El sonador rebelde

It's circa 1911 in Dublin. John Cassidy (Rod Taylor), an early known name of Sean O'Casey, is a working class bloke from a large family, which at the best of times has troubles trying to make ends meet. John's brusque exterior belies the heart of a writer, reading and writing, which were taught to him and fostered within him by his long departed sister. His natural exuberance is what attracts him to many people, including good-hearted prostitute Daisy Battles (Julie Christie), and fellow working class stiff Mick Mullen (Philip O'Flynn), who is the person who brings him into the realm of activism, especially in defending the working class and Irish nationalism by ending the oppression of the Irish through British rule. That activism eventually extends to his writing. It is his love of books and reading that he meets and falls in love with Nora (Dame Maggie Smith), a bookstore clerk. John eventually gets some of his works published, and his plays staged by the Abbey Theatre, which takes a chance by staging his plays that many Dubliners may view as placing them in a bad light. Bridging the gap between John's working class background and the higher class of the theatre may be difficult not only for Johnny, but for the Abbey Theatre founders, William Butler Yeats (Sir Michael Redgrave), and Lady Gregory (Dame Edith Evans), and for John's working class friends, including Nora.