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The Quiet Man (1952)

tomatometer

89

Average Rating: 8.1/10
Reviews Counted: 37
Fresh: 33 | Rotten: 4

Director John Ford and star John Wayne depart the Western for the Irish countryside, and the result is a beautifully photographed, often comedic romance.

80

Average Rating: 6.6/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 1

Director John Ford and star John Wayne depart the Western for the Irish countryside, and the result is a beautifully photographed, often comedic romance.

audience

90

liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 29,392

My Rating

Movie Info

Returning to the Ireland of his birth, director John Ford fashions a irresistable valentine to the "Auld Sod" in The Quiet Man. Irish-American boxer John Wayne, recovering from the trauma of having accidentally killed a man in the ring, arrives in the Irish village where he was born. Hoping to bury his past and settle down to a life of tranquility, Wayne has purchased the home of his birth from wealthy local widow Mildred Natwick, a transaction that has incurred the wrath of pugnacious squire

G,

Drama, Romance, Classics, Comedy

Maurice Walsh, Frank S. Nugent, Richard Llewellyn

Feb 20, 2001

Republic Pictures

Cast

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All Critics (37) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (4) | DVD (17)

This is a robust romantic drama of a native-born's return to Ireland. Director John Ford took cast and cameras to Ireland to tell the story [by Maurice Walsh] against actual backgrounds.

March 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

John Ford's 1952 Oscar winner is a tribute to an Ireland that exists only in the imaginations of songwriters and poets like Ford.

March 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment (1)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The illusion/reality theme underlying immigrant boxer Wayne's return from America to County Galway is soon swamped within a vibrant community of stage-Irish 'types'.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment (1)
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Let's face it. Mr. Ford is in love with Ireland, as is his cast, and they give us a fine, gay time while they're about it.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Although not a true classic, The Quiet Man is worth more than a cursory glance, especially for those who like Wayne or would like to experience more of his work.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

John Ford would fight against the currents of Hollywood to realize 1952's The Quiet Man, arguably his most personal work and one of the purest distillations of this charismatic personality's diverse artistic nature.

January 23, 2013 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

[The script] tends to resolve its problems by having the cast embrace, fraternity-brother fashion, and break out into full-throated ballads.

September 5, 2012 Full Review Source: The Nation
The Nation

John Ford certainly has a right to some Irish blarney

October 25, 2011 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews

John Ford may be the first director to make me like John Wayne.

August 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Cinema Sight
Cinema Sight

Old-fashioned charmer for the family.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

Brilliantly photographed romantic comedy.

August 8, 2008 Full Review Source: Classic Film and Television
Classic Film and Television

This is an amusing The Taming of the Shrew type comedy handled with a professional softness of touch by all concerned.

March 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

Ideal Sunday afternoon fare.

March 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine

One of John Ford's best pictures is also his most overtly romantic saga, set against picaresque Ireland, with top-notch turns from John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

November 2, 2007 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com
EmanuelLevy.Com

Ford shot on location in Ireland in dazzling Technicolor (with bold, sparkling greens), and came up with one of his most enjoyable, full-bodied films.

April 30, 2007 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid

Epic romantic comedy that I believe every Irishman must have seen at least once.

January 14, 2006 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Quiet Man

Because of the film course I am taking I am forced to watch these old, boring movies. Usually anything before 1970 I can't handle; rarely there are exceptions. "The Quiet Man" is an unfunny mess of a film with a ridiculous ending. The landscapes are nice but if I want that I can just watch Discovery Channel.
September 20, 2012
Market Man
Eric Shankle

Super Reviewer

I've seen this film many times over the years, and it has really stood out to me as being one of Ford's best films. Primarily known for his westerns, I love how this one is more atypical. It also helps that I've got a fair amount of Irish ancestry in me, thus can better appreciate this being a wonderful love letter to The Emerald Isle.

The story is that of Irish American boxer Sean Thornton who returns to the small Irish village of his birth. Distraught after having accidentally killed a man in the ring, all he wants is to live out the rest of his life peacefully and quietly on his family's land, which is no easy task, as he soon incurs the ire of the squire- a local brute who was wanting the land for himself.

Not only that, but Sean falls in love with the squire's sister, a feverishly traditional and fiery woman who insists that her and Sean's courtship be by the books, which includes receiving a dowry...that her brother refuses to pay. The couple get married, but until that dowry is received, the marriage absolutely won't be consummated.

What follows is a gloriously jolly romp that shows Sean trying to prove he's a real man without always having to resort to violence, which he is of course reluctant to do given his past.

Yes, the movie does perpetuate a few stereotypes about Irish men loving to drink and fight, but it could be far worse. The film has a fun set up, great supporting characters, and, since it was shot on location, it features Ireland in all of its glory with some truly marvelous cinematography. The music is also quite nice as well, and it's not surprising that this has become THE movie to watch every St. Patrick's Day as a result.

Wayne gives a fine performance, and it is nice seeing him in a role like this where he actual does have to try to act and show off his dramatic chops. He's successful too. Maureen O'Hara basically cemented her career here as Mary Kate the love interest, and for better or worse, she's the embodiment of a gorgeous prototypical Irish lass. Victor McLaglen is great as her bullying brother, and the great aforementioned supporting characters are superbly played by Ward Bond, Barry Fitzgerald, and Mildred Natwick among others.

Definitely give this one a watch. It's got drama, romance, comedy, action, and really leaves you feeling great inside.
October 4, 2012
cosmo313
Chris Weber

Super Reviewer

    1. Michaeleen Flynn: Homeric!
    – Submitted by Frances H (5 months ago)
    1. Fr. Peter Lonergan: She'll be runnin' you down with that Juggernaut!
    – Submitted by Frances H (5 months ago)
    1. Michaeleen Flynn: It's a mirage brought on by a terrible thirst.
    – Submitted by Carol O (11 months ago)
    1. Red Will Danaher: Father? Little Flynn?
    2. Fr. Peter Lonergan: Well, I can't say it's true, and I won't say it's not, but there's been talk.
    – Submitted by Francis L (12 months ago)
    1. Feeney: A pound on Thornton against the Squire!
    2. Michaeleen Flynn: Go away, ye traiter, ya!
    – Submitted by Francis L (12 months ago)
    1. Michaeleen Flynn: I have... I have come...
    2. Mary Kate Danaher: Oh, I can see that. But from whose pub was it?
    – Submitted by Francis L (12 months ago)

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Latest News on The Quiet Man

March 16, 2009:
Erin Go Bragh! Ten Great Irish Movies
Each year, as folks down pints of green beer on St. Patrick's Day, we're often in too festive a mood...

Foreign Titles

  • L'Homme tranquille (FR)
  • El hombre tranquilo (ES)
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