One of my all-time favorite movies is THE QUIET MAN. If I happen to see it on TV my fingers release the remote and I'm captured by the story all over again. It is perhaps one of John Wayne's best films as well as perhaps the best film by director John Ford. And it's not even a western! If you've never seen the film it's the story of Sean Thornton (Wayne) who returns to the small village in Ireland where he grew up as a child to purchase the home he grew up in. Met by Michaleen Oge Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald) he isn't recognized but they soon become friends. Michaleen is basically the cab driver in town with his horse and carriage as well as a matchmaker of sorts.That comes into play when Sean catches a glimpse of Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara). Call it love at first sight the two are attracted by social customs of the time being what they are aren't allowed to meet. A bigger problem arises after Sean purchases his home to the dismay of Squire "Red" Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), Mary Kate's brother who wanted the property for himself.When the town conspires to unite the young couple by tricking Will his anger takes over and he attempts to block their getting together. They do and eventually marry but Will refuses to pay Sean Mary Kate's dowry. While Sean could care less Mary Kate refuses to sleep with him until he takes care of the matter.What the townsfolk don't know, with one exception, is that Sean has refused to fight for a reason. When that final straw breaks the camel's back and he's had enough he changes his tune. All of this leads to a final showdown between the two men and one of the longest fight sequences ever put on film.The movie is a delight to watch over and over again. The performances are amazing to watch with all involved, from the smallest to largest roles, creating believable characters that you get mad at, laugh at and love by the end of the film. There are no truly small roles here.Ford creates not just a story but a setting that was familiar to him and the way he forms the combination of location and tale being told make it a location you'd love to visit. He brings his old Irish home to life for all to see and enjoy. The film is glorious to look at with some breathtaking scenery shot on location.With the numerous versions of this film released over the years why talk about it now and why discuss buying this latest edition? That's because Olive Films has come up with one of the best presentations of the film to date. As a part of their Signature Series the film has been mastered from a 4k scan of the original negative, offering the cleanest look the film has ever had.It also includes some interesting extras as well. Those include an audio commentary with John Ford biographer Joseph McBride, a tribute to Maureen O'Hara with Ally Sheedy, Hayley Mills, and Juliet Mills, DON'T YOU REMEMBER IT SEAN?: JOHN FORD AND THE QUIET MAN a visual essay by historian and John Ford expert Tag Gallagher, FREE REPUBLIC: THE STORY OF HERBERT J. YATES AND REPUBLIC PICTURES, THE OLD MAN: REMEMBERING JOHN FORD an appreciation of the director with Peter Bogdanovich and THE MAKING OF THE QUIET MAN written and hosted by Leonard Maltin.This is not just a movie to pick up and watch casually but one to enjoy over and over again. You'll find yourself cheering at the screen by the final sequence. You'll witness a beautiful love story filled with romance and a touch of humor. And you'll get to see one of the best movies ever made.

THE QUIET MAN is an unusual John Ford/John Wayne collaboration in that it isn't a western; for a change, it's a broad comedy with a backdrop of Irish characters, charting the misadventures of a punch-drunk boxer who falls in love and makes a ferocious rival in the process. I suppose it might have been funny, once, but alas, no longer, at least not for this viewer. I found the humour long-winded and belaboured and the slow pace and lengthy running time a dual assault on the viewer's senses. Wayne is reliably droll and amusing and Victor McLaglen is consistently larger-than-life, but the rest of the film just feels slow and unfocused.

John Ford set an Oscar record when he won his fourth Best Director award for this gentle and inconsequential film. Not sure how that was justified, given that his stiffest competition was Fred Zinnemann for "High Noon" and who should have won in a landslide.John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara play an American with a secret in his past and the Irish spitfire who marries him and who he must set about taming. She thinks he's not manly enough because he won't fight her brother and village bully, played by the obnoxious Victor McLaglen, who is keeping her rightful dowry from her. He's irritated at her for being obsessed with money and not thinking that him and their simple life together is enough. Neither ever seems to consider just sitting down and talking about their respective feelings, or justifying why they feel the way they do, so we're treated to over two hours of a one-note joke as O'Hara acts like a child and Wayne gets his patience tested. The ending is fun, there's catharsis in watching Wayne finally lose his patience and drag the petulant O'Hara across a field, and the pastoral Irish settings make it a beautiful and relaxing movie to look at. But I do have to admit I was left wondering why I bothered investing so much time in a movie that came to so little.In addition to Ford's Oscar, the film brought Winton Hoch and Archie Stout that year's Oscar for Best Color Cinematography. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (McLaglen), Best Screenplay, Best Color Art Direction, and Best Sound Recording.Grade: B

Had John Wayne made more movies like "The Quiet Man" he might be viewed in an entirely different light today. Starring in a ton of Westerns and war films it's easy to get stereotyped as the guy who wins every battle he engages in without breaking a sweat. This picture moves Wayne out of his comfort zone and portrays him as a dashing ladies man, and the lady in question, Maureen O'Hara seemed like the ideal foil for Wayne's character Sean Thornton.Director John Ford owned this property for more than a decade but had a tough time attaining financing to film it until Herbert Yates at Republic Pictures delivered in a quid pro quo. Ford would have to produce a successful black and white Western with Wayne and O'Hara first, and when "Rio Grande" made a pile of money, Ford could insist on filming this picture on location and in color. The result not only produced one of Republic's highest grossing pictures, but it also earned a Best Director for the veteran Ford.I enjoyed the understated humor throughout the picture, particularly with the character of Michaleen Oge Flynn portrayed by Barry Fitzgerald. He had that great line about 'playing patty fingers with the holy water' and fairly bristled at the idea that America had a period of Prohibition. That his horse Napoleon automatically stopped at the door of Pat Cohan's pub was a very clever gimmick.Ward Bond was a surprise here, he's a trip as the parish priest Father Lonergan on a ten year mission to land the big one down at the fishing creek. Another Ford regular, Victor McLaglen also shows considerable range as the feisty brother of O'Hara's Mary Kate. I've generally seen him in more one dimensional roles, so his performance here garnered a well deserved Supporting Actor nomination.The film probably has a tough time finding support among modern day viewers considering it's subject matter and the way the main characters treat each other. I think the viewer ought to hold those thoughts to one side and consider the story from the vantage point of the era and the customs and mores of different cultures. Set among the sunny and vibrant colors of the Irish countryside, "The Quiet Man" is a genuine treat that movie fans can appreciate for it's fine acting and colorful characters coming to grips with the conflicts they seek to overcome.