Synge's masterpiece, superbly acted and ingeniously shot. I regret the cuts in Act III, but they were necessary. Siobhan McKenna was one of the stars of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, and an outstanding actress -- her Viola in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and St. Joan in Shaw's play of the same name are available in audio book format, and are highly recommended. Though the great Cyril Cusack played the role of Christy Mahon -- the title character in Synge's play -- at the Abbey Theatre, I can't imagine anyone better suited for the role than Gary Raymond, McKenna's costar in this movie version. The entire cast is excellent, and the brogue is never too thick to be plainly intelligible to American ears. It's a shame this film is not available on DVD.
Review of The Playboy of the Western World
