Cheap The Molly Maguires (DVD) (Sean Connery, Richard Harris) (Martin Ritt) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Molly Maguires

In this fictionalized film version, the Molly Maguires are sympathetically portrayed as victimized miners trying to start a labor union. As a matter of fact, however, most of the Molly Maguires who were hanged were not employed as miners, but as saloon-keepers and small-time politicians, and they were condemned by the real miner's union because of the terrorism and cold-blooded murders they committed. The screenplay author who wrote the script for this film and co-produced it, Walter Bernstein, was once a member of the American Communist Party and was blacklisted during the Hollywood red scare. The movie director, Martin Ritt, was also a blacklisted leftist. Be forewarned, this movie is essentially left-wing propoganda with little similarity to actual history. The cinematography and sets are excellent, and the soundtrack by Henry Mancini is very enjoyable. The acting of Sean Connery and Richard Harris, and the effectiveness of their "Irish brogues," are so-so.

CAUTION: Not to be treated as History
The spirit of the industrial boom times is captured, but not in a factual way. With some exageration, and with few facts in order, scenes from the past brought alive in an excellent manner. Totally worth owning if you like action/suspense! Sean Connery does an excellent job, as usual, as does the late Richard Harris. Rumor, with good source, has it that during the making of this film, Harris went to a Hazleton, PA bar and 'hit' on somebody's wife, and was punched out on the spot. Hazleton, PA, is also the childhood home of Hollywood great, Jack Palance.

......But don't treat this movie as the gospel truth - it's not even close.

Viewed with prior knowledge of the period is the best way to go. Once again, Hollywood misfires its facts. Amid the Industrial Revolution, Irish Catholic, in addition to several other ethnic groups (the Irish certainly not the only ones in the mines at the time), worked in horrid conditions when having a job anywhere in the world was an accomplishment, wages were slim, and rarely was there enough to save. If you can justify the shootings and murders of people in order to exonerate a secret society, masked by an organization (the Ancient Order of Hibernians) that was supposed to be humanitarian - for other Irish Catholics.

This movie is not an accurate portrayal of events, but certainly is entertaining, with a very good glimpse of what coal mining was like for many ethnic groups, including: English, Scots, Welsh, Polish, Italian, German, Bulgarian, and Hungarian individuals, not just Irish Catholics. Granted, Irish were mistreated, giving Molly Maguires, who definitely existed, a Saintly Status (which is what some people want to do), is truly ridiculous. They were hanged, caught by another very similar to their own background, in a court system somewhat flawed, red-handed, at a time when few had any tolerance for outlaws and the violence they forced on honest, hardworking communities from many diverse backgrounds. Glorify the Mollies if you must, but don't confuse them with heroes in an objective light and expect to be treated seriously. Read up on it, even the local Catholic Priests condemned them by name, "Molly Maguires," making themselves targets and getting brutally beat up for it. Irish Catholics themselves considered Molly Maguire violence outrageous acts.

Excellent portrayal of Irish gangs and "Shillelagh Law"
This film tells the true story of an Irish gang or 'faction' which was active in the American labour movement in themid to late 1800's. It was brought over from Ireland and further took root among the Irish coal miners of Pennsylvania. Several books have been written about the Molly Maguires, but to understand them in-depth, you need to get the books "Understanding The Molly Maguires", and "Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting". Martin Scorcese's "Gangs Of New York" is also about Irish gangs like the Mollies, but films usually don't do full justice to this topic. Get this great, very entertaining movie, but for the whole story get the books mentioned above as well.