A Lad from Old Ireland tells the simple story of an Irishman who leaves his sweetheart and travels to America to find his fortune. After working in construction, he becomes a successful politician and travels back to his homeland just in time to save his girl's family from economic ruin.
The film was directed by Sidney Olcott and tells its story in a straightforward but effective way. Olcott uses the camera well and frames some interesting shots that build on one another. The shot of the main character traveling by ship receives a nice callback later. While the execution is well done, the film suffers from the simplicity of the story. At over 14 minutes, it still feels too long.
This was the first American film to go on location outside the U.S. and was very popular in its time. The director and writer (Gene Gauntier) also star.
The movie is available in two parts on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2
This will close out year one. Only 99 more to go! The year 1911 is coming up next.
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