The Molly Maguires

It's a good movie. For me, however, it leaves a lot out, and shows a certain bias that doesn't please this 82-year old person who was born and raised in Molly Maguire land into an extended family of coal miners. Most glaringly, it doesn't nearly begin to explore the vitally important problems of good and evil, guilt and innocence, and generally the harm that a very large number of human beings suffered in many ways. However, this is important -- everything cinematic about the motion picture is beyond excellent -- the acting, the filming, the seta, props, clothing, language, and more. For me, it is a pure treat for the senses. A word about the acting: in every case, these actors (and their direction) say volumes without using a lot of words, and sometimes with none. Another treat.

Love this film. Bought the new Blu Ray Paramount put out . Was shocked when i found it was a burned Blu Ray! I hope this isn't a trend for new catalog titles from Paramount. If so they lost my business .

This movie is slow moving and grimly realistic. Although itwas unsuccessful during its original Hollywood release it is anaccurate rendition of the life of coal miners in 1800's Pennsylvania. The Molly Maguires were an immigrant Irish terrorist groupwho were concentrated in such coal mining locations as Carbon and Schuylkill and a few other counties throughout Pennsylvania in the 1860's and 1870's. Sean Connery dominated early James Bond movies so thoroughlythat it misleadingly seems like he is relegated to second-fiddlestatus in this interesting film. This movie is the direct antithesis of a James Bond movie. Do not make the mistake of subconsciously rating this film low because it doesn't live up to James Bond movie standards! This may be the only Hollywood movie to ever explore the Molly Maguires topic. Actor Richard Harris portrays an Irish immigrant namedJames McParlan who assumes the false imposter identity of a James McKennain order to infiltrate the Molly Maguires organization and convictthem of murder. In reality my deceased grandfather John Aloysius McKenna's grandfather was Patrick McKenna who was an immigrant from the city of Castlereagh in County Donegal, Ireland. Patrick owned a saloon called "McKenna's" in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania (a few miles outside of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania in Carbon County). My great-great grandfather Patrick McKenna was convicted in 1876 for being an accomplice in the murder of Welsh coal mining supervisor Morgan Powell. Patrick's brother-in-law Thomas P. Fisher (brother of my great-great grandmother Bridget Fisher McKenna) was one of twenty men who were hung after his conviction in the Molly Maguire murder trials although he denied being guilty all the way to the gallows. Actor Richard Harris's reenactment of a fictional James McKenna represented my real McKenna ancestors. Coincidentally my great-grandfather's name was James McKenna (he was one of Patrick McKenna's sons). My McKenna family is also described in detail in the book byAllan Pinkerton entitled "The Mollie Maguires and the Detective" which was first published in 1877.

I have been a union man all my life, as was my father and mother who was the daughter of a mine worker from Eastern Europe.The Molly Maguires shows an accurate picture of the hard life these people faced and how the mine owners schemed to keep them poor and virtual slaves in company towns. Sean Connery and Richard Harris, along with Samantha Eggar and other Celtic actors do a fine job of showing how the workers pushed back against their mine-owner masters. The media of the time called them murderers, but in truth, the wretched conditions in the mine towns killed far more than the Mollies ever did. I've often thought that Sean Connery was good as James Bond, but he grew into a seasoned actor playing in this film.This film is well worth your time.

I saw this movie many years ago and loved it. What I've read in the most recent reviews, however, leaves out that the script is based on a real, historic trial and hanging that took place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is notorious in that the man whose character is portrayed by Sean Connery, before being hung, placed his hand on the wall of his cell and swore his innocence. The handprint can still be seen in the jail, which is now an historic landmark. It has been scrubbed, sanded, and even painted over -- yet it still shows through. Now that it is available in DVD form, I am buying it for my husband, who I think will enjoy it. We both decend from Pennsylvania mining stock -- not Irish, but Jewish! In fact, during the mining violence of the 1920s, my uncle delivered payroll to the mines. The rules said he had to carry a gun and ammunition -- so he carried a .23 pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun shell, claiming the rules did not say the ammunition had to match the gun and he had no intention of killing anyone. . . . .

An older movie that my husband wanted me to see and he wanted to add it to our DVD collection. We both really enjoyed it.

Awesome movie

Great movie sean connery makes another masterpiece this was done 1970 post james bond erA for connery being frm Scotland he had irish borough in this movie Like he did for darby o gill 1959 pre james bond maybe one day an Irish catholic govenor will pardon the Molly's o j e day should had been gov Robert Casey 87 95