Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Dreadfully Boring

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

THE QUIET MAN is a film with which everyone can relax. If you are Irish, you might have some objections. I will always remember this movie for luxurious and magical view of the Irish countryside, a very strange romance and long and comical showdown. Despite some moments of the traditional story is bright and cheerful. Nice to see so much of life, colors of sound and noise in a rural idyll. Traditional customs are further spiced up the already intriguing romance. Intimacy is almost non-existent. All the villagers were sent to certain traditional and cultural moments.Looking from the side, these relations act comic, but actually magic. The climax is expected. I'd describe it as one unavoidable ritual into a large family. The atmosphere is positive, good scenery and visual effects have a certain sentimental value.John Wayne as Sean Thornton is a quiet man who turns into a "raging bull" to show love for his wife. I do not want his violent process a custom attribute. In love man often make a craze. This escapade is accidentally expected and justified. Thumbs up for Mr. Wayne. Maureen O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher is like a flame of fire in her hair. Quickly catch fire, and even faster off. Simply, the love of the Irish way.

It's a cliché to say, about a movie especially, that "they don't make 'em like that anymore." But in the case of The Quiet Man, a gentle comedy drama from John Ford, they really don't. If it was made today, this romantic tale set in the luscious green countryside of Ireland would no doubt star some square-jawed pretty-boy as the male lead, with the role of the leading lady going to some vacuous up-and-comer hoping to make the transition from TV into film before fading into utter obscurity. Back in 1952 they got two of cinema's Golden Age powerhouses, John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, who sizzle with chemistry, charisma and charm, combining to help create one of the finest films of its time.Something of a departure for Ford and Wayne, who were most famous for delivering tough horse operas in the Old West, the film was only made by Republic Picture on the promise that Ford make a western for them first to make up for question mark looming over the box-office appeal of The Quiet Man. He obliged and made Rio Grande (1950), before setting off for Ireland to make the passion project he purchased the movie rights to back in the 1930's. He brought Wayne with him too, but he would kill no injuns and saddle no horses (although he does get to briefly ride one) here, but instead play Sean Thornton, the 'quiet man' of the title - a dashing, friendly American who retreats to his birthplace of Ireland carrying a dark secret on his shoulders.Soon upon arriving, Sean is struck by the beauty of the temperamental Mary Kate Danaher (O'Hara), the sister of landowner Squire 'Red' Will Danaher (Victor McLagen). When Sean quickly purchases the cottage in which he was born, he finds himself immediately at odds with the loud-mouthed and brutish Will, who has had his eyes on the land for years. Sean and Mary Kate are soon in love, but Will stubbornly refuses to consent to the marriage. Local drunk and matchmaker Michaleen (Barry Fitzgerald), sympathising with the two lovers, hatches a plan with the other locals to manipulate Will into thinking the marriage is in his best interests, and they are soon wed. But when Will uncovers the plot and tries to sabotage the marriage, Sean must face the demons of his past and confront the bullying tyrant.Winner of 2 Academy Awards and nominated for 5 more, The Quiet Man was a roaring success and is loved by many to this day, but was undoubtedly a massive gamble by Ford. People paid to see John Wayne punch bad guys and get the girl, but this was a film about a man who makes an active decision not to fight and, although he gets the girl early on, he struggles to keep a hold of her. Funnily enough, this is one of Wayne's best performances, a rare opportunity to see his warmer, gentler side, and his interaction with O'Hara, who is also terrific, is one of the movie's main strengths. The slow pace pays off at the end, climaxing with one of the best fist-fights in cinema. It's played mainly for laughs and no one draws blood, but the absurdity and the sheer length of it is a hoot. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

John Ford swooped his historically fourth BEST DIRECTOR win for THE QUIET MAN in the Oscars, a record very much likely will never be matched, to say nothing of being surpassed. But it was his only win from a Ford-Wayne picture, THE SEARCHERS (1956) was wholesomely snubbed, but it is not a conventional Ford-Wayne picture either, its locale is deviant from their usual Western landscape.Wayne plays Sean Thornton, an Irish-born American from Pittsburgh, returns to his homeland, a backwater town called Inisfree (a fictional place) in the 1920s, he reclaims his family land from widow Sarah Tillane (Natwick) and falls for an ardent ginger Mary-Kate Danaher (O'Hara), after locking horns with her eldest brother Squire Will Danaher (McLaglen), a loutish heavy who also sets his eyes on Thornton's farm, and according to the provincial tradition, Mary-Kate cannot marry without Squire's consent.With a little conspiracy from Sean's new local friends - yes, Sean is the new apple of the eye for this jerkwater town, who can easily gain trust and favour from denizens over the unwelcome Squire himself. - including the matchmaker Michaeleen Flynn (Fitzgerald), reverend Cyril Playfair's (Shields) and his wife (Crowe), who fabricate a quid pro quo to inveigle Squire to marry Mary-Kate to Sean, so himself in return could marry Ms. Tillane, and the plan works (for the first half), Sean and Mary-Kate ties the knot, but an unknowing Ms. Tillane refuses to take Squire for the team, after a bout of ruckus, Squire holds back Mary-Kate's dowry, which according to Sean's noble confession, doesn't mean anything to him, what he loves is her, not her fortune, but talking about different values, for Mary-Kate, her dowry is not just money, it is her own reputation at stake, that's something worth her husband to fight for, but Sean seems to be unmotivated.Sean's past in USA has been carefully veiled in the narrative, only his burly figure and the occasional attention from reverend Playfair, who is a fervent sport fan, knowingly suggest his vocation, a former prizefighter, who has sworn to abnegate boxing after accidentally knocking off an opponent during a match. Now, coerced by an obdurate Mary-Kate, Sean has to use his fists to earn back her respect and prove that he is not a coward, even though in his mind, it is plumb purposeless, but the point is, that's what husbands must do to defend his womenfolk, so a long- delayed close-range brawl between Sean and Squire arrives ebulliently with on-lookers betting their money on who is the last man standing.THE QUIET MAN adheres to the conventional criteria of a patriarchal society under the microcosm of Inisfree, machismo reeks of booze, smoke, gambles and sweat after a fist fight, even Mary-Kate, a perfect specimen of a fine lady, blindly hamstrings her pride in the shibboleth, which leaves the picture a smack outmoded in the eyes of a new viewer six decades later.Visually expansive, thanks to the sublime topography of the Irish countryside (in the sunny days only) and John Ford's discerning sense of aesthetics, THE QUIET MAN also elicits a more layered performance from John Wayne, not merely a macho bigot bogged in his own intransigence, he can also be a rose-loving, violence-relinquishing pacifist, paired with a strikingly zealous Ms. O'Hara, who is so ambidextrous both indoor and outdoor, whether she is playing harpsichord or playing rough against Wayne. Slas, Wayne finds his match, a virtuous leading lady who can both physically and characteristically challenge him in a Ford picture.Victor McLaglen, who is visibly too old to play big brother of O'Hara (34 years of her senior), is the only member in the cast rewarded with an Oscar nomination, but in retrospect, he chews the scenery a bit little. Yet, it is Barry Fitzgerald who almost single-handedly holds intact the film's comedic vibe as the booze-dependent Flynn, with gusto and impeccable foibles, and in truth, THE QUIET MAN aims to be a bubbly ethnographic study sending a more liberal message - there is no reason why Catholicism and Protestantism cannot co-exist harmoniously under the same roof, maybe not all roads can lead to Rome, but at least there are several of them can. A final nod to Victor Young's majestic score, utterly pertinent to accompany a jolly journey in that bygone era and faraway place.

The Quiet Man (1952): Dir: John Ford / Cast: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond: John Wayne is presented as someone with a past where a boxing match concluded with a death. As a result he pulls away from violence and this poises an issue when he returns to Ireland to reclaim his family's farm. Maureen O'Hara plays a local woman whom Wayne falls for but her brother is an overbearing bully who is angry at him after being out bid in the land auction. He becomes a divider in the relationship to come. John Ford and John Wayne have collaborated through numerous films, including Stagecoach, but here Wayne has a seemingly different role as someone who regrets a violent past yet is unfairly taking hits from O'Hara and her brother. She marries Wayne but becomes obsessed with the money that is owed her by her brother. She constantly berates him until he finally takes charge in what becomes a very long haul. Great supporting roles particularly by Victor McLaglen as the brother who ends up being dealt with through a fist fight that derails the film from greatness. This fight turns the drama into a corny showcase that doesn't fit the mode of the first two acts. Ward Bond plays a Catholic Priest who also gets involved in the scheme at hand. In any event Ford delivers a message loud and clear of pride and standing up for oneself. Score: 8 / 10