charms of the newly arrived "Major Doryan" (Christopher Jones) who has been posted here to this backwater as he is clearly suffering from some sort of shell shock. Naturally, they have to keep their burgeoning relationship under wraps, but in such a tiny community and with the omnipresent "Michael" (John Mills) always appearing in the wrong place at the wrong time the likelihood of the gossips finding out, or even just maliciously speculating, has got to be high. Meantime, local insurgent "Tim" (Barry Foster) is awaiting an arms delivery which, despite a ferocious storm, the entire community manage to land - only for the soldiers to be waiting on the road to seize it and apprehend him. Someone must have told the police, but who? Well you can guess whom the villagers turn on, and the effect that has on both "Rosy" and the remarkably loyal "Shaughnessy". Set against the beautiful scenery of Western Ireland, this is a touchingly complex blend of love story and political thriller that illustrates that even though their desire for independence was strong, it was nowhere near as strong as the hold over them held by the church - and that is superbly, if sparingly, exemplified by Trevor Howard in quite possibly his best part since his portrayal of Bligh eight years ago. He's a priest who almost governs his community, he knows when to intervene and when to keep his nose out and he insists that "Michael" is left in peace. Why? "Michael" scurries around the village as if he were an Irish version of "Quasimodo", and is so often the subject of ridicule by the townsfolk who aren't always the most Christian in their attitudes towards him. Despite the fact that he has no dialogue, I think this role gives Mills scope to break the mould of his usually more stiff upper lip characterisations and really shine. McKern also delivers well and the entire village ensemble present us with a vision of a small network of people whom it's great to watch but I reckon would be horrible to live amongst. Mitchum hasn't really very much to do, but he manages to exert quite a stabilising influence as he reconciles with his failings as an husband and by the conclusion there is certainly no sign of a rose-covered cottage for anyone. David Lean reunited with Robert Bolt for the screenplay and with Maurice Jarre for an instantly recognisable score and presented us with a very characterful story of love, lust and a search for freedom in many of it's guises that is well worth a watch.

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