Movie of the Day: March 6, 2003

IMDb Movie of the Day
Winning John Ford his fourth and final Academy Award for Best Director, The Quiet Man combines the lushly green Irish countryside with the singular personalities and fiery chemistry of its co-stars John Wayne and Maureen O' Hara, to create one brilliant gem of comedic melodrama. When retired boxer Sean Thornton (Wayne) travels back to his birthplace, the village of Inisfree, looking to build a fresh life, he finds the place filled with eccentric but mostly friendly folks like Michaleen Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald), the town matchmaker/bookie, and Father Lonergan (Ward Bond). The one exception is Will 'Red' Danaher (Victor McLaglen), the influential property owner who dislikes Sean both for his attempt to buy back his family's property and for the undeniable attraction between his brassy sister Mary Kate (O' Hara) and Sean. The plot itself ends up being fairly simple, with the lifeblood of the piece provided by Ford's casting of Wayne in a fresh type of role as the romantic lead, a reserved man whose newly-reticent way of life is tested by his impetuous marriage to the brazen Mary Kate, her brother's blatant disavowal of their marriage, and even the townsfolk's freely-spoken opinions of the whole spectacle. While some of the depictions of Inisfree and its residents come off as merely Irish stereotypes, these characterizations are lovingly tailored as a sort of nostalgic postcard to way of life long since faded, mingling with the film's Oscar-winning location cinematography to lend a warm, slightly fairytale-like glow to the whole affair. (more)

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