The Quiet Man
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| The Quiet Man | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
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| Directed by | John Ford |
| Produced by | Merian C. Cooper |
| Written by | Maurice Walsh Frank S. Nugent Richard Llewellyn |
| Starring | John Wayne Maureen O'Hara Barry Fitzgerald Ward Bond Victor McLaglen |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | Archie Stout Winton C. Hoch |
| Editing by | Jack Murray |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1952 |
| Running time | 129 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American film starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, and Barry Fitzgerald, and directed by John Ford. It was based on a 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.
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[edit] Plot
The story concerns Sean Thornton (Wayne), an Irish-American professional boxer who fights under the name of "Trooper Thorn". After accidentally killing an opponent during a match, he moves from the United States to Ireland to reclaim his family's farm. He winds up falling in love with and marrying the fiery Mary Kate Danaher (O'Hara), sister of the none-too-pleased local squire "Red" Will Danaher (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. In fact, he remains traumatized by his killing of another fighter 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.
[edit] 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
[edit] 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.
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.
The film employed many actors from the Irish theater, including Barry Fitzgerald's brother Arthur Shields, as well as extras from the Irish countryside.
Many scenes for the film were shot in the town of Cong in County Mayo and on the grounds of Cong's Ashford Castle. The town and castle have changed little since 1952, and its connection with the movie have made it a tourist attraction.
[edit] Awards
The film received a total of seven Academy Awards nominations, including best picture, and won two. John Ford won his fourth and final best director Oscar. Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout won for Best Cinematography. Victor McLaglen was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
[edit] Trivia
- The movie is one of the few Hollywood movies in which spoken Irish can be heard.
- The 1961 Broadway musical Donnybrook! was based on The Quiet Man.
- One of the conditions that Republic Pictures placed on John Ford was to ensure that the film came in at under two hours. However, the picture was eventually over that length and, when screening the film to Republic executives, Ford stopped the film at approximately two hours in: on the verge of the famous fight between Wayne and McLaglen. Republic executives eventually relented and allowed the film to run its full length.
- John Wayne described the movie as the favorite of his long career.
- John Wayne's character is said to be from "Pittsburgh, Massachusetts, USA" (Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania). It is implied that Thornton also worked in steel mills besides being a boxer.
- A scene from The Quiet Man appears in the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . E.T. is seen watching the famous "Wayne grabbing O'Hara by the arm and kissing her" scene, as Elliot simultaneously re-enacts the scene at school due to E.T.'s ability to mind control.
- In the beginning, when Wayne is riding in the dog cart, there are two close-ups in which the scenes are obviously made on a stage and not in the countryside.
- Innisfree is an island in Lough Gill, County Sligo; "Castletown" (Castleton) is in County Antrim.
- Also of note are the facts that Victor McLaglen—although he played Irish parts—was an Englishman; furthermore he had been a professional boxer before becoming an actor; versus John Wayne, an actor who played an ex-professional boxer.
