The Begorrathon 2017 – The Quiet Man (1952)

This post is part of the Begorrathon 2017 hosted by Niall of Raging Fluff.  Check out the other posts all month on his site.

“There’ll be no locks or bolts between us, Mary Kate… except those in your own mercenary little heart! ” – Sean

Number of Times Seen – 2 (Cable in the 90’s and 6 Mar 2017)

Brief Synopsis – After retiring, a young single American decides to return to Ireland, the land of his birth, buy his ancestral home and make a life for himself while seeking to raise a farm and family.

My Take on it – Despite this film not really seeming like the kind of film that John Wayne and John Ford would collaborate on, they do a wonderful job together because it helps to showcase the range that both of these men had especially at a time when many actors were seen as typecast in certain kinds of roles.

I don’t think many people would automatically choose Wayne in a romantic role, yet here he easily slips into the role of the lead character and is able to more than hold his own against co-star Maureen O’Hara; they even manage to have great chemistry together.

The story is done quite well and works on numerous levels.

Ford was a master of filming great shots of the terrain and landscape in his films and this one was done exceptionally well.

He even ended up winning a deserving 4th Oscar for Best Director for his work on this film.

Bottom Line – Great collaboration between Ford and Wayne that helps showcase the range both of them had. Wayne is not your typical romantic actor, but he easily slips into the lead character here and does more than a decent job opposite O’Hara. Very good story that works on various levels. The landscapes are shot amazingly and it’s not too surprising that Ford went on to win the Oscar for Best Director that year. (His 4th) Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – When John Ford screened his final cut for the studio’s top brass they liked it, but it was 129 minutes. They reminded him they would not release a film over 120 minutes, citing the audiences could not/would not sit in a theater for over two hours. Ford staunchly objected claiming he already cut out ‘all the fat’ and there was nothing left to cut. They stood their ground & sent him back to cut nine minutes. Ford did his level best to contain his ire as he collected his film and fumed out the door. As the story goes, a few days later he called the brass and informed them ‘the final print’ was ready for the screening. When the last man took his seat Ford signaled the projectionist to dim the lights and run it. Then, at exactly 120 minutes, right in the middle of the climactic fight, the screen goes white and the house lights came up. There followed by a deafening silence. Ford said something like, ‘As you can plainly see, there is nothing left to cut out. So, I give you ‘The Quiet Man’ at exactly 120 minutes! Now, you’re begging me for the last nine minutes! Do you honestly think the audience will be any different?’ Naturally, the studio relented and the rest, as they say, is history. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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