The quiet man5/16/2023 ![]() For me, the actor's finest effort came in his last film, The Shootist. ![]() And, while it's true that Wayne is more subdued and less overtly macho here than in many of his other films, he doesn't do a great deal to stretch his limited range. ![]() ![]() Some have referred to his work in The Quiet Man as John Wayne's greatest performance. Will withholds Mary Kate's dowry, and she won't allow her new husband into her bed until he retrieves the money by any means necessary. Even once the two are married - a ceremony that occurs after numerous difficulties - the trying times aren't over. It's about the tempestuous romance between solid, steady Sean Thornton, a man with a secret in his past, and fiery Mary Kate Danaher (O'Hara), whose brother, Red Will (Victor McLaglen), opposes the match. The Quiet Man is a pleasant, unassuming romantic melodrama that concentrates more on characters, atmosphere, and moments than on overall plot. Nevertheless, Ford wanted the sense of authenticity that could only come from filming in the country where the picture was set. Today, such trips are routine, but, 50 years ago, they were unusual. With a modest budget of under $2 million, Ford (along with his cast and crew) headed to Ireland for six weeks of location shooting. Only after signing a three-picture deal with B-movie company Republic Pictures and developing the hit Rio Grande was Ford finally allowed to make The Quiet Man. By 1945, Ford had attached both John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara to the project as the lead actor and actress, but he still couldn't attract financing. "Green Rushes" originally appeared in serial form during 1933 in "The Saturday Evening Post." Three years later, Ford optioned the material, but, despite his enthusiasm and growing reputation as a director (he had already won his first Oscar), no studio head wanted to risk any money on a movie that apparently lacked a built-in audience. In fact, a filmmaker with less tenacity would have given up on the project long before it was finally greenlighted. Ford, also of Irish extraction, could relate to Thornton's journey (at least in a metaphysical sense), and many have seen the character as a stand-in for the director, who spent fifteen years pursuing the motion picture version of Maurice Walsh's short story, "Green Rushes," with a singleminded determination. The film's protagonist, Sean Thornton (played by John Wayne) is an Irish American who follows his roots back to his ancestral home. The films were 1935's The Informer, 1940's The Grapes of Wrath, 1941's How Green Was My Valley (which also won Best Picture, defeating Citizen Kane), and one of the filmmaker's most beloved efforts, 1952's The Quiet Man.įrom the beginning, Ford stated that The Quiet Man was the most personal film he ever made (it was also one of his favorites). The Academy honored Ford with four Best Director Oscars, although, oddly enough, none were for Westerns. During a career that spanned nearly six decades (from 1917 through 1966), Ford helmed more than 100 movies covering almost every genre, but he is still remembered primarily for the likes of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Searchers (a film that many critics believe represents his most lasting tribute to the motion picture industry). John Ford is widely regarded as the best director of Westerns, many of which featured his good friend and favorite actor, John Wayne, as the lead.
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