The Quiet Man

I placed my order for this 60th-Anniversary BluRay on Nov. 5, 2012, to be sure to have it delivered on its release date. I'm happy to report that amazon delivered the film on that release date (1/22/13)."The Quiet Man" is one of those classic films that can be loved and enjoyed on many levels. The story, the acting, the humor, the cinematography, the musical score - it's all been there through the years.What hasn't been there to enjoy has been a truly exceptional print of the movie. I've seen this movie many times on TV. I've owned it on both VHS and DVD. All of those sources fell short in the visual presentation of the movie. Overly dark, indistinct, lacking in depth and detail. One had to be content with the story and acting to carry the day (though never having seen the film in a theater or in its premiere release condition, I can't be sure what this film looked like when it first played on the big screen).That situation has been addressed in spades in this new transfer to BluRay. The picture is steady as a rock. Details are amazingly clear. Colors are natural, with great contrasts and consistency (though some reviewers more knowledgeable than I have remarked on there being registration issues). I am particularly happy that Olive has avoided the opportunity to brighten up this film artificially to make things "pop" with a 21st-century sensibility. The film retains the darkish quality it has always had (which I assume is close to Ford's vision, or perhaps reflects the fact that the shoot was plagued by rain much of the time), but the transfer technique employed - one can't really call this a full out "restoration" of the film - has done its magic within the confines of the original film's palette. The play of light on faces is exceptionally well done, especially when those faces tended toward being blurred in earlier formats. It's simply a joy to watch scenes one knows intimately come to life with a nuance that hasn't been seen in decades, and that could have been missed in less-capable hands.Having said that, I can't help imagining that a full-out restoration of the film would yield an even better final product. I've never seen this movie in a theater, and I have no idea what constitutes the optimum visual presentation of this particular film, but I don't think that the Olive version will be the final stop in this film's journey back to optimum condition (are you listening, Criterion?)Victor Young's musical score and the dialogue come through nicely. Background noise has been reduced (not eliminated) from previous issues, but not so much as to sound artificial or clipped. I usually pay particular attention to soundtrack restoration on older films, and while that of "The Quiet Man" isn't the revelation of, say, the soundtrack for the BD of "The Maltese Falcon," I will say that within a few minutes of watching QM, I had ceased my critical listening, and found myself sitting back and enjoying the film in all its aspects.One caveat - there are no subtitles on this disc, a minus when considering that there is an audience of the hard of hearing who should get some consideration when films are released on BD. For that matter, subtitles might also help decipher some of the dialogue that's delivered in those wonderful - and heavy - Gaelic accents!I can't recommend this BD highly enough. If you know and love this film, you'll be in heaven viewing this transfer.If you don't know this film, I can think of no better way to make its acquaintance.5 stars.

While I grit my teeth about parts of the final scenes where John Wayne's handling of Maureen O'Hara would get him jailed for spousal abuse today, the movie is still well worth seeing, just skip most of the last half or at least the big fight at the end. John Ford seemed to have a definite misogynistic streak and celebration of male violence excessive even for the times back then. Even movie tough guys like Humphrey Bogart never dragged women around.That said, the first half is idyllic and the scenery is marvelously shot. The basic DVD has good picture quality. We were in this region only last year and it brings back great memories. Lots more houses in Ireland these days, but otherwise, it hasn't changed that much, especially inland.

What a wonderful movie by two Great actors

It was a good movie. It got here very quickly.

This one movie is set in Ireland and the story is a good one. For anyone whom likes John Wayne movies this one is a classic one to own

my favorite movie

THE QUIET MAN, released in 1952, starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Victor McLaglen, Barry Fitzgerald and Ward Bond and directed by John Ford is a movie I get a kick out of, even though I am not a real John Ford fan.What I like most in THE QUIET MAN, which is set and was filmed mostly in Ireland, are Barry Fitzgerald as Michaleen (Fitzgerald looks like a leprechaun in this movie), Victor MacLaglen, the scene at the beginning when Sean Thornton (John Wayne)--or "Thon Shornton", as Michaleen would call him when drunk--arrives in Castletown and just wants directions to Innisfree but finds that several well-meaning Irishmen who've evidently kissed the Blarney Stone sometime in their lives only take up his time with gab and never get around to answering his questions, and especially the scene later in the film in which we see an old man on his “death bed”, surrounded by loved ones, one of whom is reading to the old man what is probably one of his favorite Bible stories.That scene is my favorite "sense-of-life" moment in a movie. The old man may only think he's dying, and has possibly been on his “death bed” many times before. When he hears a great commotion outside, he knows instantly what it's all about: there's going to be a fight! All the town is placing bets on it, and the old man is suddenly much more interested in this big fight than in lying in bed dying. So, evidently thinking: “Forget this!”, he—miraculously!—jumps out of bed and escapes the house, his family trying unsuccessfully to restrain him. Such a moment in a story sends me the message: "Life is not about suffering and sorrow; life is to be enjoyed, and we are on this earth to be happy."In regard to director John Ford in general, I consider him an expert talent, but I'm not a great lover of his less comedic, more serious films. He tells stories, and tells them well, but they are more saga-like than having plots. I don't see many purposeful characters who are faced with crucial moral conflicts; the agonizing moral questions are already answered. Everything is about concretes versus abstract ideas and there seems to be more concern about groups of people—tribes, races, classes, families, societies or political parties—rather than individuals. THE SEARCHERS is about the search for a white girl kidnapped by Comanches. STAGECOACH involves people riding a stagecoach across perilous territory, and its story seems to present a microcosm of society. THE GRAPES OF WRATH, based on the John Steinbeck novel, is about a tenant farming family in search of a better place to live and work during the Great Depression. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY chronicles life in a Welsh coal-mining town, focusing on a mining family and their struggles with economic and political change. THE INFORMER is a morality tale about a cowardly Irish Republican Army member-turned-informer evading his comrades before they can kill him. These and other of Ford’s films are excellent, but I do not enjoy them like I do THE QUIET MAN.Often times Ford tries to present a view of what a “real man” should be. His positive male characters normally convey courage and heroism, but, with certain exceptions—such as Ethan Edwards (Wayne again) in THE SEARCHERS—they don’t seem to do a great deal on their own, with or without approval from whatever group of men they are a part of. Sometimes I think Ford's philosophy of being a man is: "Be one of the boys." Ford is most known for his Westerns, especially the ones starring John Wayne, and even though I would like to see his other ones someday the two that I’ve mentioned here are not among my favorite Westerns; his apparent insistence on reconciling one’s individuality with the group is the main reason. (As to Ford’s view of women, generally it seems to be that women have their specific “place” in society; so I assume his philosophy would say that a “real woman” should be “one of the girls”.)For those who may not be interested in Ford’s work, at least give THE QUIET MAN a chance sometime. The presence of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara together make it a great date movie.But remember: "NO PATTY-FINGERS!!”—Jim Ashley