Cyril Cusack Movies
Born in South Africa, Cyril Cusack was the son of Irish actress Alice Cole. Cusack was seven years old when, in the company of his mother, he made his stage debut in East Lynne as the consumptive Willie. That same year (1917), he appeared in his first film. Extensively educated at the Dominican College in Newburgh (Ireland) and University College in Dublin, he launched his adult acting career with the Abbey Players in 1932. During his 14 years at the Abbey, he appeared in 65 productions; his favorite role, and the one with which he was most strongly identified, was Christy Mahon in Playboy of the Western World. In 1935, he became director of the Gaelic Players, and the following year made his London bow in Ah, Wilderness. He went on to appear with the Old Vic and the RSC, and in 1944 organized his own troupe, Cyril Cusack Productions. In 1947, his screen career, which had been moving in jumps and starts since 1935, went into full gear with Odd Man Out (1947). Generally shut out of leading roles because of his diminutive stature, he had a few starring films to his credit, notably 1968's Galileo. Otherwise, he was most often seen as a cleric or comic servant, and occasionally as a persuasive menace, notably as the Fire Chief in Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 (1967). He was also the author of two volumes of poetry. Twice married, Cusack is the father of six children, four of them actresses. In 1990, he appeared with his daughters, Niamh, Sinead, and Sorcha, in a Gate Theatre staging of Chekhov's Three Sisters. Though suffering from motor neuron disease in his final year, Cyril Cusack managed to make one last screen appearance in Ron Howard's Far and Away (1993). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1962
Dr. Susan Hayward makes a tragic mistake when she leaves her Canadian practice to follow her ailing, married lover to England. Dying slowly and in great pain, her love begs her to help him die quickly. With great compassion, she does so with a large morphine injection. Unfortunately, her mercy lands her in court where she must face the ruthless and ambitious prosecuting attorney Peter Finch. Hayward ends up serving two years in prison. Afterward, her medical practitioner's license is revoked and she is left destitute and desperately alone until an anonymous party contacts her and invites her to take a job caring for the man's mentally ill wife. She goes to check out the situation and discovers the man to be Finch. Apparently his wife, Diane Cliento went mad after her father accidentally died. She accepts the position and soon finds herself deeply involved in a complicated situation where nothing is quite as it seems and where a death again leads her to stand trial in court for a crime she did not commit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Peter Finch, (more)
- 1962
Fitzjohn (Peter Sellers) is a retired general who is miserable at home with his shrewish wife Emily (Margaret Leighton). He dreams of younger days when he enjoyed the platonic company of the beautiful Ghislaine (Dany Robin). After many years, she shows up at his door and expresses her desire to take their relationship beyond the platonic level. When his plans are temporarily postponed, he leaves her in care of his right hand man. His aid and Ghislaine fall in love, prompting Fitzjohn to begin court-martial proceedings against his unfaithful aide. When the lineage of his aide is discovered, he tries to halt the trial in this ironic comedy taken from the play by Jean Anouilh. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Dany Robin, (more)
- 1961
Father Carey (Nigel Patrick) is a priest who must decide whether or not an amnesia victim (Aldo Ray) is responsible for the murder of the alcoholic Irish writer Mulcahy (William Bendix) in this routine thriller. The question posed to Carey is whether or not the murderer acted on the word of God when the writer asked the Almighty to strike him dead. Father Carey comes to believe the killing was masterminded by Johnny's sweetheart Miss Floyd (Yvonne Mitchell). The small Irish village is put under public microscope with the murder and the sensational trial. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, (more)
- 1960
This uneven, wartime drama delves into the complexities of the political situation in Northern Ireland, compounded in World War II when the IRA collaborated with the Nazis against England, their long-time foe. Robert Mitchum stars as the heroic Dermot O'Neill, willing to join the IRA yet unhappy with their ties to fascist Germany. His interaction with the local IRA unit is intense and occurs at the same time as his love affair with Neeve Donnelly (Anne Heywood). His buddy Sean Reilly (Richard Harris) is also around to lend moral support when a situation calls for it. Between Dermot and his relationships and family clan, and the political intrigues, things can get a little crowded at times. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Anne Heywood, (more)
- 1959
Filmed on location, Shake Hands With the Devil is set in Ireland during the "troubles" of 1921. James Cagney plays a brilliant medical professor who doubles as head of the Irish Republican Army. Cagney convinces one of his more pacifistic students, Don Murray, to join the underground struggle against British rule. Murray suffers a crisis of conscience when his sweetheart Dana Wynter is taken hostage by the IRA and is slated for execution by the zealous Cagney. Several members of Dublin's Abbey Players appear in supporting roles in Shake Hands With Devil. Watch for Richard Harris in the small part of Terence O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Don Murray, (more)
- 1958
After years of suffering through lookalike MGM musicals (at least, that was his complaint), Howard Keel was able to sink his teeth into a dramatic role in the British Floods of Fear. Serving a life term for murder, Donavan (Howard Keel) breaks out of jail with sadistic convict Peebles (Cyril Cusack), taking along a wounded guard (Harry H. Corbett) as hostage. It is Donavan's intention to exact revenge against the man who framed him, but this will have to wait: a driving rainstorm is threatening to precipitate a raging flood. Taking refuge in the tiny house owned by the terror-stricken Elizabeth (Anne Heywood), the convicts and their captives nervously wait out the storm. Slowly, Elizabeth and Donavan are drawn to one another, while Peebles threatens to erupt into a fit of homicidal rage at any moment. When the flood reaches the danger level, Donavan performs several self-sacrificial acts of courage, prompting Elizabeth to try to save him from ruining what's left of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Keel, Anne Heywood, (more)
- 1958
Director John Ford traveled to England to film this adaptation of the novel by J.J. Maraca, which details a typical day in the busy life of a detective for Scotland Yard. Inspector George Gideon (Jack Hawkins) begins his working day by confronting one of his fellow officers who is believed to be accepting graft. The sergeant stubbornly denies the charge, but he dies later the same day in a mysterious hit-and-run accident that piques Gideon's curiosity. While confronting internal strife within Scotland Yard, Gideon also has more typical crimes to investigate, including a murder in Manchester and a burglary in London, both of which were performed by the same vicious criminal. Gideon himself becomes the victim of a holdup and is forced to take a bullet for his troubles, while on the home front he finds himself in disfavor with his family when he forgets to bring home salmon for dinner and lets his daughter's recital slip his mind. Along with Jack Hawkins, Gideon's Day features a stellar cast of British actors, including Cyril Cusack, Anna Massey, Laurence Naismith, Dianne Foster, and Billie Whitelaw. For its initial American release, Gideon's Day (also shown as Gideon of Scotland Yard) was cut from 91 minutes to a mere 54, and distributed in black and white prints instead of the original Technicolor. Fortunately, nearly all the prints currently in circulation are of the uncut, color edition. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hawkins, Dianne Foster, (more)
- 1957
London's colorful but rundown Soho district is the setting for this thinnish romantic comedy. John Gregson plays a Soho roadworker who has little hopes of finding happiness in life. Belinda Lee is a like-minded barmaid in a tiny pub. Gregson and Lee discover each other, and the "miracle" happens. The script was written by Emeric Pressburger, who apparently was so accustomed to "big" projects like The Red Shoes (47) that he couldn't scale himself down to the genuine emotions of normal people. Too, Miracle in Soho cries out for location filming, but the producers insisted upon lensing the story in the most unconvincing of studio sets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gregson, Belinda Lee, (more)
- 1957
In this drama, a brilliant scientist is stalked by the Communists who want his secret formula. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
To make the Rising of the Moon, American filmmaker John Ford returned to his Irish roots. An obscure and highly personal film for Ford, it is comprised of three episodes--each offering insight into Irish culture and values. All are introduced by Tyrone Power. In "The Majesty of the Law," a police officer is assigned to arrest an Irish curmudgeon who hit the neighbor who sold him a lousy batch of homemade whiskey. But this is no ordinary arrest as the old man is a traditionalist who loathes the new directions his beloved Eire is going. Out of respect, the cop eschews his car and walks to his cottage. The two have a conversation and the old man mourns the loss of the old ways and expresses his frustration over the encroachment of modern amenities that are destroying the Irish heritage. The sympathetic cop offers to free him if the old man will pay a small fine, but though the codger has more than enough to pay it, he refuses on principal. Even when the man who filed the charges offers to pay the fine, the coot refuses to give in and stoically heads off to serve his time. As he walks with the officer to the jail, the whole town comes out to honor the old man. Set at a train station "A Minute's Wait" offers a humorous look at Irish conceptions of time as train's brief scheduled stop to pick up some lobsters for an important dinner stretches out into a long, leisurely pause. The final vignette, "1921" features members of Dublin's Abbey Theatre and tells the story of how they engineer an elaborate rescue of an Irish patriot from prison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noel Purcell, Cyril Cusack, (more)
- 1957
A story of family interaction, this is an adaptation of an A.J. Cronin novel, with Dirk Bogarde in the title role. More a character study, the movie depicts an insecure man who sees his son's close relationship with their Spanish gardener and is jealous of it. Torn by the jealousy, he contrives to frame the man and have him sent off to jail, but the gardener escapes. When the son discovers what his Father has done, he runs off to be with the gardener, with his Father hot in pursuit. A touching story of a Father/son relationship, it is also the story of the friendship between the young boy and the gardener. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Jon Whiteley, (more)
- 1957
Eschewing the Shakespearean original title (it's a quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream), the British Ill Met by Moonlight was released stateside as Night Ambush. This superb Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger concoction is set during World War II on the island of Crete. Dirk Bogarde and David Oxley play Major Paddy Leigh Fermer and Captain Billy Stanley Moss, two British officers whose job it is to kidnap Nazi general Karl Kreipe (Marius Goring) and spirit him off to Cairo. The motive of this mission is to weaken German morale on Crete and to provide hope to the enslaved locals. With the help of a group of resistance fighters, Fermer and Moss manage to trap the general; now they must transport their captive back to their own lines, avoiding German patrols every inch of the way. Originally 104 minutes, Ill Met by Moonlight was cut to 93 minutes by its American distributor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, (more)
- 1956
Jacqueline, played by Jacqueline Ryan, is the daughter of a Belfast shipyard worker Mike McNeil, played by John Gregson. The worker's worth is compromised by his crippling fear of heights. Dismissed from his job, he finds solace in the bottle. All seems hopeless until Jacqueline breaks through Gregson's self-imposed gloom and helps him to regenerate. Jacqueline wouldn't be as effective as it is were it not for the lead actress's blessed avoidance of cloying cuteness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gregson, Kathleen Ryan, (more)
- 1956
Set in Ireland, The March Hare stars Terence Morgan as Sir Charles Hare, a wastrelly aristocrat who gambles away his family fortune. About to be evicted from his ancestral racing stables, Hare decides to stay on when he's mistaken for a groom by the new American owner's pretty daughter Pat Maguire (Peggy Cummins). Continuing to conceal his true identity, Hare helps Pat to raise a colt for racing purposes, leading to a lengthy but exciting Derby Day finale. Though The March Hare has lapsed into public domain, most existing prints retain the vivid color cinematography of Patrick Hildyard. The film was based on Gamblers Sometimes Win, a novel by Captain Field. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peggy Cummins, Terence Morgan, (more)
The Man Who Never Was is the true story of how the Allies threw the Nazis off track in planning the invasion of Sicily. The British Royal Navy exhumes the corpse of a man who died of natural causes, arranging to make it appear as though the dead man was a special services operative carrying the secret invasion plans. The elaborate ruse includes creating a fictional identity for the "spy," then faking a drowning for the corpse and having the body wash up on shore with false information. The plan is complicated by Lucy Sherwood (Gloria Grahame), the girl friend of the dead man, and Patrick O'Reilly (Stephen Boyd), a German espionage agent. The Man Who Never Was moves too slowly to maintain excitement, but it works well on a pure storytelling level. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clifton Webb, Gloria Grahame, (more)
- 1955
A Richard Armstrong novel was the source for the British sea melodrama Passage Home. Set in 1931, the film takes place aboard a merchant ship, briefly harbored in South America. A young woman (Diane Cilento) boards the ship as a passenger, resulting in disharmony among the superstitious crew members. Virtuous seaman Anthony Steel protects the girl from the lecherous advances of captain Peter Finch. The film's predictable highlight is an outsized sea storm, during which a besotted Finch struggles to stay sober long enough to keep everyone from falling overboard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
This drama is comprised of two short films originally made to be shown on British television. The first short is the story of a scientist who invents a miraculous new drug that no one pays attention to. Distraught, the scientist is just about to end his life when his drug saves a child's life. In the second drama, the patriarch of an Irish family falls for the mechanisms of a con artist and threatens to squander the family savings on the foolish scheme. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
This anthology is comprised of three stories. In the first a naive American tycoon boards the famous Orient Express and finds himself victimized by con-artists until a helpful train guard comes to aid him. The second tale centers on an impoverished Irishman's daughter who wants to marry the son of a miserly Scottsman. She and he are told they cannot marry, but the Irishman steps in and saves the day. The third tale centers upon a Norwegian artist who kills his own brother. It is his own wife who sees that he gets his come-uppance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Saadia is an MGM-ized version of the Francis D'Autheville novel Echeck au Destin. Produced, directed and written by the always fascinating Albert Lewin (The Moon and Sixpence, Picture of Dorian Gray), the film stars Cornel Wilde as Si Lahssen, the progressive ruler of the Moroccan province of Anahout. Henrik (Mel Ferrer), Anahout's chief physician, rescues a beautiful dancing girl named Saadia (Rita Gam) on the operating table. In doing so, he is in direct violation of local sorceress Fatima (Wanda Rotha). The sorceress vows to destroy Henrik -- and by extension, Saadia, whom he loves, and Si Lahssen, whom she loves. The film isn't entirely successful, but deserves an A for effort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cornel Wilde, Mel Ferrer, (more)
- 1951
Glenn Ford plays a convict who breaks out of a 19th century Nevada prison in the company of several less handsome inmates. When they enter a snowbound California village, they find that all the men have left to prospect for silver; only the women remain. The village is known as Convict Lake because, years earlier, $40,000 of stolen money was hidden somewhere in the area. Town matriarch Ethel Barrymore seems to know where it is, but she ain't talkin'. After recovering the money, the convicts are forced to shoot it out with the returning menfolk. All prisoners are rounded up by the law except for Glenn Ford, who has fortuitously been cleared of false charges, allowing him a fadeout embrace with costar Gene Tierney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, (more)
- 1951
The Blue Veil was the single most successful effort from the production team of Jerry Wald and Norman Krasna. Jane Wyman pulls out all the emotional stops as a young Frenchwoman named Louise, who, after losing her husband and child in WW I, devotes the rest of her life to selflessly caring for other people's children. In true "woman's story" fashion, Louise ages and ages beautifully, sacrificing all for the sake of others. On the brink of destitution, she is rescued by her former charges, all nicely grown up and boundlessly grateful. A remake of the French Le Voile Bleu, The Blue Veil was adapted for the American screen by radio's Norman Corwin. The sterling supporting cast includes Charles Laughton as a widowed manufacturer, Joan Blondell as a blowsy actress, Natalie Wood as Blondell's neglected daughter, and Richard Carlson, Audrey Totter, Agnes Moorehead and Don Taylor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Charles Laughton, (more)
- 1951
- NR
Allegedly based on a Rudyard Kipling novel, this draws most of its inspiration from the 1939 film made of Kipling's narrative poem Gunga Din. Stewart Granger, Robert Newton and Cyril Cusack play three boisterous English soldiers stationed on the Northern India frontier. Walter Pidgeon and David Niven are the threesome's superior officers, who are aggravated by the soldiers' drunken exploits but who appreciate how valuable they are to the regiment. The soldiers three become heroes once more when they thwart a native uprising. Producer Pandro S. Berman, coincidentally, had been in charge of production at RKO when Gunga Din was filmed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1951
In this actioner, a young British factory worker living in the 1930s chucks his job in favor of motorcycle racing. He is quite successful, becomes an egomaniac, loses his wife, and learns his lesson. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, (more)
- 1950
In this costume adventure set in France during the Reign of Terror, a mysterious man known only as the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues noblemen from the guillotine and leads them to safety across the English Channel. Chauvelin (Cyril Cusack) is determined to unmask the Pimpernel and bring him to justice. When evidence begins to suggest that the hero is actually foppish Sir Percey Blakeney (David Niven), Chauvelin blackmails Percey's wife, Marguerite (Margaret Leighton), into cooperating on the threat that he'll expose the criminal activities of her brother Armand (Edmund Audran). However, Marguerite doesn't much care for her husband, hardly believes he could be the heroic Pimpernel, and is startled when she finds out that he truly is the masked vigilante. The Elusive Pimpernel was originally shot in color as a musical, but the musical numbers were cut before the film was released, and the picture's American distributor chose to make only black-and-white prints (though the current home-video release is in color). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Margaret Leighton, (more)
