The documentary "Cradle of Genius" is now available to stream for free via the Irish Film Institute's IFI Archive Player.
In the short film, British documentarian Paul Rotha celebrates the playwrights and players of the Abbey Theatre, Ireland's national theatre founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904.
The film, made some years before the theatre moved into its present-day Abbey Street premises, tells the history through colourful reminiscences from an extraordinary line-up of Abbey stalwarts – Siobhan McKenna, Maureen Delaney, Harry Brogan, Shelah Richards and Cyril Cusack. The actors speak fondly of their time as young actors in the Abbey School of Acting and recall iconic moments in the theatre’s history such as the riots during the first run of Seán O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars.
The highlight of the film is an intimate and humorous conversation between octogenarians Barry Fitzgerald and Seán O’Casey at O’Casey’s home in Devon.
Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1962, "Cradle of Genius" is part of the IFI's Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films.
The Irish Film Institute's Oscar® Collection
A great short film, like a great short story, conjures worlds with clarity and economy, bringing viewers on journeys which are brief but deeply engrossing. Since the 1950s, Irish filmmakers have mastered the short film form and secured international recognition with an impressive array of awards including many Academy Award® nominations and victories. Popularly known as the Oscars, the awards are the most famous and prestigious in the entertainment industry.
This collection brings together a selection of these award-winning films – ghostly tales and pitch-black comedies, illuminating documentaries and exquisite animations – populated by an array of famous folks such as Seán O’Casey, Orson Welles, Fionnula Flanagan and Brendan Gleeson. The films, directed and written by Irish men and women, date from 1951 to 2018.
The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films is drawn from material preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.
This programme is supported by the Government of Ireland through the National BCP Network.
"Cradle of Genius" is published here thanks to the Irish Film Institute (IFI), who IrishCentral has partnered up with to bring you a taste of what their remarkable collection entails. You can find all IrishCentral articles and videos from the IFI here.
To watch more historic Irish footage, visit the IFI Archive Player, the Irish Film Institute’s virtual viewing room that provides audiences around the globe free, instant access to Irish heritage preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive. Irish Culture from the last century is reflected through documentaries, animation, adverts, amateur footage, feature films, and much more. You can also download the IFI Archive Player App for free on iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
IrishCentral has partnered up with the IFI to bring you a taste of what their remarkable collections entail. You can find all IrishCentral articles and videos from the IFI here.
