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58-469: The Quiet Man is a 1952 American romantic comedy drama film directed and produced by John Ford , and starring John Wayne , Maureen O'Hara , Victor McLaglen , Barry Fitzgerald , and Ward Bond . The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story of the same name by Irish author Maurice Walsh , later published as part of a collection titled The Green Rushes . The film features Winton Hoch 's lush photography of

116-480: A "happily ever after". The conclusion of a romantic comedy is meant to affirm the primary importance of the love relationship in the protagonists' lives, even if they physically separate in the end (e.g., Shakespeare in Love , Roman Holiday ). Most of the time the ending gives the audience a sense that if it is true love, it will always prevail, no matter what the two characters have to overcome. Comedies, rooted in

174-581: A family affair. Francis Ford, who played the old man who gets up from his deathbed to watch the fight, is John Ford's older brother. Patrick Ford, the director's son, did much of the stunt work for Victor McLaglen during the fight scene, and was a unit director. Arthur Shields, who played the Reverend Playfair, is the younger brother of Barry Fitzgerald, Michaeleen Óge Flynn, who was born William Joseph Shields. Charles B. Fitzsimmons, who played Hugh Forbes, and James O'Hara, who played Father Paul, are

232-535: A fine cast." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post declared it "a complete jim-dandy ... The photography is glorious and Victor Young's score, inspired by folk airs, is a complete joy for an exuberant, vigorous picture." Philip Hamburger of The New Yorker was not so taken with the film, writing, "If am to believe what I saw in John Ford's sentimental new film, The Quiet Man , practically everybody in Ireland

290-450: A good love match. The characters often split or seek time apart in order to sort out their emotions or deal with external obstacles to being together, which they eventually overcome. While the two protagonists are separated, one or both of them usually realizes that they love the other person. Then, one character makes some extravagant effort (sometimes called a grand gesture ) to find the other character and declare their love. However, this

348-480: A humbled Will and the Widow Tillane begin their own courtship, and they ride out of the village side by side in a jaunting car driven by Michaeleen. Sean, Mary Kate, and the villagers wave to them as they pass, before Sean and Mary Kate playfully chase each other across the fields back to the cottage. The film was a departure for Republic Pictures , which backed Ford in what was considered a risky venture at

406-465: A picture as we've seen this year," with "dialogue that is as tuneful as a lark's song." In another contemporary review, the entertainment trade paper Variety called the picture "beautifully filmed" and wrote that "Wayne works well under Ford's direction," but found the 129-minute running time "unnecessary." Harrison's Reports described the film as "a delightful and rollicking comedy melodrama of Irish life, directed with skill and acted with gusto by

464-478: A seat in front for the driver. In its most common form with seats for two or four persons placed back to back, with the foot-boards projecting over the wheels and the typical conveyance for persons in Ireland at one time ( outside jaunting car ). Also with passenger seats facing each other ( inside jaunting car ). The first part of the term is generally taken to be identical with the verb to jaunt, now only used in

522-809: A sense of awkwardness between the two potential partners by depicting an initial clash of personalities or beliefs, an embarrassing situation, or by introducing a comical misunderstanding or mistaken identity situation. Sometimes, the term is used without a hyphen (a "meet cute"), or as a verb ("to meet cute"). Roger Ebert describes the "concept of a Meet Cute" as "when boy meets girl in a cute way." As an example, he cites "The Meet Cute in Lost and Found [which] has Jackson and Segal running their cars into each other in Switzerland. Once recovered, they Meet Cute again when they run into each other while on skis. Eventually, they fall in love." In many romantic comedies,

580-448: A weekly comic magazine called The Jarvey from January 1889-January 1891 based on the adventures of a driver of The Irish Jaunting Car and published by Richard J. Mecredy who was also publisher and editor of highly successful Irish Cyclist. The Jarvey was a highly literary and lavishly illustrated weekly comic paper, considered to have been the best comic paper of the 19th and 20th century in Ireland. French also wrote his own version of

638-476: Is just as cute as a button," adding, "Mr. Ford's scenes of the Irish countryside are often breathtaking ... but the master who made The Informer appears to have fallen into a vat of treacle." On the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes , The Quiet Man in 2023 has a 91% approval rating based on reviews from 46 critics. Critical consensus on the website states, "Director John Ford and star John Wayne depart

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696-473: Is not always the case; sometimes, there is a coincidental encounter where the two characters meet again. Alternatively, one character plans a romantic gesture to show that they still care. Then, with some comic friction, they declare their love for each other, and the film ends on a happy note . Even though it is implied that they live happily ever after, it does not always state what that happy ending will be. The couple does not necessarily get married for it to be

754-460: Is the " Rakes of Mallow ". A portion of the Irish version of "The Wild Colonial Boy" is played throughout the film. When Maureen O'Hara died in October 2015, her family stated she listened to music from The Quiet Man during her final hours. Filmmaker George A. Romero was also said to have died listening to the score. In 1952 A.H. Weiler of The New York Times viewed the film "as darlin'

812-712: The Irish countryside and a long, climactic, semi-comic fist fight. The film was an official selection of the 1952 Venice Film Festival . John Ford won the Academy Award for Best Director , his fourth, and Winton Hoch won for Best Cinematography . In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In

870-479: The war of independence , commander of the anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War , and author, acted as an advisor to Ford on the local culture, being on set with him every day. According to O'Hara, Ford "had a great deal of respect for Ernie...   He had such respect for Ernie. They would natter away like old buddies...   They liked each other. They were friends". This movie is, in many ways

928-476: The "White O'Morn" cottage. The latter is located on R336 south of Maam, but long ago fell into ruin. The film also presents Ford's depiction of an idealized Irish society, with only implied social divisions based on class and differences in political or religious affiliations. The Catholic priest, Father Lonergan, and the Protestant minister, Reverend Playfair, maintain a strong friendly relationship throughout

986-463: The "covered car", was an inside car with oiled canvas arranged on all sides to protect the passengers from the weather, at the expense of visibility. In the early 1800s, the British government levied a tax on every "jaunting car or pleasure car" (1813 Act of Parliament, 53 Geo. 3 . c. 59). This form of vehicle also featured in the 1952 movie The Quiet Man , particularly to comedic effect during

1044-453: The "outside jaunting car", or "outside car", the more common type described above, in which the passengers faced outward over the wheels, and the "inside jaunting car", or "inside car", considered to be more "genteel", in which the passengers sat with their backs to the sides of the car and faced each other. Anthony Trollope described the "inside jaunting-car" as "perhaps the most uncomfortable kind of vehicle yet invented." A third variety,

1102-413: The 1920s, Sean "Trooper Thorn" Thornton, an Irish-born American retired boxer , travels from Pittsburgh to his birthplace of Inisfree to purchase the old family farm. Shortly after arriving, he meets and falls in love with fiery, red-headed Mary Kate Danaher, the sister of bullying Squire "Red" Will Danaher. Will also wants to buy the old Thornton property, and is angered when the property's current owner,

1160-584: The Irish countryside, and it is one of the few Hollywood movies in which the Irish language can be heard. Filming commenced on June 7, 1951. All of the outdoor scenes were shot on location in Ireland in County Mayo and County Galway . The inside scenes were filmed toward the end of July at the Republic Studios in Hollywood. Vawn Corrigan reports that Ford made considerable efforts to get

1218-401: The Irish policeman/songwriter Richard Farrelly . The melody of the "Isle of Innisfree", which is first heard over the opening credit sequence with Ashford Castle in the background, becomes the principal musical theme of The Quiet Man . The melody is reprised at least eleven times throughout the film. The upbeat melody comically hummed by Michaeleen Oge Flynn and later played on the accordion

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1276-467: The Western for the Irish countryside, and the result is a beautifully photographed, often comedic romance." The film was also a financial success, grossing $ 3.8 million in its first year of release. This was among the top ten grosses of the year. It was also the seventh most popular film for British audiences in 1952. It was first released on DVD December 14, 1998 by Artisan Home Entertainment. It

1334-471: The Year , starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy ) post-WWII, and the sex comedy made popular by Rock Hudson and Doris Day in the 1950s–1960s. Over the years, romantic comedies have slowly been becoming more popular to both men and women. They have begun to spread out of their conventional and traditional structure into other territory, and to explore more complex topics. These films still follow

1392-566: The body, and the thrill of the chase," and other genres of expression such as songs and folk tales. In the 20th century, as Hollywood grew, the romantic comedy in America mirrored other aspects of society in its rapid changes, developing many sub-genres through the decades. We can see this through the screwball comedy in response to the censorship of the Hays Code in the 1920s–1930s, the career woman comedy (such as George Stevens' Woman of

1450-450: The brothers of Maureen O'Hara. In addition, four of John Wayne's children are seen in the horse race scene. Ford chose his friend, Hollywood composer Victor Young , to compose the score for the film. Young sprinkled the soundtrack with many Irish airs such as the " Rakes of Mallow " and " The Wild Colonial Boy ". One piece of music, chosen by Ford himself, is most prominent: the melody the " Isle of Innisfree ", written not by Young, but by

1508-459: The complex social rules of high society, particularly related to navigating the marriage-market, an inherent feature of the plot in many of these plays, such as William Wycherley 's The Country Wife . While the melodramas of the Romantic period had little to do with comedy, they were hybrids incorporating elements of domestic and sentimental tragedies, pantomime "with an emphasis on gesture, on

1566-644: The costumes correct for the period with Ó’Maille – The Original House of Style in Galway tasked with sourcing the costumes. The story is set in the fictional community of Inisfree. This is not the same as the Lake Isle of Innisfree , a place in Lough Gill on the Sligo – Leitrim county border made famous by poet William Butler Yeats , which is a tiny island. Many scenes for the film were actually shot in and around

1624-468: The fact that these films are still romantic comedies. One of the conventions of romantic comedy films is the entertainment factor in a contrived encounter of two potential romantic partners in unusual or comic circumstances, which film critics such as Roger Ebert or the Associated Press's Christy Lemire have called a " meet-cute " situation. During a "meet-cute", scriptwriters often create

1682-450: The fertility rites and satyr plays of ancient Greece , have often incorporated sexual or social elements. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms defines romantic comedy as "a general term for comedies that deal mainly with the follies and misunderstandings of young lovers, in a light‐hearted and happily concluded manner which usually avoids serious satire". This reference states that the "best‐known examples are Shakespeare's comedies of

1740-514: The film at approximately two hours in, on the verge of the climactic fistfight. Republic executives relented and allowed the film to run its full length. It was one of the few films that Republic filmed in Technicolor ; most of the studio's other color films were made in a more economical process known as Trucolor . The film employed many actors from the Irish theatre, including Barry Fitzgerald's brother, Arthur Shields , as well as extras from

1798-537: The film include Thoor Ballylee , County Galway, home of poet W. B. Yeats for a period, Ballyglunin railway station near Tuam County Galway, which was filmed as Castletown station, and various places in Connemara County Galway and County Mayo. Among those are Lettergesh beach, where the horse race scene was filmed, "The Quiet Man Bridge", signposted off the N59 road between Maam Cross and Oughterard and

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1856-433: The film with O'Hara and Wayne starring and Ford directing, but only if all three agreed to first film a Western with Republic. They did, and after completing Rio Grande , they headed for Ireland to start shooting. One of the conditions that Republic placed on Ford was that the film run under two hours. However, the finished picture was two hours and nine minutes. When screening the film for Republic executives, Ford stopped

1914-564: The film, which represented the norm in what was then the Irish Free State , where religious tensions occurred in the 1930s but were the norm only in Northern Ireland. One of the allusions to Anglo-Irish animosity occurs after the happy couple is married and a congratulatory toast offered by Hugh Forbes expresses the wish that they live in "national freedom" (the term national has been censored from most editions) and before

1972-453: The final donnybrook when Thornton demands his wife's dowry from Danaher. Danaher asks Hugh Forbes, who had been commander of the local Irish Republican Army unit during the fight to expel the British, "So the IRA is in this too, ah", to which Forbes replies, "If it were, not a scorched stone of your fine house would be standing." Ernie O'Malley , an Irish Republican Army officer during

2030-532: The first time on Blu-ray , as a 60th Anniversary Special edition. It included the documentary "The Making of the Quiet Man" with Leonard Maltin. In 2010 there was a documentary called Dreaming The Quiet Man made about the journey and making of The Quiet Man . It was narrated by Gabriel Byrne , and had interviews with Peter Bogdanovich , Martin Scorsese , Charles F. Fitzsimons , and Maureen O'Hara. It

2088-735: The gender role that society has imposed upon them, as seen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall , in which the male protagonist is especially in touch with his emotions. It can also be seen in Made of Honor , in which the female bridesmaids are shown in a negative and somewhat masculine light in order to advance the likability of the male lead. Other remakes of romantic comedies involve similar elements, but they explore more adult themes such as marriage, responsibility, or even disability. Two films by Judd Apatow , This Is 40 and Knocked Up , deal with these issues. This Is 40 chronicles

2146-623: The heroic adventures of medieval Romance . Those adventures traditionally focused on a knight's feats on behalf of a lady, so the modern themes of love were quickly woven into them, as in Chrétien de Troyes 's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart . The contemporary romantic comedy genre was shaped by 18th-century Restoration comedy and 19th-century romantic melodrama . Restoration comedies were typically comedies of manners that relied on knowledge of

2204-512: The landscape. The fighters finally pause for a drink inside Cohan's Bar, where they begrudgingly admit a mutual respect for one another. As they argue over who will pay for the drinks, Will tosses a brew into Sean's face. Sean punches Will, sending him falling through the bar doors to lie unconscious in the street, ending the fight. Later, the reconciled and inebriated brothers-in-law stagger arm-in-arm back to Sean and Mary Kate's home for supper, much to Mary Kate's amusement and delight. The next day,

2262-476: The late 1590s, A Midsummer Night's Dream , Twelfth Night , and As You Like It being the most purely romantic, while Much Ado About Nothing approaches the comedy of manners and The Merchant of Venice is closer to tragicomedy ." It was not until the development of the literary tradition of romantic love in the western European medieval period, though, that "romance" came to refer to "romantic love" situations. They were previously referred to as

2320-429: The mid-life crisis of a couple entering their 40s, and Knocked Up addresses unintended pregnancy and the ensuing assuming of responsibility. Silver Linings Playbook deals with mental illness and the courage to start a new relationship. All of these go against the stereotype of what romantic comedy has become as a genre. Yet, the genre of romantic comedy is simply a structure, and all of these elements do not negate

2378-554: The monetary part of the dowry (which is his contribution). Mary Kate believes Sean is a coward for not fighting Will. Sean goes to the local Church of Ireland minister and fellow former boxer, the Rev. Cyril Playfair, and reveals that he once accidentally killed a younger, married opponent in the ring. Sean had sworn to give up fighting out of fear and guilt over the manslaughter. Mary Kate also confesses (in Irish Gaelic ) her part in

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2436-528: The other zombies and even starts to cure them. With the zombie cure, the two main characters can now be together since they do not have a barrier between them anymore. Another strange set of circumstances is in Zack and Miri Make a Porno where the two protagonists are building a relationship while trying to make a pornographic film together. Both these films take the typical story arc and then add strange circumstances to add originality. Other romantic comedies flip

2494-406: The potential couple comprises polar opposites, two people of different temperaments, situations, social statuses, or all three ( It Happened One Night ), who would not meet or talk under normal circumstances, and the meet cute's contrived situation provides the opportunity for these two people to meet. Jaunting car A jaunting car is a light two-wheeled carriage for a single horse, with

2552-406: The quarrel to Father Lonergan, who berates her for her selfishness. She and Sean partially reconcile that night, and they share the bedroom for the first time since their marriage. However, the next morning, Mary Kate quietly leaves their cottage and boards a train for Dublin , hoping this pretense of leaving will spur Sean to action. Sean soon learns from Michaeleen where she is, races his horse to

2610-490: The railway station, and pulls her off the train. Followed by a growing crowd of villagers, Sean forces Mary Kate to walk with him the five miles (8 km) back to the Danaher farm. There, Sean confronts Will and demands the dowry money. When Will refuses, Sean throws Mary Kate back at her brother, declaring he will abide by the Irish custom "no fortune, no marriage". The ultimatum shocks both Mary Kate and Will, who finally pays

2668-463: The sense of to go on a short pleasure excursion, but in its earliest uses meaning to make a horse caracole or prance, hence to jolt or bump up and down. It would apparently be a variant of "jaunce", of the same meaning, which is supposed to be taken from old French jancer . In rural Ireland it was adapted for public transport by the Anglo-Irish entrepreneur Charles Bianconi in 1815. It

2726-554: The song 'The Irish Jaunting Car' for his comic opera 'The Knight of the Road.' (1891) When William Wordsworth toured Scotland in 1803 with his sister Dorothy and friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge , Coleridge procured an Irish jaunting car for the journey from a friend in Somerset , England. Managing the horse and car proved difficult for Wordsworth, who had appointed himself as the driver. There were two main varieties of jaunting car:

2784-469: The standard conventions of the romantic comedy genre. In films like 500 Days of Summer , the two main interests do not end up together, leaving the protagonist somewhat distraught. Other films, like Adam, have the two main interests end up separated but still content and pursuing other goals and love interests. Some romantic comedies use reversal of gender roles to add comedic effect. These films contain characters who possess qualities that diverge from

2842-412: The time. It was the only time the studio, known for low budget B-movies , released a film that would receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Ford read the story in 1933 and soon purchased the rights to it for $ 10. The story's author was paid another $ 2,500 when Republic bought the idea, and he received a final payment of $ 3,750 when the film was actually made. Republic Pictures agreed to finance

2900-426: The two leads meet and become involved initially, then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes they are hesitant to become romantically involved because they believe they do not like each other. This could be because one of the characters already has a partner or because of social pressures. However, the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are attracted to each other and that they would be

2958-468: The typical plot of "a light and humorous movie, play, etc., whose central plot is a happy love story" but with more complexity. Some romantic comedies have adopted special circumstances for the main characters, as in Warm Bodies where the protagonist is a zombie who falls in love with a human girl after eating her boyfriend. The effect of their love towards each other is that it starts spreading to

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3016-570: The village of Cong, County Mayo , on the grounds of Cong's Ashford Castle . Cong is now a wealthy small town and the castle a 5-star luxury hotel. The connections with the film have led to the area becoming a tourist attraction. In 2008, a pub opened in the building used as the pub in the film (it had actually been a shop at the time when the movie was shot); the pub hosts daily re-runs of the film on DVD. The Quiet Man Fan Club holds its annual general meeting in Ashford Castle. Other locations in

3074-471: The wealthy Widow Tillane, accepts Sean's bid instead of his. Will then retaliates by refusing consent for Sean to marry his sister. Some village residents, including parish priest Father Peter Lonergan and local matchmaker -cum- bookmaker Michaeleen Óge Flynn, trick Will Danaher into believing that Widow Tillane will marry him if Mary Kate is no longer under his roof. He gleefully allows the marriage, but he refuses to give Mary Kate her dowry when he finds he

3132-545: The £350 (over £17,000 in 2022). Sean immediately burns it in the boiler, abetted by Mary Kate. She proudly leaves for home, but a humiliated Will takes a swing at Sean, only to be knocked down by Sean's defensive counter-punch. A donnybrook ensues, then evolves into a long Homeric fistfight between Sean and Will after they insincerely agree to adhere to the Marquess of Queensberry rules . This much-anticipated match attracts more and more spectators as it continues for miles across

3190-513: Was also a popular mode of transport in 19th-century Dublin , popularised by Valentine Vousden in a song by that name. Jaunting cars remain in use for tourists in some parts of the country, notably Killarney in County Kerry where tours of the lakes and national park are popular. The colloquial name for the Irish driver of a jaunting car was "jarvey", used in the song "The Jarvey Was a Leprechaun" by Val Doonican . Percy French edited

3248-402: Was also released 4 years later on a Collector's edition DVD on October 22, 2002, by Artisan. The Special features on this edition include "The Making of the Quiet Man" Documentary with Leonard Maltin , and "The Joy of Ireland" Documentary with Maureen O'Hara and Andrew V. McLaglen , and "Remembering The Quiet Man Montage". On January 22, 2013, Olive Films released The Quiet Man on DVD and for

3306-476: Was deceived, and the Widow Tillane knows nothing about the deal. Sean, unschooled in Irish customs, professes no interest in obtaining the dowry; but to Mary Kate, the dowry represents her personal value to the community and her freedom. She insists that the dowry must be received to validate their marriage, causing an estrangement between her and Sean. The villagers eventually persuade Will to release Mary Kate's furniture (which she owns), but Will refuses to hand over

3364-538: Was released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time on March 24, 2015. The scene where John Wayne kisses Maureen O'Hara during a storm appears on a television set in a scene of the 1982 Steven Spielberg film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Romantic comedy film The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two characters meet , part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately, realize their love for one another and reunite. Sometimes

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