Synopsis
John Wayne plays an American returning to his Irish roots in the town of Innisfree. He fallsin love with the fiery Maureen O’Hara, but the path to true love does not run smoothly. This isbecause O’Hara’s brother is the bully Victor McLaglen. Wayne refuses to fight back, though,because of accidentally killing a boxing opponent in the past. Sooner or later, though… A changeof pace, this, for Wayne: essentially a romantic comedy (loaded with Irish stereotypes) ratherthan a w…stern. Pretty endearing stuff, if you can get past the stock figures and the machoposturing.
Audio
As with High Noon and Rio Grande, the sound comes in two types of mono: original andenhanced. The enhanced is as close to stereo as mono can get, and it does sound very nice, andis infinitely preferable to getting voices in surround mode. Though there is some quaver (perhapsinevitable, given that the film is 50 years old), there is no static.
Video
The picture (perhaps due to the print) is rather soft, and is dirty during the opening credits.The Technicolor, though, is gorgeous. Those terrific, over-the-top colours are absolutely to diefor. The blacks and contrasts are just as rich. The ratio is fullscreen (which is the originalformat).
Special Features
Lots of features, though with a certain degree of repetition. Maureen O’Hara’s commentaryis articulate, charming, and loaded with anecdotes and points of interest. “The Making of TheQuiet Man” is a half-hour look back with Leonard Maltin, paying special attention to thestruggles Ford went through to get the film made (the other features talk about this too), and alsoincludes the original theatrical trailer.. “The Joy of Ireland” has interviews with O’Hara and thesons of Wayne and McLaglen, and is largely a half-hour of memories of the shoot.“Remembering The Quiet Man” is a montage with a modern score, and it point escapes me. Theproduction notes go over much the same ground as “The Making of The Quiet Man.” Finally,there are quite extensive cast and crew bios and filmographies. The menu has an animated mainpage, but is silent.
Closing Thoughts
If ever a film deserved to be called a labour of love, this one is it. This fine release will givenew audiences a chance to rediscover the film.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- “The Making of The Quiet Man” Documentary
- “The Joy of Ireland” Documentary
- “Remembering The Quiet Man” Montage
- Cast and Crew Biographies and Filmographies
- Production Notes
- Trailers
