alexanderdavies-99382
"The Molly Maguires" wasn't received with much enthusiasm when it went out on release in 1970. Director Martin Ritt claimed the film damaged his professional reputation and Sean Connery was confirmed as being box office poison.
This isn't the most glamorous or flamboyant of films but it isn't meant to be. Anyone expecting any of that is bound to be disappointed. This movie sets out to present an example of how life tended to be back in the 1870s and it succeeds remarkably. In addition, "The Molly Maguires" is based upon real people and real incidents at a small mining community in the United States.
Richard Harris and Sean Connery complement each other to perfection. They are both well cast as typically rugged, tough characters and their many scenes together ignite the film. According to various reports, both actors got on very well and I think this shows in the final results. The supporting cast is a bit of a mixture: Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay and Anthony Zerbe amongst others. You don't come across a cast like that too often!
The viewer is spared nothing when it comes to the lengths that the miners are willing to go to in order to resist and to defy the horrendous working conditions to which they are subjected.
Sean Connery offers another example of how he is worth FAR more than just playing Bond. He has some brilliant dialogue to get his acting teeth into as do the rest of the cast. He plays the leader of the said secret society with power and with depth. Connery knows he needs to employ rather harsh tactics in order to make his point. However, it doesn't necessarily mean he enjoys using them. Richard Harris gives a good performance as the undercover police officer whose job it is to infiltrate the secret society. Before long, he will become embroiled within his own personal conflict.
The location that was chosen for the film, works most effectively. Observing the place that was used, I could actually envision there being a mining community from all those years before.
The direction from Martin Ritt is assured and imaginative. He allows time for a few quite hard-edged moments and a film like "The Molly Maguires" needs them.
One of my favourite scenes, is the rugby match. No CGI rubbish in those days as real human beings take the blows and the punishment. Hard-hitting in the literal sense.
This movie didn't deserve to flop at the box office.
ma-cortes
Real story about secret society of Irish miners in Pennsylvania , circa 1876 .The Molly Maguires was an Irish 19th century secret society active in Ireland, Liverpool and United States. The "Mollies" were mostly known for their activism amongst Irish American coal miners in Pennsylvania , they fought for better conditions for coal miners , using even terrorist acts . The Molly Maguires" were so-called because they would often disguise themselves by wearing womens' clothing, hence their name . Life is rough in the coal mines of Pennsylvania , suffering a dreadful existence . Wages were low, working conditions were atrocious, and deaths and serious injuries numbered in the hundreds each year. As the film deals with a secret group of Irish immigrant miners, known as the Molly Maguires led by a worker (Scotsman Sean Connery as Jack Kehoe who was not a miner, but the owner of a saloon, The Hibernia House) , there arrives a newcomer (first-rate performance by Irishman Richard Harris) who is working as informer , in fact , he is a Pinkerton detective who infiltrates the group .Exciting and thought-provoking story of Unions , treason and secret societies plenty of interesting drama , emotion and a strong antagonism between entrepreneurs and mine-workers . This good flick packs nice acting , vivid settings , evocative atmosphere , though is hurt by overlong scenes and depressing finale . Interesting screenplay dealing with brooding themes such as betrayal , fidelity , working fight , terrorism and many other things . As main cast : Connery , Harris , Eggar , as support cast : Frank Finlay , Anthony Zerbe , John Alderson , Bethel Leslie , Art Lund , Anthony Costello give top-notch interpretations . Colorful cinematography in Panavision by the classic cameraman James Wong Howe , filmed on location . According to cinematographer Howe, director Martin Ritt wanted to photograph this film in black and white, but was not allowed to do so by Paramount . Most of this film was shot in Eckley, Pennsylvania ; Paramount Pictures saved the town from being destroyed , it was slated to be demolished for strip mining . Special mention to impressive musical score , including a breathtaking leitmotif .This understatement as well as downbeat motion picture was compellingly produced and directed by Martin Ritt , though a little long . The film was a notorious flop when it was released in 1970, earning back a little over 10% of its $11-million budget, an enormous sum for the time . Director Ritt blamed the film's massive critical and commercial failure for permanently damaging his career. Ritt was an expert on well-crafted dramas such as ¨Stanley and Iris¨ , ¨Nut¨ , ¨Norma Rae¨ , ¨The front¨, ¨The Sound and the Fury¨ , ¨Black orchid¨ , though also directed films of all kind of genres such as : ¨The Spy Who Came in from the Cold¨ , ¨The Great White Hope¨ , ¨Mafia¨ . And he worked with Paul Newman in three Westerns : ¨Hombre¨ , ¨Hud¨ and ¨Outrage¨. ¨Molly McGuire¨ film will appeal to drama enthusiasts and Sean Connery , Richard Harris fans . Rating : Above average, well worth checking out ; along with ¨Outrage¨ , being one of Ritt's best movie.The picture was well based on actual events , they are the followings : About 22,000 coal miners worked in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. 5,500 of these were children between the ages of seven and sixteen years, who earned between one and three dollars a week separating slate from the coal. Injured miners, or those too old to work at the face, were assigned to picking slate at the "breakers" where the coal was crushed into a manageable size. The miners lived a life of "bitter, terrible struggle". Wages were low, working conditions were atrocious, and deaths and serious injuries numbered in the hundreds each year. The mine owners without one single exception had refused over the years to install emergency exits, ventilating and pumping systems, or to make provision for sound scaffolding and on September 6, 1869, a fire took the lives of 110 coal miners. Franklin B. Gowen, the president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company and "the wealthiest anthracite coal mine owner in the world", hired Allan Pinkerton's services to deal with the Mollies. Pinkerton selected James McParland to go undercover against the Mollies. Using the alias "James McKenna", he made Shenandoah his headquarters and claimed to have became a trusted member of the organization.McParland's assignment was to collect evidence of murder plots and intrigue, passing this information along to his Pinkerton manager. He also began working secretly with a Pinkerton agent assigned to the Coal and Iron Police for the purpose of coordinating the eventual arrest and prosecution of members of the Molly Maguires. After months of little progress, McParlan reported some plans by the "inner circle". When Gowen first hired the Pinkerton agency, he had claimed the Molly Maguires were so powerful they had made capital and labor "their puppets". When the trials of the alleged puppet-masters opened, Gowen had himself appointed as special prosecutor . On June 21, 1877, six men were hanged in prison .
kai ringler
I liked the film as a whole,, my grandfather worked in the mines in Pennsylvania in the 1920's-1950's . so I decided to check this one out. Sean Connery is stellar in his performance as the leader of our little terrorist group,, the workers at the mines are being treated unfairly and a lot of their pay is being kept from them like equipment used to dig up the coal which is highly unfair I think.. a new man comes to the crew but he actually is a detective sent in to blend in with the terrorist group,, and report back to the police with any findings that he has.. oddly enough he is Irish, so now you have to wander where his loyalties really are going to lie,, is it gonna be with the police,, because they do have the upper hand with our "detective", or will he stick with his "roots" and go with the terrorists.. pretty decent movie.
