The Quiet Man

Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara) and Sean (John Wayne)

Father Peter Lonergan narrates the return of Sean Thorton from Pittsburgh to his birthplace of Inisfree.[lower-alpha 1] Upon arrival at the train station Thorton is met by local matchmaker-cum-bookmaker Michaeleen Óge Flynn, [lower-alpha 2] As they travel to Inisfree, Thorton is smitten by a red-headed shepardess. Thornton also meets the local Protestant minister and former boxer, Reverend Cyril "Snuffy" Playfair, who vaguely recognizes Thornton, who changes the subject before Playfair can recollect further.

Thorton meets with the wealthy Widow Tillane to make an offer on the old cottage and grounds. Bullying Squire "Red" Will Danaher also wants to buy the property, but mostly as a means to get closer to the widow whom he fancies. Piqued by Danaher's bluster and assumptions she sells to Thornton at a much reduced price. Danaher then retaliates by refusing consent for Sean to court his sister, Mary Kate, the previously seen shepherdess.

A conspiracy forms with Father Lonergan, the Rev. Playfair and others who trick Squire Danaher into believing that Thornton is now pursuing the Widow Tillane, and that she has put Danaher off because she doesn't want to marry while Mary Kate lives in his house. At a local horse race Thornton grabs the Widow's bonnet to win, further confirming suspicions. There, the Reverend Playfair suddenly remembers where he knows the name Sean Thorton, but agrees, at Thorton's request, to keep it a secret.

Danaher allows the courtship and Sean and Mary Kate are married. In his bluster Danaher assumes the Widow will now eagerly marry and announces exactly that. The Widow spurns him for his presumption. Furious upon discovering the deceit Danaher refuses to give Mary Kate her dowry or her furniture. Sean professes no interest in the dowry; Mary Kate, however is incensed, insisting the dowry must be received to validate their marriage; they are estranged. Danaher is persuaded to release Mary Kate's furniture, but withholds the £350 of fortune.

Mary Kate insinuates Sean is a coward for not confronting her brother. Sean goes privately to the Rev. Playfair who reveals that boxer Sean "Trooper Thorn" Thornton accidentally killed an opponent. Thornton expresses fear at his own ferocity when fighting. Mary Kate confesses (in Irish Gaelic) her part to Father Lonergan, who berates her for selfishness. Mary Kate and Sean partially reconcile and, for the first time, share the bedroom.

Sean awakes the next morning and learns from Michaeleen that Mary Kate has gone to take a train to Dublin. Sean races on horseback to the train station. Followed by a growing crowd of villagers, Sean pulls Mary Kate off the train and proceeds to walk her, forcefully, to Danahers farm. There, Sean confronts Will and demands the money. When Will refuses, Sean throws Mary Kate back at her brother, declaring "no fortune, no marriage". The ultimatum shocks both Mary Kate and Will, who finally pays the £350. Sean approaches the boiler, and Mary Kate opens the door that he may throw in the money. She then proudly leaves for home, but a humiliated Will takes a swing at Sean, only to be knocked down by Sean's defensive counter-punch.

A donnybrook ensues: a long semi-comic fistfight between Sean and Will. This much-anticipated match attracts more and more spectators as it continues for miles across the landscape. The fighters finally pause for a drink inside Cohan's Bar, where they admit a mutual respect. As they argue over who will pay for the drinks, Will tosses a brew into Sean's face. Sean punches Will, sending him crashing through the bar doors to lie unconscious, ending the fight. Later, the reconciled and inebriated brothers-in-law, singing and staggering arm-in-arm, go back to the cottage for the supper Mary Kate has prepared.

The next day, a humbled Will and the Widow Tillane begin their own chaperoned courtship, riding side by side in a horse-drawn jaunting car driven by Michaeleen. Sean, Mary Kate, and the villagers wave to them as they pass, before Sean and Mary Kate playfully run back to the cottage.

The film was something of a departure for Wayne and Ford, who were both known mostly for Westerns and other action-oriented films. It was also a departure for Republic Pictures, which backed Ford in what was considered a risky venture at the time. It was the only time the studio, known for low budget B-movies, released a film that would receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Ford read the story in 1933 and soon purchased the rights to it for $10. The story's author was paid another $2,500 when Republic bought the idea, and he received a final payment of $3,750 when the film was actually made.[6] Republic Pictures agreed to finance the film with O'Hara and Wayne starring and Ford directing, but only if all three agreed to first film a Western with Republic. They did, and after completing Rio Grande, they headed for Ireland to start shooting.

One of the conditions that Republic placed on Ford was that the film run under two hours. However, the finished picture was two hours and nine minutes. When screening the film for Republic executives, Ford stopped the film at approximately two hours in, on the verge of the climactic fistfight. Republic executives relented and allowed the film to run its full length.[7] 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 theatre, including Barry Fitzgerald's brother, Arthur Shields, as well as extras from the Irish countryside, and it is one of the few Hollywood movies in which the Irish language can be heard. Filming commenced on June 7, 1951. All of the outdoor scenes were shot on location in Ireland in County Mayo and County Galway. The inside scenes were filmed toward the end of July at the Republic Studios in Hollywood. Vawn Corrigan reports that Ford made considerable efforts to get the costumes correct for the period with Ó’Maille – The Original House of Style in Galway tasked with sourcing the costumes.[8]

"The Quiet Man Bridge"

The story is set in the fictional community of Inisfree. This is not the same as the Lake Isle of Innisfree, a place in Lough Gill on the Sligo–Leitrim border made famous by poet William Butler Yeats, which is a tiny island. Many scenes for the film were actually shot in and around the village of Cong, County Mayo, 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. In 2008, a pub opened in the building used as the pub in the film (it had actually been a shop at the time when the movie was shot); the pub hosts daily re-runs of the film on DVD.[9] The Quiet Man Fan Club holds its annual general meeting in Ashford Castle. Other locations in the film include Thoor Ballylee, Co. Galway, home of poet W.B. Yeats for a period, Ballyglunin railway station near Tuam Co. Galway, which was filmed as Castletown station, and various places in Connemara Co. Galway and Co. Mayo. Among those are Lettergesh beach, where the horse race scene was filmed,[10] "The Quiet Man Bridge", signposted off the N59 road between Maam Cross and Oughterard[11] and the "White O'Morn" cottage. The latter is located on R336 south of Maam, but long ago fell into ruin.[12]

The film also presents Ford's depiction of an idealized Irish society, with only implied social divisions based on class and differences in political or religious affiliations. The Catholic priest, Father Lonergan, and the Protestant minister, Reverend Playfair, maintain a strong friendly relationship throughout the film, which represented the norm in what was then the Irish Free State, where religious tensions occurred in the 1930s but were the norm only in Northern Ireland. One of the allusions to Anglo-Irish animosity occurs after the happy couple is married and a congratulatory toast offered by Hugh Forbes expresses the wish that they live in "national freedom" (the term national has been censored from most editions)[10] and before the final donnybrook when Thornton demands his wife's dowry from Danaher. Danaher asks Hugh Forbes, who had been commander of the local Irish Republican Army unit during the fight to expel the British, "So the IRA is in this too, ah", to which Forbes replies, "If it were, not a scorched stone of your fine house would be standing."

Ernie O'Malley, an Irish Republican Army officer during the war of independence, commander of the anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War, and author, acted as an advisor to Ford on the local culture, being on set with him every day. According to O'Hara, Ford "had a great deal of respect for Ernie... He had such respect for Ernie. They would natter away like old buddies... They liked each other. They were friends".[13]

This movie is, in many ways a family affair. Francis Ford, who played the old man who gets up from his deathbed to watch the fight, is John Ford's older brother. Patrick Ford, the directors son, did much of the stunt work for Victor McLaughlin during the fight scene, and was a unit director. Arthur Shields, who played the Reverend Playfair, is the younger brother of Barry Fitzgerald, Michaeleen Óge Flynn, who was born William Joseph Shields. Charles B. Fitzsimmons, who played Hugh Forbes, and James O'Hara, who played Father Paul, are the brothers of Maureen O'Hara. In addition, four of John Wayne's children are seen in the horse race scene.[14]

In 1952 A. H. Weiler of The New York Times viewed the film "as darlin' a picture as we've seen this year," with "dialogue that is as tuneful as a lark's song."[17] In another contemporary review, the entertainment trade paper Variety called the picture "beautifully filmed" and wrote that "Wayne works well under Ford's direction," but found the 129-minute running time "unnecessary."[18] Harrison's Reports described the film as "a delightful and rollicking comedy melodrama of Irish life, directed with skill and acted with gusto by a fine cast."[19] Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post declared it "a complete jim-dandy ... The photography is glorious and Victor Young's score, inspired by folk airs, is a complete joy for an exuberant, vigorous picture."[20] Philip Hamburger of The New Yorker was not so taken with the film, writing, "If am to believe what I saw in John Ford's sentimental new film, 'The Quiet Man,' practically everybody in Ireland is just as cute as a button," adding, "Mr. Ford's scenes of the Irish countryside are often breathtaking ... but the master who made 'The Informer' appears to have fallen into a vat of treacle."[21] In contrast to contemporary reviews of the film, editorial writer Frances Mulraney saw the film as "misogynistic" and "outdated"—due not just to the psychological and physical control the male characters exert over the female characters, but also for the female lead's gender-based expectations of her husband.[22]

On the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, The Quiet Man in 2019 has a 90% approval rating based on reviews from 41 critics. Critical consensus on the website states, "Director John Ford and star John Wayne depart the Western for the Irish countryside, and the result is a beautifully photographed, often comedic romance."[23]

The film was also a financial success, grossing $3.8 million in its first year of release. This was among the top ten grosses of the year.[24] It was also the seventh most popular film for British audiences in 1952.[25]

It was first released on DVD December 14, 1998 by Artisan Home Entertainment. It was also released 4 years later on a Collector's edition DVD on October 22, 2002 by Artisan. The Special features on this edition include "The Making of the Quiet Man" Documentary with Leonard Maltin, and "The Joy of Ireland" Documentary with Maureen O'Hara and Andrew V. McLaglen, and "Remembering The Quiet Man Montage".

On January 22, 2013 Olive Films released The Quiet Man on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray, as a 60th Anniversary Special edition. It included the documentary "The Making of the Quiet Man" with Leonard Maltin.

In 2010 there was a documentary called Dreaming The Quiet Man made about the journey and making of The Quiet Man. It was narrated by Gabriel Byrne, and had interviews with Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Charles F. Fitzsimons, and Maureen O'Hara. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time on March 24, 2015.

The scene where John Wayne kisses Maureen O'Hara during a storm appears on a television set in a scene of the 1982 Steven Spielberg film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

• John Wayne filmography
• Marquess of Queensberry rules of boxing
• Donnybrook!, a 1961 musical adaptation of The Quiet Man written by Johnny Burke
• Innisfree, a 1990 Spanish documentary film about the making of The Quiet Man
• Jaunting car, the horse-drawn vehicle owned by Michaeleen Oge Flynn that is first seen delivering Sean to Innisfree at the beginning of the film. Michaleen is seen using it throughout the film as his main mode of transport and it is in the amusing courting scenes that it plays a greater role.
• List of boxing films

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Quiet Man.

• The Quiet Man at IMDb
• The Quiet Man at the TCM Movie Database
• The Quiet Man at AllMovie
• The Quiet Man at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Quiet Man on Rotten Tomatoes
• The Quiet Man at Filmsite.org
• Quiet Man Movie Club
• The Quiet Man at Reel Classics
• The Quiet Man Cottage museum in Cong
• William C. Dowling, "John Ford's Festive Comedy: Ireland Imagined in The Quiet Man"
• Dick Farrelly, songwriter: Lyrics
• A Quiet Man Miscellany Cork University Press
• Dick Farrelly and 'The Isle of Innisfree'
• The Quiet Man essay by Scott Allen Nollen at National Film Registry