The plot has already been covered many times and so has most of the cast.
One comment sticks in my craw...that The Quiet Man isn't really Irish and that the members of the cast, slip in and out of their accents in a careless manner. Whoa just a moment there folks.
First of all this film was directed by John Ford, who was born in Ireland. Maureen O'Hara and her two brothers, who play secondary roles in The Quiet Man, were ALSO born in Ireland. So were Barry Fitzgerald and his brother, Arthur Shields, who plays the Episcopal priest against the Catholic priest of Ward Bond who is also Irish. Who would have the nerve to say that Victor McLaughlen's accent wasn't authentic? He was born in Ireland and won a Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Gipo Nolan in The Informer-a film about the early days of "The Troubles" that just happened to be directed by John Ford.
The extras were chosen from The famed Abbey Players of Dublin and locals from the village of Cohn (sp), where the film was shot. The old man with the beard is the brother of the director, John Ford, himself a STAR in the silent days of film in Ireland.
That leaves poor Mildred Natwick with her accent at sixes and sevens. She was impeccable as The Widow Trahern, the woman Big Red Danaher hopes to marry some day, when he gets up the nerve to ask her properly.
To modern eyes, The Quiet Man IS sexist and brutal. No modern woman, outside Ireland, would stand for such treatment. The sad truth is though that a women in Ireland are STILL considered to be the property of the man she marries and of the Catholic Church. Both expect her to produce many children and have her husband's supper on the table when he gets home. If you don't believe me, just watch Daniel Day Lewis films-My Left Foot or In The Name of the Father.
People who are offended by the social order outlined in The Quiet Man will ALSO be offended by MOST of the films of the 30's, 40's and 50's from every corner of the world.
For the rest of us, The Quiet Man is a feast for the eyes and a tonic for the soul. It is FUN to watch John Wayne stride across a field dragging his recalcitrant wife along.
The windy kiss is gorgeous and the kiss Wayne gives O'Hara AFTER he kicks down the door in great Rhett Butler form, is amazing. When John Wayne kissed a woman, she stayed kissed for hours. When he picks up O'Hara and tosses her on the bed, AFTER THAT kiss, HER reaction is marvelous! No woman should miss The Quiet Man for those scenes.
And, when was the last time you saw anything about Ireland where the Catholic Priest and the Episcopal or Anglican Priests were FRIENDS who could attend parties together and where no one was shooting at each other because of the church they attended? For that alone, The Quiet Man is a marvelous film. I love it more every time I watch it.
One comment sticks in my craw...that The Quiet Man isn't really Irish and that the members of the cast, slip in and out of their accents in a careless manner. Whoa just a moment there folks.
First of all this film was directed by John Ford, who was born in Ireland. Maureen O'Hara and her two brothers, who play secondary roles in The Quiet Man, were ALSO born in Ireland. So were Barry Fitzgerald and his brother, Arthur Shields, who plays the Episcopal priest against the Catholic priest of Ward Bond who is also Irish. Who would have the nerve to say that Victor McLaughlen's accent wasn't authentic? He was born in Ireland and won a Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Gipo Nolan in The Informer-a film about the early days of "The Troubles" that just happened to be directed by John Ford.
The extras were chosen from The famed Abbey Players of Dublin and locals from the village of Cohn (sp), where the film was shot. The old man with the beard is the brother of the director, John Ford, himself a STAR in the silent days of film in Ireland.
That leaves poor Mildred Natwick with her accent at sixes and sevens. She was impeccable as The Widow Trahern, the woman Big Red Danaher hopes to marry some day, when he gets up the nerve to ask her properly.
To modern eyes, The Quiet Man IS sexist and brutal. No modern woman, outside Ireland, would stand for such treatment. The sad truth is though that a women in Ireland are STILL considered to be the property of the man she marries and of the Catholic Church. Both expect her to produce many children and have her husband's supper on the table when he gets home. If you don't believe me, just watch Daniel Day Lewis films-My Left Foot or In The Name of the Father.
People who are offended by the social order outlined in The Quiet Man will ALSO be offended by MOST of the films of the 30's, 40's and 50's from every corner of the world.
For the rest of us, The Quiet Man is a feast for the eyes and a tonic for the soul. It is FUN to watch John Wayne stride across a field dragging his recalcitrant wife along.
The windy kiss is gorgeous and the kiss Wayne gives O'Hara AFTER he kicks down the door in great Rhett Butler form, is amazing. When John Wayne kissed a woman, she stayed kissed for hours. When he picks up O'Hara and tosses her on the bed, AFTER THAT kiss, HER reaction is marvelous! No woman should miss The Quiet Man for those scenes.
And, when was the last time you saw anything about Ireland where the Catholic Priest and the Episcopal or Anglican Priests were FRIENDS who could attend parties together and where no one was shooting at each other because of the church they attended? For that alone, The Quiet Man is a marvelous film. I love it more every time I watch it.