The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man ★★★★ 1952
The classic incarnation of Hollywood Irishness, and one of Ford's best, and funniest films. Wayne is Sean Thornton, a weary American exboxer who returns to the Irish hamlet of his childhood and tries to take spirited lass Mary Kate (O'Hara) as his wife, despite the strenuous objections of her brawling brother Red Will (McLaglen). Thornton's aided by the leprechaunlike Michaleen Flynn (Fitzgerald) and the local parish priest (Bond). A highspirited and memorable film filled with Irish stew, wonderful banter, and shots of the lush countryside. Listen for the Scottish bagpipes at the start of the horse race, a slight geographic inaccuracy. 129m/C VHS, DVD . John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, Arthur Shields, Jack MacGowran, Ward Bond, Mildred Natwick, Ken Curtis, Mae Marsh, Sean McClory, Francis Ford, D.R.O. Hatswell; D: John Ford; W: Frank Nugent; C: Archie Stout; M: Victor Young. Oscars '52: Color Cinematog., Director (Ford); Directors Guild '52: Director (Ford); Venice Film Fest. '52: Director (Ford).