The Quiet Man

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The Quiet Man
original film poster
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	Winton C. Hoch, ASC Archie Stout, ASC
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.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Academy Awards 5 Public reception 6 External links

[edit] 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.

[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
• 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

(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.)

[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, 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 favorite 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 color films were made in a more economical process known as Trucolor.

The film employed many actors from the Irish theater, 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 the Isle of 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.

[edit] Academy Awards

Award	Person
Best Director	John Ford
Best Cinematography	Winton C. Hoch Archie Stout
Nominated:
Best Picture	John Ford Merian C. Cooper
Best Supporting Actor	Victor McLaglen
Best Art Direction	Frank Hotaling John McCarthy Jr. Charles S. Thompson
Best Sound	Daniel J. Bloomberg (Republic Sound Department)
Best Adapted Screenplay	Frank S. Nugent

[edit] Public reception

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

[edit] External links

• The Quiet Man at the Internet Movie Database
• The Quiet Man on Rotten Tomatoes
• The Quiet Man at Filmsite.org
• The Quiet Man Irish Pub
• The Quiet Man Cottage museum in Cong
• Dowling, William C., John Ford's Festive Comedy: Ireland Imagined in The Quiet Man
• Dick Farrelly, songwriter: Lyrics

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