The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man was 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.
The story concerns Sean Thornton (Wayne), an expatriate
Irishman and professional
boxing champion who moves from the
United States to
Ireland to reclaim his family's farm. He winds up falling in love with and marrying the fiery Mary Kate Danaher (O'Hara), sister of the none-too-pleased local squire (McLaglen). The story bears many resemblances to
Shakespeare's
The Taming of the Shrew. The village of
Cong in
County Mayo was the setting for the film, and many of the houses used during the shooting can still be seen.
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.
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.
The film received a total of seven
Academy Awards nominations, including
best picture, and won two. John Ford won his fourth and final
best director Oscar. Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout won for Best Cinematography. Victor McLaglen was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
* The movie is one of the few
Hollywood movies in which spoken
Irish can be heard.
* The 1961
Broadway musical Donnybrook! was based on
The Quiet Man.
* One of the conditions that Republic Pictures placed on John Ford was to ensure that the film came in at under two hours. However, the picture was eventually over that length and, when screening the film to Republic executives, Ford stopped the film at approximately two hours in: on the verge of the famous fight between Wayne and McLaglen. Republic executives eventually relented and allowed the film to run its full length.
* The fictional play "Stones in His Pockets" is about two Irish extras who have worked in an imaginary sequel to "The Quiet Man" shot in the same location and called "The Quiet Valley." It also features "The last surviving extra from "The Quiet Man.""
