The Quiet Man (1952) (Movie Review)

  When the Valentines season comes to an end, and St. Parick’s Day on the horizon, one of my favorite movies to watch as part of the transition is the 1952 Romance classic “The Quiet Man”. It’s both a wholesome love story, and the very first American picture to be shot in the lush green, picturesque countryside of Ireland. Director and producer John Ford made a name for himself with a number of successful Westerns, along with his leading star John Wayne, and for years he had a passion project to make a movie that was essentially a love letter to his home roots in the Emerald Isle. He teamed up with screen writer Frank S. Nugent, who based the script on a 1933 short story from the Saturday Evening Post titled “The Quiet Man”, which was a story from a collection titled “The Green Rushes”.  

 The movie follows American Boxer Sean Thorton, who’s sworn off fighting after a tragic accident in the ring and now aims to have a quiet life in the Irish town of his birth. Upon arrival, he makes friends with the locals, and catches the eye of the lovely Mary Kate, who’s his next-door neighbor. Unfortunately, Kate’s older brother, the Squire “Red” Will Danaher is a town bully, and is quick to make rivalry with the newly arrived Thorton. As time passes, Thorton and Mary Kate gradually fall in love, and eventually get married, but as their romance blossoms Will Danaher’s anger grows, refuses to give a marriage blessing, and hordes her dowry to himself. As conflicts arise, it seems likely that Thorton will have to fight his rivel … which after his disaster in the boxing ring is the last thing he wants.

 While director John Ford had great success with his Westerns, most of the major studios turned down his pitch for a romantic picture set in Ireland. His last chance for a studio was “Republic Pictures”, who mainly distributed B-Movies and B-list Westerns. Thus, a deal was made, if John Ford made them a profitable Western, they’d finance his Irish picture. 

Ford made them the 1950 picture “Rio Grande”, which was a capper to what’s known as the directors “Cavalry Trilogy” … his previous two films being “Fort Apache” in 1948 and “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” in 1949. The film was profitable enough for “Republic” to finance his passion project, but the real take-away from Fords experience with “Rio Grande” was the pairing of his two romantic leads ... John Wayne and Maureen O’ Hara. Their fiery chemistry was just what he envisioned for the characters of Sean Thorton and Mary Kate, and thus, John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara were his leads again in “The Quiet Man”. John Ford would also direct them both as a romantic pair for a third time in the 1957 film titled “The Wings of Eagles”.

 Both John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara would act in two more movies together … “McLintock!” in 1963 and “Big Jake” in 1971. I’m partial to their later two films myself, but most would agree that “The Quiet Man” is their golden classic as an acting pair. In general, Maureen O’Hara was always my favorite of John Waynes reoccurring costars. In “The Quiet Man” their chemistry is just as charming as ever and both make their respected characters come to life.  

Of course, their most famous scene is their first kiss in a barn, amidst a strong windstorm. Even if you’ve never seen this movie, you’re probably still familiar with this scene on some level … largely thanks to a little Sci-Fi from 1982 called “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”. It was sheer genius for director Steven Spielberg to use this clip from “The Quiet Man” as a parallel to Eliots famous frog scene at school in the film. I could honestly spend this whole review highlighting memorable moments between these two, including a quiet walk through the country, which transitions into a fun bike ride, and culminates in them getting caught in the rain.

 Not to be overlooked is Victor McLaglen as the antagonistic Squire “Red” Will Danaher, who’s portrayal garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 

One of my favorite characters is the local priest Father Peter Lonergan, who’s played by Ward Bond. He has a lot of personality and highlights how a priest can have a life outside of the church, like going out fishing and getting excited for a match-up. One of my favorite little scenes is when he and Mary Kate have a little excitement catching a fish together. The whole community has a lot of personality on display, and there’s a number of details that add a lot of character to the setting. I like how the members of the local pub always seem to have a song ready to go, with an accordion player on standby. One could argue there's more Irish stereotypes featured as opposed to real people from Ireland, but the lively characteristics on display lend to the films witty tone. There’s actually a decent amount of comedy, which transitions into full-on slapstick in the film’s final act when the two men finally have their big fight. Despite the darker elements of the boxer’s backstory, I’m glad this final fight is more light-hearted and fun in tone.

 Naturally, the film was shot in Ireland (with interior sequences and Green-Screen shots in LA) … less known however is the village of Cong, in the County of Mayo, which is where the outside events of the film are set. Most of it was shot on the grounds of Cong’s Ashford Castle, which still celebrates the film today, with a statue of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara on display. 

It goes without saying that the film is gorgeous to look at, with all the beautiful locations and green landscape of Ireland on full display. Cinematographer's Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout had an eye for details, and their work on the film won them the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Director John Fords passion for his film project also paid off, as he too won the Academy Award for Best Director. The film received other Oscar nominations including Best Art Direction, Best Sound Design, and Best Writing.

 Of course, “The Quiet Man” was nominated for Best Picture, but lost to “The Greatest Show on Earth”, which featured James Stewart, and is frequently cited as one of the weakest movies to win Best Picture … it’s all the more shame when a classic like “The Quiet Man” lost to something like that. 

While the film didn’t win Best Picture, it was still selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”. Speaking personally, the film has always had a special place in the family, as something my parents bonded over, and even my sister was named Mary Kate after Maureen O’Hara’s character from the film … that has to count for something. Even if you’re not one for romance pictures, I’d say “The Quiet Man” is still worth a viewing, and for me it’s well worth the occasional repeat viewing around either Valentines or Saint Patrick’s Day.  

Thanks for reading my review of the 1952 Romance Classic “The Quiet Man” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!         

 

My Top 10 Favorite Dinosaur Movies

 

  Dinosaurs were a big fascination of my childhood and I think most kids can agree. There’s something about them that captures our imagination very quickly at a young age. Sure, they look really cool, they make for great action figures for kids, but I think the big reason they leave such a huge impression on us is because, unlike other movie monsters, Dinosaurs actually lived on our planet, they were real life monsters that existed no differently than the animals of today. 

Just the subject of Dinosaurs can open up a world of so much thought, imagination, and when I was a kid, I had to collect as many Dinosaur themed movies that I could get my hands on. As such, I felt I was long overdue to put together a list of my own personal favorite Dinosaur themed movies. As a SIDE NOTE … when it comes to long running Dinosaur franchises, in the vein of “Jurassic Park”, “The Land Before Time”, and even “King Kong” … I’m only including one film as a representative, because I don’t want this to be a list filled with sequels. Lastly, most of Dinosaurs in the media have been preserved through TV documentary specials, so I want to include at least one of them as a representative as well. With that said … here are my personal top 10 favorite Dinosaur themed movies.

 

#10 “One Million Years B.C.” (1966) 

It’s the classic caveman versus dinosaur’s adventure that launched its own subgenera. 

While humans didn’t really live among the Dinosaurs, the concept of early man’s battle for survival against prehistoric dangers took-off like wild-fire after this film, and had numerous imitators, including 1970’s “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth”, and 1981’s “Caveman”. It was also the poster child for attractive barbarian woman, which also became a sub-genera. The real star of this film were the Dinosaur effects by the great Ray Harryhausen, a legend in the realms of stop-motion wonders, and creature effects. It wasn’t his first-time bringing Dinosaurs to life, nor his last, with 1969’s “The Valley of Gwangi” being another memorable one after this … but these were arguably some of his best looking, and memorable. The film is certainly an acquired taste, but it still has its place in the history books of tongue-in-check, B-Movie creature features. 

 

#9 “We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story” (1993) 

 

Unmistakably a childhood, guilty pleasure of mine … but I just couldn’t keep this one off my list. When a small group of Dinosaurs travel through time, they find themselves lost in New York, but developing human intellects, and aim to do something special for the new generation of kids that admire them. With the help of two runaway children, they embark on an adventure in modern times, while avoiding the clutches of a mad circus leader. It’s as crazy as it sounds … not exactly a good movie … yet still very unique, even kind of original with both it’s premise and imagination on display. The animation is quiet charming to look back on, and there is just this nostalgic appeal to the whole thing that I can’t dismiss. It may not be a classic, but it was a special part of my up-bringing on loving dinosaurs as a kid.       

 

#8 “The Lost World” (1925) 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel of “The Lost World”, set the template for exciting encounters of man versus prehistoric creatures, and the 1920’s silent movie adaption of his written work was the first big-breakthrough achievement in seeing Dinosaurs come to life on film.  

While remade, and replicated several times in the media, nothing has quiet toped the iconography of the original classic. Special effects artist Willis O'Brien broke ground with the creature effects on display, and while primitive today, there’s still so much to admire from what he accomplished for his time. From thrilling Dinosaur brawls, to creepy ape-men, to stampedes outrunning a volcano, to the show stealing Brontosaurus going on a rampage through London … this is the original classic Dinosaur adventure, one of my absolute favorite silent pictures, and one I encourage viewers to check out … if only to admire the craft of it’s time.

 

#7 Disney’s “Fantasia” (1940) 

Despite being an anthology, with a number of different segments, I just couldn’t dismiss the twenty-three-minuet long Dinosaur segment titled “The Right of Spring”, from one of my childhood favorite movies. This depicts a chain of events beginning in outer space, we then see our planet when it was just a molten waist, but then we see cells reproduce, which is followed by the life of Dinosaurs, and everything inevitably wraps-up with their extinction. 

As a kid, I loved dinosaurs more than anything, so it was cool to see all these recognizable creatures. I also loved the volcanos, and the big highlight by far was the big T-Rex attack. The way it came out in the rain with that loud musical score boasting its size was just stellar. Unlike “The Land Before Time”, which had a collection of fluffy and colorful characters, these Dinosaurs were all so dark and creepy looking. The settings likewise had this dark and foreboding mood to them. Even the basic music in this segment is more imposing and less fun. As such, I always treated it like the big kids animated Dinosaur offering, and one that still impresses me all these years later.  

 

#6 “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) 

Amidst some atomic testing, a giant, prehistoric monster is released, and goes on a rampage. Pre-dating “Godzilla” by a year, this was one of the original classic giant monsters on the loose pictures, and still holds up as one of my favorite monster movies from the 50’s. It has some good acting by its genera standards, a simple yet nicely paced story, and our leading monster … a Rhedosaurus … is one of the greatest stop-motion monster effects of all time. This marked the early work of special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, prior to the dinosaurs he’d create in “One Million Years B.C.”. While his career would sky rocket with other hits in the vein of “Jason and the Argonauts” and “Clash of the Titans”, this was still the classic monster movie that really launched it, and made him a house-hold name for us genera fans.

 

#5 Disney’s “Dinosaur” (2000) 

Yet another childhood favorite of mine, but unlike the previously mentioned “We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story” … I actually think this film holds up a little better than its reputation would suggest. While the Dinosaurs march on through a predictable plot to find a new home, in the after math of a meteor shower, there was still an ambitious effort on display for a family film to combine dramatic beats with epic grandeur. The creature designs are memorable, still look decent today, and the ferocious Carnotaurus made for a refreshing change-up to the more famous T-Rex. Along with some stunning scenery, and triumphant music score, it’s all familiar ground that’s worth re-treading … especially if you’re a general dinosaur fan.

 

#4 “King Kong” (1933) 

While the titular giant ape, King Kong, will always be remembered as one of the all-time great movie monsters … let’s not forget the equally exciting Dinosaurs featured in the film. 

After Willis O'Brien broke ground with his creature effects in the previously mentioned silent picture “The Lost World”, he leveled-up the effects with the iconic monsters in “King Kong”, which almost feels like a soft remake of his previous film, just with a giant ape in the place of the Brontosaurus. While the 2005 remake featured three times as many Dinosaurs, the original has so many classic moments, which still rank among the best Dinosaur encounters of any picture. The big event being the thrilling showdown between King Kong and the T-Rex, which may seem primitive by todays standards, but for it’s time set the bar for giant monster battles. 

 

#3 “The Land Before Time” (1988) 

When a group of young dinosaurs are separated from their herd, they have to work together to trek across dangerous grounds and battle monstrous predators to find the land that time forgot. I've always looked at this film as "Bambi", but with Dinosaurs, so this ties into my childhood more than the former, as I've always had a nostalgic connection to Dinosaurs. Despite the cutesy designs of the characters, this remains a reasonably mature film, with intense moments, and some legitimate drama. The musical score always gets me in the feels, there’s a lot of exciting battles with the T-Rex, the animation is splendid, and the ending is one of the strongest, feel-good moments from any kid’s film. Overall, "The Land Before Time" walks a perfect balance between its appeal to little kids, while also treating the audience at large with a mature, and beautiful story.

 

#2 “Jurassic Park” (1993) 

The concept of man encountering prehistoric creatures dabbles into pure Science Fiction, as a team of professors use modern methods of cloning to bring back Dinosaurs for a giant theme park attraction. 

Of course, everything goes wrong, and it’s a thrilling adventure to escape, along with just enough awe-inspiring moments. Dinosaurs will always be awesome, and this film features some of the most life-like looking Dinosaurs you’ll ever see on screen, along with some thrilling action scenes, and moments of sheer terror. Whenever I think of Velociraptors, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and especially the T-Rex, it’s always these depictions in this film that come to mind first. Yet, the true brilliance of this film is how it puts better things before all these awesome elements … things like a good story, a memorable cast of characters, and a rich warning of those in power, who are blind to the fact that they’re not in control. Along with John Williams triumphant score, and the films breathless pace, it makes “Jurassic Park” better than just another, fun monster movie … it’s in many respects a great movie in its own right. Truthfully, it’s one of my all-time favorite movies … which would make it way too easy to place at my number one spot. As such, I have a very special pick that’s the most special to me when I think of Dinosaurs.

 

Before I reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” (2008)

“Planet of the Dinosaurs” (1977)

“Super Mario Bros.” (1993)

“The Land that Time Forgot” (1974)

“The Good Dinosaur” (2015)

 

#1 “Dinosaur” (1985) 

Christopher Reeve host what I consider the greatest Dinosaur special I’ve ever seen, as we look through their several appearances in the media, comic books, movies, attractions, museums, toys, and even highway decorations. 

There are interviews with paleontologists like Jack Horner, scientific discoveries, theories on what happened back then, what could happen in our future, and even how some animals that lived back then still live amongst us today. Lastly, special effects animator Phil Tippet expands on his early short film titled “Prehistoric Beast’s”, with new scenes, and we see the journey of a family of Duckbill’s, as well as several exciting encounters with a T-Rex. I’m sure it seems like a cheat to put a CBS produced, documentary special in my number one spot, but this one really does run an impressive gambit of different Dinosaur related topics in just 60 minutes. The musical score gets me so hyped every time I hear it, and the creature effects on display, I feel, are the best of the pre- “Jurassic Park” creatures. 

Like an old dinosaur fossil yet to be discovered, this little documentary special makes for quite the find. If you’re someone who still finds Dinosaurs interesting, definitely try and find this film, because it does an amazing job of being informative and educational, while still feeling as engaging and exciting as an actual movie. Even though I’m a grown adult, I still hold this little documentary special as a small treasure on my movie shelf, and it still has the power to take me back to that wonderful time from my child hood … when Dinosaurs were awesome! 

Thanks for reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the Movies you Love!