100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #103: The Quiet Man (1952)

Directed by John Ford. Starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

Sean Thornton, the Quiet Man, has a disturbing past and a deep, dark secret. To escape his troubles, he returns from Pittsburgh to the town of Inisfree and the boyhood home in the Irish countryside that he left as a young child. He is greeted at the train station by Michaeleen “Óge” Flynn, who remembers him as a boy and introduces him to Fr. Peter Lonergan. Within a day he falls hopelessly in love with Mary Kate Danaher, buys back White O’Morn the Thornton family home from the Widow Sarah Tillane and in the process makes a mortal enemy of his neighbor, Mary Kate’s brother Squire ‘Red’ Will Danaher. Now would be a good time to “try one of them dark beers” before proceeding.

The Quiet Man is one of several John Ford movies about Ireland. The Informer, starred Victor McLaglen as Gypo Nolan and was filmed in black and white befitting the dark setting of 1920 Dublin in the throes of rebellion. The Quiet Man, released in 1952, was filmed in Cong, Co. Mayo in glorious technicolor befitting the Irish countryside. It’s set approximately in the late 1920’s although that’s never made certain. The cast includes John Wayne as Sean Thornton, Maureen O’Hara as Mary Kate Danaher, Victor McLaglen returns as ‘Red Will’ Danaher, Barry Fitzgerald as Michaleen “Óge” (Little Michael Jr.) Flynn, Ward Bond as Fr. Peter Lonergan who is also the Narrator, Mildred Natwick as the Widow Sarah Tillane, and Arthur Shields at the Rev. Cyril Playfair. The cast is something of a family affair, Fitzgerald and Shields are brothers, O’Hara’s brothers James O’Hara and Charles B. Fitzsimons each have a role as does Ford’s older brother Francis. For good measure John Wayne’s own children are in the cart at the beginning of the steeplechase scene. The cast is rounded out by Irish actors, many from Dublin’s Abbey Theater and an uncredited cameo by Ken Curtis, Gunsmoke’s Festus as the accordion player. The screenplay was written by Frank S. Nugent, Maurice Walsh and John Ford. Walsh wrote the short story of the same name that was published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1933 and later published in the book The Green Rushes. It’s available online and a worthwhile read to see the contrasts and similarities between the story and the movie. John Ford won an Oscar for Best Director and Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout won for Best Cinematography, Color. There were eight additional nominations. The Cross is still standing in Cong and there is a Quiet Man Museum and the obligatory gift shop. If you’re in the area it’s worth a visit.

Getting back to the story, Sean just wants to live a life of peace and contentment but soon finds that his troubles have followed him back across the ocean. He has committed a sin due to wrath and can’t forgive himself despite being exonerated, at least in the civil sense. He knows what was in his heart and the consequences haunt him so he is determined to repeat those actions. Since none of the locals know his background or his motivations Sean’s determination leads to him being labeled a coward. Even Mary Kate is ashamed of him. Mary Kate and Red Will both have great pride and Will is also driven by greed and envy. There is a generous dollop of lust thrown in but since this is a John Ford movie it’s understated in manner that might seem quaint today but is all the more powerful for that. (One of those scenes even makes an appearance in a memorable homage in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.) For good measure sprinklings of gluttony and sloth are thrown in but for balance there are scenes including Mass, Reconciliation, Marriage, Last Rites and a pivotal scene involving “pattyfingers” around a Holy Water font.

A consistent theme is the role that money plays in motivating both good and bad actions. ‘Red’ Will, who treats Mary Kate more like an indentured servant than a sister, is jealous that Sean was able to purchase White O’Morn, “from right under me nose.” He is willing to pay more than the land is worth but in other circumstances he is a miser. His pride causes him to view everything and everyone through that lens. This is exacerbated by a ‘conspiracy’ by the locals that causes him to cut himself off from virtually everyone, including Fr. Lonergan, Sean and Mary Kate. The only exceptions are his hired hands, primarily Ignatius Feeney played by Jack MacGowran, who gives a master class study in toadyism. As the movie progresses Sean backs down on multiple occasions but finally comes to realize that he must make a choice between his vow to himself and the woman that he loves. In the process Sean seeks spiritual counselling from Rev. Playfair, who has figured out his secret and that scene reveals Sean’s dark secret. Mary meanwhile does the same with Fr. Lonergan, interrupting him while salmon fishing, and seeks the sacrament of Penance “in the Irish.” When Sean, with Mary Kate by his side, finally confronts Will, it is in front of an old style tractor with a roaring fire reminiscent of the gates of hell. It turns out that it is only by confronting his demons that Sean can earn the respect and honor of everyone.

There is a debate in Irish circles about whether The Quiet Man is a great movie about Ireland or a silly, offensive tale full of stereotypes and stage-Irishry. It does contain many stereotypes including drinking, fighting, bursting into song, pettiness, lateness, stopping work for trivial reasons, misogyny, wife beating, begrudgery, religious prejudice and backwardness. Michaleen is played like a modern day leprechaun by Barry Fitzgerald. He steals every scene he is in and provides comic relief although there is a great deal of additional humor throughout and some unforgettable and quotable dialogue. His scenes as the matchmaker are simply magnificent. If you’re easily offended you probably won’t like that aspect of the film and might let it ruin it for you. On the other hand, if you take in fun as I believe it was intended then you can enjoy it despite all that.

A little background here is that John Ford was born John Martin Feeny in Maine in 1894. His parents had emigrated from Ireland in 1872 so he grew up immersed in Irish culture, his parents spoke Irish and there is some debate as to whether Ford did too. My belief is that The Quiet Man is his love letter to Ireland, warts and all. Ford is reported to have been an IRA supporter since the 1920s. Barry Fitzgerald and his brother Arthur Shields were both Irish nationalists. Shields was an Irish Volunteer in the GPO during the 1916 Easter Rising and was interred afterwards in Frongoch prison camp in Wales as was my grandfather. When Patrick Pearse surrendered to British General John Lowe, Shields was present along with Lowe’s son John who became an actor under the name John Loder. Loder and Shields acted in several pictures together including Ford’s How Green Was My Valley. Shields also played the Patrick Pearse character in Ford’s The Plough and the Stars, based on Sean O’Casey’s play. As Michaleen says “Well it's a nice, soft night, so I think I'll go and join me comrades and talk a little treason. G'night, Sean.” Interestingly, ‘Inish’ means island in Irish so Inishfree itself would be loosely translated as ‘Free Island.’ There are several other subtle and not so subtle refences to Irish freedom balanced by the good will between Catholics and Protestants especially in the closing scene, “Now, I want youse all to cheer like Protestants!”

The soundtrack contains several famous Irish songs including “The Wild Colonial Boy”, “The Humor is on Me Now”, “Galway Bay”, and “Garryowen”, which also plays in many of Ford’s Westerns. The main theme is the melody for “The Isle of Innisfree” but the actual lyrics are never sung. This is a surprising choice as they tell the haunting tale of an Irish emigrant dreaming of returning home much like Sean must have done may times while living in Pittsburgh. The haunting background score was composed and arranged by Victor Young, a native Pole. His interpretations of traditional Irish tunes are understated in the movie but also make great listening on their own. It is reported that Maureen O’Hara had the soundtrack playing as she was dying.

The Quiet Man has been one of my St. Patrick’s Day staples for many years. To me it never gets old and I still laugh out loud at many parts. If you’ve seen it, I hope you’ll agree. If not, give it a try and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. One last note, look for O’Hara to whisper in Wayne’s ear during the closing credits. What she said was known only to the two of them and John Ford but the result speaks for itself.