The Quiet Man

Infobox Film
name = The Quiet Man


image_size = 215px
caption = original film poster
director = John Ford
producer = Merian C. Cooper
writer = Maurice Walsh
Frank S. Nugent
Richard Llewellyn
starring = John Wayne
Maureen O'Hara
Barry Fitzgerald
Ward Bond
Victor McLaglen
music = Victor Young
cinematography = Winton C. Hoch, ASC
Archie Stout, ASC
editing = Jack Murray
distributor = Republic Pictures
released = 21 July fy|1952 "(UK)"
August "(Venice Film Fest.)"
14 August "(US)"
runtime = 129 minutes
country = FilmUS
language = English
imdb_id = 0045061

"The Quiet Man" is a fy|1952 American film starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, and Barry Fitzgerald, and directed by John Ford. It was based on a lty|1933 "Saturday Evening Post" short story by Maurice Walsh. The film is notable for its lush photography of the Irish countryside and the long, climactic, semi-comic fist fight between Wayne and McLaglen.

Plot

The story concerns Sean Thornton (John Wayne), an Irish-American from Pittsburgh, returning to Ireland to reclaim his family's farm. He winds up falling in love with and marrying the fiery Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara), sister of the bullying, loud-mouthed local squire "Red" Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen). Danaher refuses to allow his sister the full dowry to which she is entitled.

Sean is willing to let the matter rest, but Mary Kate is resolved to obtain her dowry at all costs and believes that Sean's reluctance to fight for it is a result of cowardice. The truth, known only to one other person in the village, is that Sean was a professional boxer in the United States under the name of "Trooper Thorn", and retired after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring. Two local clergymen, Father Lonergan (Ward Bond) and the Reverend Cyril "Snuffy" Playfair (Arthur Shields), intervene to bring the newlyweds back together. In the end, Sean and Will slug it out, Sean regains Mary Kate's love, and all is well.

Cast

*John Wayne as Sean Thornton
*Maureen O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher
*Barry Fitzgerald as Michaleen Oge Flynn
*Victor McLaglen as Squire "Red" Will Danaher
*Ward Bond as Father Peter Lonergan
*Mildred Natwick as The Widow Sarah Tillane
*Francis Ford as Dan Tobin
*Arthur Shields as Rev. Cyril "Snuffy" Playfair
*Eileen Crowe as Mrs. Elizabeth Playfair
*Charles B. Fitzsimons as Hugh Forbes
*James Fitzsimons as Father Paul

Cast notes:
*Charles Fitzsimons and James Fitzsimons were Maureen O'Hara's real life younger brothers. Barry Fitzgerald and Arthur Shields were also brothers in real life, and Francis Ford was John Ford's older brother.

Production

The film was something of a departure for Wayne and Ford, who were both known mostly for their Westerns. It was also a departure for Republic Pictures, which was given the chance to back Ford in what was considered a risky venture at the time. It was the first time the studio, known for low budget B-movies, put out a film receiving an Oscar nomination, the only Best Picture nomination the studio would ever receive.

Ford read the story in 1933, and soon purchased the story for $10. It took over 12 years for the film to be financed and made. Small Republic Pictures agreed to finance the film with O'Hara and Wayne with Ford directing, only if all three agreed to film a western with Republic. All three agreed and after filming "Rio Grande" they all left for Ireland to start shooting. John Wayne would eventually describe the movie as the favourite of his long career.

One of the conditions that Republic Pictures placed on John Ford was that the film came in at under two hours total running time. The finished picture was two hours and fifteen minutes long. When screening the film for Republic Studio executives, Ford stopped the film at approximately two hours in: on the verge of the climactic fight between Wayne and McLaglen. Republic executives relented and allowed the film to run its full length. It was one of the few films that Republic filmed in Technicolor; most of the studio's other colour films were made in a more economical process known as Trucolor.

The film employed many actors from the Irish theatre, including Barry Fitzgerald's brother Arthur Shields, as well as extras from the Irish countryside and is one of the few Hollywood movies in which spoken Irish can be heard.

The story is set on Innisfree, an island in Lough Gill, County Sligo. Many scenes for the film were actually shot in and around the village of Cong, County Mayo and on the grounds of Cong's Ashford Castle. Cong is now a wealthy small town and the castle a 5-star luxury hotel. The connections with the film have led to the area becoming a tourist attraction.

Academy Awards

Public reception

The film was a financial success and inspired the 1961 Broadway musical "Donnybrook!".

External links

*
*
*
* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quiet_man/ "The Quiet Man" on Rotten Tomatoes]
* [http://www.filmsite.org/quie.html "The Quiet Man" at Filmsite.org]
* [http://www.quietmanpub.com/index.html "The Quiet Man" Irish Pub]
* [http://www.quietman-cong.com/quietman.htm "The Quiet Man" Cottage museum in Cong]
* Dowling, William C., [http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~wcd/quietman.htm John Ford's Festive Comedy: Ireland Imagined in "The Quiet Man"]
* [http://www.quietmanmovieclub.com/isleofinnisfree.htm Dick Farrelly, songwriter: Lyrics]