This St. Patrick’s Day week, the Rad Revival House explores the working-class Irish immigrant historical thriller, THE MOLLY MAGUIRES!
Our host, Professor Cesare Augusto, takes the solo reins in this episode to review a film that is near and dear to his heart. A fellow immigrant himself, Professor Augusto analyzes what makes THE MOLLY MAGUIRES such an endearing film which centers upon the plight of real Irish-American immigrant workers who strike back against what they allege as workplace oppressors. Sean Connery and Richard Harris star as “Black” Jack Kehoe and James McKenna respectively, two members of a supposed Irish-American secret criminal society made up of disgruntled coal miners deep in 1870s Pennsylvania coal mining country . Kehoe is the leader of this group, who christened themselves “The Molly Maguires,” who attack and sabotage their own workplace motivated by accusations of low pay, unsafe working conditions, and management abuse. Little does Kehoe know that McKenna, the newest member of the Molly Maguires, is actually an undercover Pinkerton Detective out to derail the gang’s efforts!
THE MOLLY MAGUIRES offers a cinematic take on an obscure and tragic piece of American history. Professor Augusto analyzes the film’s strong accuracy on the true Molly Maguires story, as well as the strong performances by the cast, especially by Connery and Harris. Filmmakers interested in tackling a true historical event for their original project should watch and absorb THE MOLLY MAGUIRES for inspiration on how to take real history and generate emotionally-strong cinema as a result!