The Quiet Man (1952)

A retired American boxer returns to the village where he was born in Ireland, where he finds love.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), Maurice Walsh (from a story by),

Stars:

John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald

Won 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Sean Thornton
Maureen O'Hara	...	Mary Kate Danaher
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Michaleen Oge Flynn
Ward Bond	...	Father Peter Lonergan
Victor McLaglen	...	Squire 'Red' Will Danaher
Mildred Natwick	...	The Widow Sarah Tillane
Francis Ford	...	Dan Tobin
Eileen Crowe	...	Mrs. Elizabeth Playfair
May Craig	...	Fishwoman with Basket at Station
Arthur Shields	...	Reverend Cyril Playfair
Charles B. Fitzsimons	...	Hugh Forbes (as Charles FitzSimons)
James O'Hara	...	Father Paul (as James Lilburn)
Sean McClory	...	Owen Glynn (as Sean McGlory)
Jack MacGowran	...	Ignatius Feeney (as Jack McGowran)
Joseph O'Dea	...	Molouney - Train Guard

Storyline

Sean Thornton has returned from America to reclaim his homestead and escape his past. Sean's eye is caught by Mary Kate Danaher, a beautiful but poor maiden, and younger sister of ill-tempered "Red" Will Danaher. The riotous relationship that forms between Sean and Mary Kate, punctuated by Will's pugnacious attempts to keep them apart, form the main plot, with Sean's past as the dark undercurrent.

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Plot Keywords:

train | cottage | ireland | fight | marriage | 

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Taglines:

Action...Excitement...Romance...Fill the Screen !

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

14 September 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Sieger

Filming Locations:

Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I), Argosy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As Maureen O'Hara was 31 and Victor McLaglen was nearly 65, many critics felt he should have played her father instead of her brother.

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Goofs

When Sean finds Mary Kate cleaning his cottage, you can see in the background that the bedroom door has been splintered with a large hole where the bolt would be. The door isn't splintered until later in the story, though, after Sean and Kate are married and he kicks the intact bedroom door down.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Father Peter Lonergan, Narrator: Well, then. Now. I'll begin at the beginnin'. A fine soft day in the spring, it was, when the train pulled into Castletown, three hours late as usual, and himself got off. He didn't have the look of an American tourist at all about him. Not a camera on him; what was worse, not even a fishin' rod.

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Connections

Spoofed in 1941 (1979)

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Soundtracks

"Galway Bay"
(1947) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Arthur Colahan
Sung by patrons of the Pub

User Reviews

A Perfect Movie Made With Love by Entertainment Pros

"They don't make movies like this anymore" is the usual phrase heard about classic movies. More appropriately "They CAN'T make a movie like this anymore" applies to "The Quiet Man".

John Ford directed John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in a number of classic unforgettable Westerns with a familiar supporting cast including Ward Bond, Victor McLaughlin, Mildred Natwick and other pros. "The Quiet Man" moves these familiar icons from the post Civil War American West to the post World War II rural Ireland.

You don't have to be Irish to appreciate the visual beauty of the Irish countryside and villages or the beauty of Maureen O'Hara, but your appreciation of the story is enhanced if you know something about the unique Irish culture.

Ireland and America have been tightly bonded from the earliest Colonial Days of America and are permanently intertwined since the Potato Famine of the 1840's sent tens of millions of immigrants to populate the vast U.S.

John Ford perfectly casts John Wayne as the Irish born, U.S. raised troubled ex-boxer returning to his birthplace and Maureen O'Hara as the Irish beauty . The rest of the lovingly assembled cast contains mostly familiar faces in supporting roles.

The script covers vast ground in a mostly light-hearted manner. The story plays like most John Ford/John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara movies as one step larger than life.

It's clear that everyone appearing in this movie LOVES being in the movie. Maureen O'Hara never looked more beautiful and thrives as the woman in the middle between two warring men, her brother (Victor McLauglin) and her suitor (John Wayne).

The over-the-top village to village brawl between John Wayne and Victor McLaughlin is hilarious and ultimately warm hearted. It sums up the strange Irish notion that you have to physically pummel a man before you can have his friendship and respect.

There are big scenes and little scenes, but every scene is a delight.

This is a movie that can't and won't ever be made again. It's a movie that everyone should enjoy.