“No patty-fingers, please”: The Quiet Man
Who knew John Wayne could pull off a tweed suit? We know his real name was Marion and that he lived a long and glamorous life in Los Angeles, but isn’t he the American Cowboy Extraordinaire? And yet, in 1951, right in the middle of a spate of Westerns, John Wayne surprised us–or at least the heads of studios all over Hollywood. He shed his Wranglers and neckerchief and headed off to Ireland to make a little romantic comedy, The Quiet Man, which should be on everybody’s St. Patrick’s Day viewing list.
The Quiet Man is an old, well-worn story: man returns to homeland and meets fiery local girl (Maureen O’Hara, the ultimate fiery local girl). There are wacky neighbors, a town crank, and plenty of community-spirit events. What this iteration does best, though, is that it keeps going long after most romantic comedies have ended with a fading screen and swelling music. The story doesn’t end when Sean Thornton and Mary-Kate Daneher fall in love; in fact, the meat of the movie takes place after the wedding. It’s a story about two strong personalities learning how to live and love together in a place where their business is everybody’s business. It’s a comedy with dramatic themes–starting a new life, loving concretely, sacrificing self–and though it clocks in at 129 minutes, it’s an easy movie to enjoy. A few parts come across as dubious where the treatment of women is concerned, but that’s both due to the characters (Mary-Kate doesn’t take an insult sitting down, we’ll say) and to the setting of the film–it shouldn’t be enough to make anybody skip the movie altogether.
It’s funny to see Wayne without his pistol and his cowboy persona, but he pulls it off, despite the distracting diction and mildly embarrassing horseback-riding posture. Wayne is a big performer–a big man with a big presence onscreen, even when he steps outside of his American Hero role. Thankfully, O’Hara refuses to fade into the background; she comes across as being his equal–a worthy match for someone with brains and spark.
In all, it’s a good movie, and something a little bit off the beaten path. If you’re looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with someone other than Tom and Nicole, The Quiet Man is a good place to start.
St. Patrick’s Day, The Quiet Man, John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, classic movies
March 18th, 2007 at 11:20 am
I am a great fan of the Quiet Man and have a question. Michaline (SP?) says at the beginning of the movie he is a shelkelhorn (sp?) or matchmaker. How is the Irish word for matchmaker spelled?
Thank you.
March 18th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Ohhhh yeah, I have seen this film. It’s been years, I probably saw it when I was 10 or 11, but yeah. It’s a good film. I liked it a lot. I am a fan of Maureen O’Hara in general. Big John? Meh. I mean, he’s good at what he does, but I think I was born too late for the whole American Icon thing.