The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966)

Strong and Moving!

Powerful

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

It deals with a prince, Hugh O'Donnell : Peter McEnery , who when his father dies inherites the main title , the prince of Donegal . As an Irish prince battles the invading English in 16th Century Ireland and subsequently attempts to unite the opposite clans to wage war on England , creating a solid alliance between the O'Donnell and O'Neill . But then Hugh is abducted and imprisoned by the Viceroy : Norman Wooland and his nasty henchman , captain Leeds : Gordon Jackson . He did escape twice their clutches with the assistance of his friends the O'Neills , as he leads his clan in rescuing his mother and his beloved : Susan Hampshire . This aventure movie released by Walt Disney Distribution Company contains thrills , fights , emotion , battles , several escapes , pursuits and romance . Being filmed at Pinewood studios , London , England and including a lot of matte painting . Decent main cast , such as Peter McEnery as the brave hero who escapes from impregnable prisons to unite the Irish , at the same time he courts the beautiful Kathleen McSweeney well played by the attractive Susan Hampshire . They are accompanied by a magnificent plethora of Brit secondaries such as his friend McSweeney finely performed by Tom Adams , Gordon Jackson as the villain captain , Norman Wooland as Sir Jim Perrott , Donald McCann , Peter Jeffrey , film debut of Maurice Roeves and Andrew Keir as leader of the Irish clan McSweeney . Critical reception was split between those who accepted it as unpretentious entertainment and those who thought it cliched and oversimplified.The motion picture was regular but professionally directed by Michael O'Herlihy , though the film did no well at boxoffice . He was a major TV filmmaker from the fifties to the eighties . His credits include Maverick episodes , Star Trek , Gunsmoke, MASH , Hawai 5-0 , Miami Vice , A Team , among others .He also made some films , such as : Original family band , The one only genuine , Detour to terror , The magnificent hustle , Deadly harvest Smith and this Prince of Donegal .This Disney swashbuckler based on the novel Red Hugh Prince of Donegal by Robert T Reilly is partially based on historic events , these are the followings : O'Donnell were an ancient and powerful Irish family , princes and lords of Tyrconnell : county Donegal , in early times and the chief allies and sometimes rivals of the O' Neills in Ulster . The jewel of the crown was Donegal castle , one of the 7 castles O'Donnell and nowadays a natioal monument slowly restored . Hugh ODonnell led an uprising against England , at 15 he was imprisoned in Dublin castle , at 20 he became Lord of Donegal after his father's abdication . He united various Irish clans and his forces vanquished a long string of battles as Clontibret and the Yellow Force battle . But they were ultimately defeated at the battle of Kinsale 1602. Unfortunately , Hugh fled and sailed to Coruña , Galicia , Spain , hoping king Philip III would provide more aid . However , Hugh Prince died at Simancas Castle , Valladolid 1602.

If not as good as the films that Walt Disney put out in the Fifties with Richard Todd, The Fighting Prince Of Donegal is a return to that swashbuckling era of Disney live action films. Peter McEnery in the second of two films he made for Walt Disney Studios is a dashing head of the O'Donnell clan of Donegal. McEnery is Hugh O'Donnell succeeding his father, also Hugh O'Donnell. And the Irish being a people attached to mystical prophecy have it on record that when a Hugh succeeds a Hugh its time to rise and kick the English out.McEnery had previously done The Moonspinners for Disney with Hayley Mills as his co-star. But Hayley had grown up and left the Magic Kingdom and in a role I'm sure that was meant for Mills, Susan Hampshire steps in as the daughter of Andrew Keir head of the McSweeney clan.The Fighting Prince Of Donegal is based on a true story that was not hardly the lighthearted romp that McEnery and his mates seem to have chastising the English occupiers. Another reviewer covered the real story quite nicely. I will say that a true telling of the tale would hardly have been good for the audience that Disney films were trying to reach.Still The Fighting Prince Of Donegal holds up quite well though adult audiences might find it a bit hard to take. Save it for the juvenile trade.

Certainly Walt Disney took liberties with the story of Hugh O'Donnell in order to make it more appealing to to the teen magazine culture of the 60's but his history is not that far off the mark. Much of the music is based on traditional Irish themes, most notably, "O'Donnell Abu" the marching song of the O'Donnell clan. Interestingly, the main cast though playing Irish figures, were English (McEnery, Hampshire, Adams). -------Red Hugh O'Donnell (1571 - 1602)In the early 1500's the Irish families and clans were still warring amongst themselves - O'Donnell's own grandfather was imprisoned by Hugh's half-uncle who warred with Hugh's father. In the mid-1500's some chieftains, most notably, the O'Donnell, were working to unify the Irish clans.Sir John Perrot (English deputy), in order to check the rising power of the O'Donnells planned to capture Hugh. A ship with a cargo of Spanish wine came into Lough Swilly, and the seventeen year old Red Hugh and two companions were invited on board where Hugh was captured. He was taken to Dublin Castle where he was imprisoned. Three years later at Christmas time, Hugh, Henry & Art O'Neill escaped. It was their second attempt. Enduring a freezing three-day march across the snow-covered Wicklow Mountains they became separated. Art died of exposure but Hugh, aided by countrymen, made it to his father's castle in Donegal. Hugh lost at least two toes to frostbite and was said to limp after.After his escape, his father made Hugh "the O'Donnell" and retired to a monastery. In 1598 he, with the O'Neills, defeated the English in the battle of the Yellow Ford. After a defeat at Kinsale a few years later Hugh went to Spain for help. He was received by Philip III but fell ill in 1602, possibly of poisoning at the hand of an English spy. He was 31 and left no heirs. He was buried in Spain but the church no longer exists and his burial site is lost forever.

Walt must have been thinking of tying into the "young rebel" trend of the '60s. This is a tale of a generic young Irish nobleman during the Elizabethan era, rebelling against a generic English colonial master (this was made just before the modern troubles broke out.) He gains generic friends and allies, is imprisoned, escapes, leads a generic merry chase all over Ireland, and rescues his generic lady fair from the generic castle.All that's missing is Herbie the Love Bug! Not once is anyone in any terror of bloodshed. Even Snow White had her frights but Walt, in his dotage, must have been losing his taste or his nerve.The one real bright spot is the cast full of gonna-be's of British Stage and Screen, including Gordon Jackson, Susan Hampshire, Donal McCann and Maurice Roëves. If nothing else, the director had an eye for serious talent.