The Plough and the Stars (1936) on Netflix
Nora Clitheroe runs a Dublin rooming house and keeps out of the rebellion around her. Her husband Jack has joined a rebel militia, and she begs him to stay away.
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- IMDb5.6/10709 votes
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Plot summary
In Dublin, Nora Clitheroe keeps a rooming house and stays clear of the political turmoil spreading through revolutionary Ireland. She discovers that Jack, her husband, has joined a militia of Irish rebels who want to drive the British out of the country. Nora fears for Jack's safety and asks him to stay clear of the rebels and their cause. Jack promises her that he will stop taking part with them, a promise he has made before. The story unfolds in Dublin in 1916, as the city moves toward the Easter rebellion against British rule.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Plough and the Stars (1936)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- MGM agreed to lend Spencer Tracy to RKO for the lead in this John Ford film, but Tracy withdrew just before filming began, saying the part wasn't good enough, and MGM grew hesitant after his breakout in Fury and San Francisco. RKO swiftly cast Preston Foster instead to stay on schedule.
- Arthur Shields, the actor playing Irish leader Padraig Pearse in the film, had himself taken part in the real Easter Rising rebellion as a youth.
- Dismayed by her small speaking part, Barbara Stanwyck told director John Ford during rehearsals that she could walk through it, and Ford used the remark derisively against her for the rest of filming.
- John Ford was enraged at RKO over the film's casting and its softened politics, and after the release complained that the studio had completely ruined the damned thing.
- John Ford barred the actors from wearing makeup to give the film a sense of realism, and Barbara Stanwyck at first refused to appear without it before giving in.
- The play as staged in Dublin had a great deal of broad satire approaching farce, but the comedic aspects were removed entirely for the screenplay.
