The Quiet Man

The Quiet Man is a 1952 romantic drama directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
==Plot==
In 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.[a] 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, 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 Father Peter Lonergan and local matchmaker-cum-bookmaker Michaeleen Óge Flynn,[b] 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 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 the monetary part of the dowry (which is his contribution).
Mary Kate believes Sean is a coward for not fighting Will. Sean goes to local Protestant Minister and fellow former boxer, 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 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 the train 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 dower-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 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 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, 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.
==Cast==
*John Wayne as Sean Thornton
*Maureen O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher
*Barry Fitzgerald as Michaeleen "Óge" Flynn
*Victor McLaglen as Squire "Red" Will Danaher
*Ward Bond as Father Peter Lonergan
*Mildred Natwick as the Widow Sarah Tillane
*Francis Ford as Dan Tobin
*Arthur Shields as Rev. Cyril Playfair
*Eileen Crowe as Elizabeth Playfair
*Charles B. Fitzsimons as Hugh Forbes
*James Lilburn as Father Paul
*Séan McClory as Owen Glynn
*Emily Eby as Mave Campbell
*Jack MacGowran as Ignatius Feeney
*May Craig as Fishwoman
*Joseph O'Dea as Molouney
*Eric Gorman as Costello
*Ken Curtis as Dermot Fahy
==In popular culture==
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.
Category:1952 films
Category:Romantic drama films
Category:Films directed by John Ford
Category:Republic Pictures films
Category:1950s films
Category:Films starring John Wayne
Category:Films starring Maureen O'Hara
Category:Films