Perhaps once in a decade or so, a film is made that is so outstandingly good, so perfect in every way, that it defies categorisation and facile explanation, while continuing to occupy a very special place in the hearts of many people.
One such a film is "The Quiet Man" - a mixture of gentle humour, romance, mystery - even violence - but without being offensive. While many films share some or all of these qualities, it is the way in which these themes are so skillfully woven together in the lives and personalities of a handful of people that helps to explain something of the charm of The Quiet Man.
With the glorious scenery around Cong in the Irish Republic around the 1900s as the backdrop, we are introduced one by one to a variety of delightful characters and to a lifestyle that sadly is no more: pugilistic railwaymen who are ready to put up their fists at the slightest pretext; the fiery Mary Kate who "packs up wallop" and has "a tongue like an adder" and her equally fierce brother, Red Will Daneher; the cheery pipe-smoking old rogue, Michaeleen O'Flynn with his horse and cart; Father Lonnergan, who is not averse to making the occasional bet on the side; the proud Widow Tulane who helps the poor; a host of other delightful supporting cameo-roles; and of course, the quiet American himself - John Wayne, playing Sean Thornton, returning to his birthplace from the steel-mills of Pittsburgh.
John Wayne must have really enjoyed making this film, which was such a departure from his more usual cowboy films. He fitted the part very well. Apparently he really was half-Irish, which must have given this film a special meaning for him. Anyway, he played Sean Thornton to the hilt, showing what a good actor he was.
Maureen O'Hara is also a total delight and thoroughly believable: I shall always associate Maureen with this film, and I like to think that she enjoyed making it too! And when that much hoped-for fight between Sean Thornton and Red Will finally does take place, it gets even the dying on their feet and out on the streets to watch! This film is a total delight from start to finish, possessing a unique charm that the passage of years can never diminish.
One such a film is "The Quiet Man" - a mixture of gentle humour, romance, mystery - even violence - but without being offensive. While many films share some or all of these qualities, it is the way in which these themes are so skillfully woven together in the lives and personalities of a handful of people that helps to explain something of the charm of The Quiet Man.
With the glorious scenery around Cong in the Irish Republic around the 1900s as the backdrop, we are introduced one by one to a variety of delightful characters and to a lifestyle that sadly is no more: pugilistic railwaymen who are ready to put up their fists at the slightest pretext; the fiery Mary Kate who "packs up wallop" and has "a tongue like an adder" and her equally fierce brother, Red Will Daneher; the cheery pipe-smoking old rogue, Michaeleen O'Flynn with his horse and cart; Father Lonnergan, who is not averse to making the occasional bet on the side; the proud Widow Tulane who helps the poor; a host of other delightful supporting cameo-roles; and of course, the quiet American himself - John Wayne, playing Sean Thornton, returning to his birthplace from the steel-mills of Pittsburgh.
John Wayne must have really enjoyed making this film, which was such a departure from his more usual cowboy films. He fitted the part very well. Apparently he really was half-Irish, which must have given this film a special meaning for him. Anyway, he played Sean Thornton to the hilt, showing what a good actor he was.
Maureen O'Hara is also a total delight and thoroughly believable: I shall always associate Maureen with this film, and I like to think that she enjoyed making it too! And when that much hoped-for fight between Sean Thornton and Red Will finally does take place, it gets even the dying on their feet and out on the streets to watch! This film is a total delight from start to finish, possessing a unique charm that the passage of years can never diminish.