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mercy_angel_09St. Patrick's Day means one thing for me. No, not corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, though they certainly are part of it. It's the annual screening of the John Ford classic The Quiet Man. Ford's little Irish film was a departure from the westerns that he was known for, a certainly a gamble. Most studios passed on it, and it took John Wayne striking a deal with Herbert J. Yates of Republic Pictures to get the film made. And even then Ford, Wayne and Maureen O'Hara had to make Rio Grande first, as the western was expected to recoup any losses that The Quiet Man might incur.
So imagine everyone's surprise when the little Irish film became Republic Pictures' number one movie in terms of box office receipts and their only film to be nominated for Best Picture. The following is my recap and review of the film. If you haven't seen it, there be spoilers ahead!
The movie opens with narration from Father Lonergan, who serves as the narrator when necessary. The arrival of the American Sean Thornton into Castletown raises some eyebrows throughout the county, but before long people remember him as he was the last time he was there - a little boy. Thornton's quiet and unassuming nature quickly makes him friends. Furthermore he's instantly smitten by a pretty red-head herding sheep. (If one wants to turn this into a drinking game, take a drink every time you see a sheep, or any other Irish stereotype and/or cliche; I promise you'll be wasted in no time.) Introduced to Thornton and the audience as Mary Kate Danaher, we're given our romantic leads. Huzzah! Let there be love!
Thornton's quest to buy back his ancestral home White O'Morning makes him an enemy in the form of "Red" Will Danaher, Mary Kate's loudmouthed bully of an older brother. Danaher had plans for the White O'Morning property, except that he more or less shot himself in the foot in his bid to get it - something that becomes a running gag throughout the film. Let's just see how many time Will Danaher can screw himself over! Take a drink every time it happens in the true Irish spirit! (Again, you'll be wasted in no time.)
Danaher's grousing about losing White O'Morning to Thornton earns the quiet American the respect of Mary Kate, who cleans up the cottage in an act of Christian charity. Or so she claims. Anyone with half a brain cell can tell that she's actually interested in 1) spiting her brother and 2) catching another glimpse of John Wayne. Mmhmm!
There's a storm brewing just in time for Thornton's first night at the cottage, and local drunk Michaleen Oge Flynn's encourages Thornton to stay with him. After all, that cottage has been sitting vacant for a long time and hasn't been properly cleaned! Despite the local drunk having a legitimate point, Thornton decides to stay in the cottage anyway. He has his trusty sleeping bag. (Remember the sleeping bag. It becomes an important plot point later. That's right, it's Chekov's Sleeping Bag.) Imagine his surprise to find it cleaned up, but he's been living in Pittsburgh long enough to realize that he could actually be in danger.
This leads to probably one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history. Throwing a rock through a window and screeching like a demon, Thornton successfully scares the wits out of Mary Kate, who is naturally embarrassed as being found in a single man's home. (For what it's worth, the movie is set in the 1930s. Mary Kate SHOULD be embarrassed, that kind of behavior is downright scandalous!) She tries to flee, but he pulls her back and then kisses her! The nerve! Even if he IS John Wayne he can't just kiss girls willy-nilly! (This scene is later parodied in E.T., quite hilariously and sealing it into the public consciousness even if they don't know why.) She gives him a bit of what for before taking off and leaving him alone.
Thornton goes about sprucing up White O'Morning, making friends with the local Protestant clergy (in Catholic Ireland, good heavens!) and standing out due to his American ways. After all, a bed THAT big can only mean one thing! (Cue some rather dirty jokes that go flying right over the heads of the young and those who aren't paying attention.) Mary Kate, meanwhile, is paid a visit from the local drunk, er, matchmaker. (Same guy.) Remember, this is 1930s Ireland, and there are certain customs that must be followed. Michaleen Oge Flynn tells Mary Kate that Thornton is interested in courting her, and Mary Kate agrees that she'd be interested in courting Thornton. It's a win-win situation, what could possibly go wrong?
When Flynn and Thornton show up at the Danaher residence to officially start the courting process, Will shuts them down completely. Despite Mary Kate's desire to be with Thornton, she's tied by tradition and without her brother's consent she can't do anything on her own. It sucks, yes, especially to the modern viewer. However that's the way it was for a very long time.
Dark days descend on Innisfree, as both Thornton and Mary Kate are in foul moods following Will's outright rejection of Thornton's offer. Naturally the whole town (or at least most of them) decide to get involved, because what could possibly go wrong? (By now, the sarcasm should be evident.)
The annual horse race is upon the town and both the Catholic and Protestant clergy, along with Flynn, decide to pull one over on Will. This happens in the form of having Thornton taking the bonnet of the Widow Tillane, whom Will fancies, when he crosses the finish line. Will, thinking that Thornton has shifted his affections from Mary Kate to the Widow Tillane, decides that Thornton can court Mary Kate after all - especially after Father Lonergan and Flynn tell him that the Widow Tillane isn't likely to give into Will's affections if his sister (who is also a redhead!) is still living at home.
Cue Will's desire to marry off his "spinster" sister so he can marry the widow.
Again, what could possibly go wrong?
The courting scene is adorable and really showcases Wayne and O'Hara's chemistry. It's no wonder that they were considered one of the top screen couples, even though they only appeared in five films together! Like a good courting couple they're supervised by the drunken Michaleen Oge Flynn, who is full of one liners about keeping hands to oneself and druids. (It makes sense in context.) Thornton, having been raised in the U.S. isn't quite comfortable with being chaperoned, and when the opportunity strikes he urges Mary Kate to ditch Flynn with him so that they can start to enjoy their date. Stealing a tandem bicycle (implied to belong to the Reverend and Mrs. Playfair) they take off, leading Flynn on a merry chase through town, at least until Flynn's horse comes to a stop in front of the pub. Flynn, not being one to pass up an opportunity to drink, decides that Thornton and Mary Kate are fine and leaves them to their own devices. (Oooh, scandalous.) Meanwhile, Thornton and Mary Kate are caught in the rain, profess their love for each other, and decide that there's no point in waiting to get married. This is the 1930s for Pete's sake! The reading of the banns is so last century!
Cut to their wedding day. The happy couple is celebrating with their family and friends, and Will's all too happy to proclaim his new bachelor status and woman free household. Unfortunately for Will, and for Thornton and Mary Kate, the Widow Tillane isn't as gung-ho for the plan to start courting, but she has her reasons. Will, realizing that the the clergy of all people, have pulled a fast one on him, declares that he won't give Mary Kate her dowry. Thornton doesn't see a problem with it, as it's just money, but to Mary Kate, who's entire life has been entrenched in these traditions, is completely broken up by the loss of her fortune. Thornton tries to talk to Will about it, but gets punched in the face for his trouble.
Cue black and white flashback scene!
Thornton was once a professional boxer who accidentally killed a man in the ring. Despite not being guilty of murder, or even manslaughter (this is the 1930s, remember), the knowledge that he has taken a man's life through fighting for money weighs heavily on his mind. Hence his quiet persona and staunch refusal to fight Will for Mary Kate's fortune.
Naturally this makes for a rather intense wedding night, as Mary Kate starts ranting and raving at her new husband about the loss of her fortune and why won't he fight her brother. He doesn't see a point in fighting Will for the money, it's not as if they need it. Mary Kate then rails on about how she's not really his wife until she gets not only the furniture that rightfully belongs to her, but her dowry as well. At this point she decides to lock herself in their bedroom, but Thornton will have none of that. He breaks down the door and roughly grabs her, stating that there will be no locks or doors between them, except for those in her "mercenary little heart."
Oooh, harsh.
He gives her a rough kiss and then picks her up, tosses her on the bed (breaking it in the process), and then storms out, slamming the door behind him. Mary Kate is confused for two reasons. One, it's her wedding night. Wasn't he supposed to ravish her? And two, she still has no idea why he won't fight her brother for the dowry.
The next morning shows Mary Kate walking into the main room of the cottage to find her husband sitting up in his sleeping bag, where he spent the night. Things are tense between them until they hear the rather loud and raucous singing of the village men. Mary Kate pleads with Thornton to put the sleeping bag away and get dressed so as not to shame her. He concedes while she rushes out to meet the villagers, to find that they've brought her furniture. She begins to direct how it'll go in the house before asking after her dowry. Several of the men apologize, as while they were able to convince Will that his sister should have furniture, they couldn't convince him to part with the dowry.
Thornton brushes it off as no big deal, but Mary Kate is furious all over again. She asks one of the village men what kind of man that she's married, to which he replies, "A better one, I think, than you know, Mary Kate."See. Even the local IRA members think that Thornton is a good man for not being concerned with the money.
Things take a turn for the funny with the arrival of a beautiful little cradle, carried in by Flynn amongst knowing smirks. Flynn asks where it should go, and Thornton, clearly amused that a cradle is included in Mary Kate's furniture, looks at his wife and says, "Well that'll come in handy." Mary Kate blushes as red as her hair and tries to dismiss is as a family heirloom. "It was my mothers, and her mother's before and..." she dashes out to oversee the rest of the unloading of her furniture. Thornton, meanwhile, tells Flynn to stick the cradle where he thinks the best place for it is.
Flynn naturally takes it into the bedroom.
Guess what. The bed is still broken.
Flynn takes one look at it and shakes his head in an all knowing way. "Impetuous!" he exclaims. "Homeric!" (But to the astute audience member, they saw this joke coming from a mile away.)
That's gonna be ALL over town by tomorrow morning, you can bet good money on that. Anyway, Mary Kate has her furniture and everything seems right for the couple, at least for the time being. And while no new marriage isn't without out a few spats, things really don't fall apart until a few days later where Thornton again refuses to fight Will for Mary Kate's dowry. This leads to a full on row in Castletown, where the two newlyweds part ways. Mary Kate seeks out Father Lonergan, where she tells him in tearful Gaelic of her marital woes. Father Lonergan is outraged at the lack of, er, marital togetherness and by gum married men do not sleep in sleeping bags with buttons! They sleep in beds! With their wives! And of course has to give up the fight with the fish he's been trying to catch for several years in the process of becoming outraged.
Thornton, on the other hand, walks to the pub only to be taunted and teased by Will, who calls him a bunch of names. When he again refuses to fight will for the dowry, Flynn suddenly realizes that perhaps he and the others have made a royal mess of things. The Thornton's marriage is now on the rocks and is quite possibly heading for a premature end, and all because of their meddling.
Oh dear. This does not look like it will end well.
Thornton makes his way to the Playfair's, hoping that a talk with the good vicar will help him figure out what to do. Reverend Playfair and Thornton discuss why Thornton is so reluctant to fight Will, as Reverend Playfair is the only person in Innisfree to know Thornton's true identity and the guilt that he carries within. While Playfair understands the reluctance to fight for money, especially after Thornton bemoans that he killed a good man with a family for money, he also points out that Mary Kate feels that he won't fight for her.
Thornton returns home to find Mary Kate standing by the fire, and she asks if he's eaten. He responds that he isn't hungry, prompting her to remark that the drink will do that to a person. (This is Ireland after all, when in doubt, alcohol is involved.) Thornton assures her that he wasn't drinking, just talking with Reverend Playfair. Mary Kate then casually remarks that she talked to Father Lonergan. It a moment that has to be seen to be fully understood, the two sit quietly in front of the fire and Thornton pulls Mary Kate against him, and in Thornton's eyes you can see that he's not ready to give up on Mary Kate, but he's not ready to face Will in a fight, either.
Cut to the next morning. Thornton swaggers out of the bedroom with a twinkle in his eye and a giddy-up in his step. That is a man who's thoroughly enjoyed everything that married life has to offer, my friend. He takes a deep breath of the fresh cut roses on the table before calling for Mary Kate, only to get silence in response. Where'd that woman run off to? Doesn't she know that her husband needs breakfast?
Looking outside, Thornton is answered by Michaleen Oge Flynn. "She's gone," he says, and then explains that she woke him up first thing to get a ride to the train station in Castletown. She loves him too much to watch him be a coward, so she's going to run.
Cue the "flat what" face. WHUT. They just spent the night going at it like happy bunnies and then she BAILS?!
Oh HELL no. Thornton instructs Flynn to saddle up his horse, he's going to get his wife back.
The determination in his voice gives Flynn something to smile about. Well, this is certainly an interesting development.
We then cut to the train station where an obviously guilty Mary Kate takes her seat on the train. The train is about to depart, but Fate has other ideas, as the station master and the driver get into argument about an unspecified sport. Rugby? Cricket? Who knows. They never say. But they do decide that the argument can only be solved by resorting to good old fisticuffs. (Fighting Irish trope? Check.)
Thornton arrives at the train station on horseback just moments before fisticuffs breaks out, effectively ending the fight before it even begins. They find him slamming doors shut on the cars far more interesting anyway. Curious, they follow him and then realize what's going on when he drags Mary Kate off the train. Mary Kate is manhandled through the next scene, a so called five mile walk between Castletown and Innisfree, "A good stretch of the legs" they've noted several time through out the film.
Essentially kicking and screaming, Thornton drags Mary Kate back to Innisfree with a large crowd gathering to watch the scene, one woman even offering up a stick "to beat the lovely lady with." It shouldn't be funny, because domestic abuse should never be funny, except when it is. And in this case, it totally is because by now the audience knows that while Mary Kate has no qualms about slapping Thornton around, Thornton will never raise a hand, or stick, against her. But to insinuate that her husband could smack her around at any time? Hilarious.
Anyway, as news spreads that Thornton is not only marching Mary Kate back home, but to see her brother about the dowry, the entire town gathers in Will's field. Thornton marches up to the Squire and tosses Mary Kate to his feet. He claims that they're not legally married since they don't have her dowry. And since they're not married, he has to take her back. As Will starts to protest Thornton points out that it's the Irish custom, not an American one and unless they get the dowry money, the Squire has to take his sister back.
Oh dear Lord, talk about a fate worse than DEATH.
Realizing that Thornton has a point, Will gives up the dowry, which Thornton and Mary Kate accept, before tossing it into a steam tractor's furnace. Finally assured that her husband isn't a coward and that they don't really need the dowry money, Mary Kate assures Thornton that she'll be back at White O'Morning with supper ready when he returns home.
Aww, she really does love him!
Cue the sassiest walk I've ever seen Maureen O'Hara do. Damn, dat ass, I tell you. Magnificent. And I'm a straight, married woman.
Moving on with the story, Thornton decides to head out as well. He's settled his score with Will, time to move on. Maybe go buy some seeds for the farm.
Except Will's not exactly done with Thornton. Quickly warned by the local IRA members, Thornton ducks a cheap shot from Will.
Oh. Now it's on. And don't you know that Thornton is going to bring it.
So starts one of the longest fight scenes in cinematic history. It's something like five minutes long, and hell if I don't enjoy every minute of it! It starts out as a full on brawl between Thornton's supporters and Danaher's supporters before Flynn finally managed to pull everyone else out of it so that Thornton and Will can settle man to man. And so Flynn can make a little money on the side by taking wagers.
Hey, a man has to look out for himself, right?
The brawl goes all through town, attracting the attention of dying man Dan Tobin (who leaps out of his death bed to catch the fight), Father Lonergan and Father Paul (the former relishing the fight while the later says they should stop it) and Reverend Playfair and his Bishop. And naturally people are making wagers left and right, including the most hilarious one from Will's right hand man against him. Which is not okay with Flynn, for the record.
The brawl pauses in the pub where the first round ends and the two fighters get a drink, on the house, from the pub owner. Of course neither man wants the pub owner's charity and tries to buy the other one a drink. Alas, just moments before they were stating that the other really wasn't so bad and they could actually get along.
Oh well, I guess the fight is back on.
The next scene is at White O'Morning where Mary Kate has dinner on, just in time for Thornton and Will to stumble in, completely drunk. However the pair are laughing and quite chummy, so I guess the good old fisticuffs worked.
The final scene of the movie shows the entire town, mostly Catholic, pretending to be Protestant for the sake of the Playfair's, so that the Bishop won't ship them elsewhere. Furthermore, it shows that Will and the Widow Tillane are now courting, probably because Will has been properly humbled by Thornton. The film closes with essentially snapshots of the supporting characters. The various people about town strike poses, further hammering home just how absolutely gorgeous this film is.
It should be noted that this movie was not expected to do very well. Most major studios passed on it because they were certain it wouldn't make any money, and as I noted before, Republic only agreed to do it AFTER a western that would recoup the losses. And while Rio Grande did well, The Quiet Man out performed it in ways no one could have possibly expected.
There's something about the film that's positively amazing. The first is showcasing Wayne's talent as a romantic leading man with a fairly sharp sense of comedic timing. He drops zingers and one liners like a pro as well as oozes charm. And as I mentioned before, Wayne and O'Hara have remarkable chemistry - there's something about them that just clicks and is a compete joy to watch.
Most of the score is comprised of traditional Irish songs, "The Rakes of Mallow" and "Wild Colonial Boy" are the two that immediately leap to mind. But it never comes off as forced. Everything about this film comes out as easy and natural. It's an easy film to watch.
Further more, it's hilarious. There are a lot of rather dirty jokes (a couple revolving around the bed come to mind) in it, but some genuinely funny moments between Wayne and O'Hara. I don't think I really appreciated the humor of this film until I was older, but now I giggle my way through it. The script has a good number of one-liners (usually delivered by Barry Fitzgerald or Wayne himself) and best of all never tries to take itself too seriously.
Ford was notoriously proud of his Irish roots, and it shows in this film. It's a visual love letter to his forefathers. And certainly worth watching more than once a year.
Long recap/review is LOOOOOONG. Just so ya know.
So imagine everyone's surprise when the little Irish film became Republic Pictures' number one movie in terms of box office receipts and their only film to be nominated for Best Picture. The following is my recap and review of the film. If you haven't seen it, there be spoilers ahead!
The movie opens with narration from Father Lonergan, who serves as the narrator when necessary. The arrival of the American Sean Thornton into Castletown raises some eyebrows throughout the county, but before long people remember him as he was the last time he was there - a little boy. Thornton's quiet and unassuming nature quickly makes him friends. Furthermore he's instantly smitten by a pretty red-head herding sheep. (If one wants to turn this into a drinking game, take a drink every time you see a sheep, or any other Irish stereotype and/or cliche; I promise you'll be wasted in no time.) Introduced to Thornton and the audience as Mary Kate Danaher, we're given our romantic leads. Huzzah! Let there be love!
Thornton's quest to buy back his ancestral home White O'Morning makes him an enemy in the form of "Red" Will Danaher, Mary Kate's loudmouthed bully of an older brother. Danaher had plans for the White O'Morning property, except that he more or less shot himself in the foot in his bid to get it - something that becomes a running gag throughout the film. Let's just see how many time Will Danaher can screw himself over! Take a drink every time it happens in the true Irish spirit! (Again, you'll be wasted in no time.)
Danaher's grousing about losing White O'Morning to Thornton earns the quiet American the respect of Mary Kate, who cleans up the cottage in an act of Christian charity. Or so she claims. Anyone with half a brain cell can tell that she's actually interested in 1) spiting her brother and 2) catching another glimpse of John Wayne. Mmhmm!
There's a storm brewing just in time for Thornton's first night at the cottage, and local drunk Michaleen Oge Flynn's encourages Thornton to stay with him. After all, that cottage has been sitting vacant for a long time and hasn't been properly cleaned! Despite the local drunk having a legitimate point, Thornton decides to stay in the cottage anyway. He has his trusty sleeping bag. (Remember the sleeping bag. It becomes an important plot point later. That's right, it's Chekov's Sleeping Bag.) Imagine his surprise to find it cleaned up, but he's been living in Pittsburgh long enough to realize that he could actually be in danger.
This leads to probably one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history. Throwing a rock through a window and screeching like a demon, Thornton successfully scares the wits out of Mary Kate, who is naturally embarrassed as being found in a single man's home. (For what it's worth, the movie is set in the 1930s. Mary Kate SHOULD be embarrassed, that kind of behavior is downright scandalous!) She tries to flee, but he pulls her back and then kisses her! The nerve! Even if he IS John Wayne he can't just kiss girls willy-nilly! (This scene is later parodied in E.T., quite hilariously and sealing it into the public consciousness even if they don't know why.) She gives him a bit of what for before taking off and leaving him alone.
Thornton goes about sprucing up White O'Morning, making friends with the local Protestant clergy (in Catholic Ireland, good heavens!) and standing out due to his American ways. After all, a bed THAT big can only mean one thing! (Cue some rather dirty jokes that go flying right over the heads of the young and those who aren't paying attention.) Mary Kate, meanwhile, is paid a visit from the local drunk, er, matchmaker. (Same guy.) Remember, this is 1930s Ireland, and there are certain customs that must be followed. Michaleen Oge Flynn tells Mary Kate that Thornton is interested in courting her, and Mary Kate agrees that she'd be interested in courting Thornton. It's a win-win situation, what could possibly go wrong?
When Flynn and Thornton show up at the Danaher residence to officially start the courting process, Will shuts them down completely. Despite Mary Kate's desire to be with Thornton, she's tied by tradition and without her brother's consent she can't do anything on her own. It sucks, yes, especially to the modern viewer. However that's the way it was for a very long time.
Dark days descend on Innisfree, as both Thornton and Mary Kate are in foul moods following Will's outright rejection of Thornton's offer. Naturally the whole town (or at least most of them) decide to get involved, because what could possibly go wrong? (By now, the sarcasm should be evident.)
The annual horse race is upon the town and both the Catholic and Protestant clergy, along with Flynn, decide to pull one over on Will. This happens in the form of having Thornton taking the bonnet of the Widow Tillane, whom Will fancies, when he crosses the finish line. Will, thinking that Thornton has shifted his affections from Mary Kate to the Widow Tillane, decides that Thornton can court Mary Kate after all - especially after Father Lonergan and Flynn tell him that the Widow Tillane isn't likely to give into Will's affections if his sister (who is also a redhead!) is still living at home.
Cue Will's desire to marry off his "spinster" sister so he can marry the widow.
Again, what could possibly go wrong?
The courting scene is adorable and really showcases Wayne and O'Hara's chemistry. It's no wonder that they were considered one of the top screen couples, even though they only appeared in five films together! Like a good courting couple they're supervised by the drunken Michaleen Oge Flynn, who is full of one liners about keeping hands to oneself and druids. (It makes sense in context.) Thornton, having been raised in the U.S. isn't quite comfortable with being chaperoned, and when the opportunity strikes he urges Mary Kate to ditch Flynn with him so that they can start to enjoy their date. Stealing a tandem bicycle (implied to belong to the Reverend and Mrs. Playfair) they take off, leading Flynn on a merry chase through town, at least until Flynn's horse comes to a stop in front of the pub. Flynn, not being one to pass up an opportunity to drink, decides that Thornton and Mary Kate are fine and leaves them to their own devices. (Oooh, scandalous.) Meanwhile, Thornton and Mary Kate are caught in the rain, profess their love for each other, and decide that there's no point in waiting to get married. This is the 1930s for Pete's sake! The reading of the banns is so last century!
Cut to their wedding day. The happy couple is celebrating with their family and friends, and Will's all too happy to proclaim his new bachelor status and woman free household. Unfortunately for Will, and for Thornton and Mary Kate, the Widow Tillane isn't as gung-ho for the plan to start courting, but she has her reasons. Will, realizing that the the clergy of all people, have pulled a fast one on him, declares that he won't give Mary Kate her dowry. Thornton doesn't see a problem with it, as it's just money, but to Mary Kate, who's entire life has been entrenched in these traditions, is completely broken up by the loss of her fortune. Thornton tries to talk to Will about it, but gets punched in the face for his trouble.
Cue black and white flashback scene!
Thornton was once a professional boxer who accidentally killed a man in the ring. Despite not being guilty of murder, or even manslaughter (this is the 1930s, remember), the knowledge that he has taken a man's life through fighting for money weighs heavily on his mind. Hence his quiet persona and staunch refusal to fight Will for Mary Kate's fortune.
Naturally this makes for a rather intense wedding night, as Mary Kate starts ranting and raving at her new husband about the loss of her fortune and why won't he fight her brother. He doesn't see a point in fighting Will for the money, it's not as if they need it. Mary Kate then rails on about how she's not really his wife until she gets not only the furniture that rightfully belongs to her, but her dowry as well. At this point she decides to lock herself in their bedroom, but Thornton will have none of that. He breaks down the door and roughly grabs her, stating that there will be no locks or doors between them, except for those in her "mercenary little heart."
Oooh, harsh.
He gives her a rough kiss and then picks her up, tosses her on the bed (breaking it in the process), and then storms out, slamming the door behind him. Mary Kate is confused for two reasons. One, it's her wedding night. Wasn't he supposed to ravish her? And two, she still has no idea why he won't fight her brother for the dowry.
The next morning shows Mary Kate walking into the main room of the cottage to find her husband sitting up in his sleeping bag, where he spent the night. Things are tense between them until they hear the rather loud and raucous singing of the village men. Mary Kate pleads with Thornton to put the sleeping bag away and get dressed so as not to shame her. He concedes while she rushes out to meet the villagers, to find that they've brought her furniture. She begins to direct how it'll go in the house before asking after her dowry. Several of the men apologize, as while they were able to convince Will that his sister should have furniture, they couldn't convince him to part with the dowry.
Thornton brushes it off as no big deal, but Mary Kate is furious all over again. She asks one of the village men what kind of man that she's married, to which he replies, "A better one, I think, than you know, Mary Kate."
Things take a turn for the funny with the arrival of a beautiful little cradle, carried in by Flynn amongst knowing smirks. Flynn asks where it should go, and Thornton, clearly amused that a cradle is included in Mary Kate's furniture, looks at his wife and says, "Well that'll come in handy." Mary Kate blushes as red as her hair and tries to dismiss is as a family heirloom. "It was my mothers, and her mother's before and..." she dashes out to oversee the rest of the unloading of her furniture. Thornton, meanwhile, tells Flynn to stick the cradle where he thinks the best place for it is.
Flynn naturally takes it into the bedroom.
Guess what. The bed is still broken.
Flynn takes one look at it and shakes his head in an all knowing way. "Impetuous!" he exclaims. "Homeric!" (But to the astute audience member, they saw this joke coming from a mile away.)
That's gonna be ALL over town by tomorrow morning, you can bet good money on that. Anyway, Mary Kate has her furniture and everything seems right for the couple, at least for the time being. And while no new marriage isn't without out a few spats, things really don't fall apart until a few days later where Thornton again refuses to fight Will for Mary Kate's dowry. This leads to a full on row in Castletown, where the two newlyweds part ways. Mary Kate seeks out Father Lonergan, where she tells him in tearful Gaelic of her marital woes. Father Lonergan is outraged at the lack of, er, marital togetherness and by gum married men do not sleep in sleeping bags with buttons! They sleep in beds! With their wives! And of course has to give up the fight with the fish he's been trying to catch for several years in the process of becoming outraged.
Thornton, on the other hand, walks to the pub only to be taunted and teased by Will, who calls him a bunch of names. When he again refuses to fight will for the dowry, Flynn suddenly realizes that perhaps he and the others have made a royal mess of things. The Thornton's marriage is now on the rocks and is quite possibly heading for a premature end, and all because of their meddling.
Oh dear. This does not look like it will end well.
Thornton makes his way to the Playfair's, hoping that a talk with the good vicar will help him figure out what to do. Reverend Playfair and Thornton discuss why Thornton is so reluctant to fight Will, as Reverend Playfair is the only person in Innisfree to know Thornton's true identity and the guilt that he carries within. While Playfair understands the reluctance to fight for money, especially after Thornton bemoans that he killed a good man with a family for money, he also points out that Mary Kate feels that he won't fight for her.
Thornton returns home to find Mary Kate standing by the fire, and she asks if he's eaten. He responds that he isn't hungry, prompting her to remark that the drink will do that to a person. (This is Ireland after all, when in doubt, alcohol is involved.) Thornton assures her that he wasn't drinking, just talking with Reverend Playfair. Mary Kate then casually remarks that she talked to Father Lonergan. It a moment that has to be seen to be fully understood, the two sit quietly in front of the fire and Thornton pulls Mary Kate against him, and in Thornton's eyes you can see that he's not ready to give up on Mary Kate, but he's not ready to face Will in a fight, either.
Cut to the next morning. Thornton swaggers out of the bedroom with a twinkle in his eye and a giddy-up in his step. That is a man who's thoroughly enjoyed everything that married life has to offer, my friend. He takes a deep breath of the fresh cut roses on the table before calling for Mary Kate, only to get silence in response. Where'd that woman run off to? Doesn't she know that her husband needs breakfast?
Looking outside, Thornton is answered by Michaleen Oge Flynn. "She's gone," he says, and then explains that she woke him up first thing to get a ride to the train station in Castletown. She loves him too much to watch him be a coward, so she's going to run.
Cue the "flat what" face. WHUT. They just spent the night going at it like happy bunnies and then she BAILS?!
Oh HELL no. Thornton instructs Flynn to saddle up his horse, he's going to get his wife back.
The determination in his voice gives Flynn something to smile about. Well, this is certainly an interesting development.
We then cut to the train station where an obviously guilty Mary Kate takes her seat on the train. The train is about to depart, but Fate has other ideas, as the station master and the driver get into argument about an unspecified sport. Rugby? Cricket? Who knows. They never say. But they do decide that the argument can only be solved by resorting to good old fisticuffs. (Fighting Irish trope? Check.)
Thornton arrives at the train station on horseback just moments before fisticuffs breaks out, effectively ending the fight before it even begins. They find him slamming doors shut on the cars far more interesting anyway. Curious, they follow him and then realize what's going on when he drags Mary Kate off the train. Mary Kate is manhandled through the next scene, a so called five mile walk between Castletown and Innisfree, "A good stretch of the legs" they've noted several time through out the film.
Essentially kicking and screaming, Thornton drags Mary Kate back to Innisfree with a large crowd gathering to watch the scene, one woman even offering up a stick "to beat the lovely lady with." It shouldn't be funny, because domestic abuse should never be funny, except when it is. And in this case, it totally is because by now the audience knows that while Mary Kate has no qualms about slapping Thornton around, Thornton will never raise a hand, or stick, against her. But to insinuate that her husband could smack her around at any time? Hilarious.
Anyway, as news spreads that Thornton is not only marching Mary Kate back home, but to see her brother about the dowry, the entire town gathers in Will's field. Thornton marches up to the Squire and tosses Mary Kate to his feet. He claims that they're not legally married since they don't have her dowry. And since they're not married, he has to take her back. As Will starts to protest Thornton points out that it's the Irish custom, not an American one and unless they get the dowry money, the Squire has to take his sister back.
Oh dear Lord, talk about a fate worse than DEATH.
Realizing that Thornton has a point, Will gives up the dowry, which Thornton and Mary Kate accept, before tossing it into a steam tractor's furnace. Finally assured that her husband isn't a coward and that they don't really need the dowry money, Mary Kate assures Thornton that she'll be back at White O'Morning with supper ready when he returns home.
Aww, she really does love him!
Cue the sassiest walk I've ever seen Maureen O'Hara do. Damn, dat ass, I tell you. Magnificent. And I'm a straight, married woman.
Moving on with the story, Thornton decides to head out as well. He's settled his score with Will, time to move on. Maybe go buy some seeds for the farm.
Except Will's not exactly done with Thornton. Quickly warned by the local IRA members, Thornton ducks a cheap shot from Will.
Oh. Now it's on. And don't you know that Thornton is going to bring it.
So starts one of the longest fight scenes in cinematic history. It's something like five minutes long, and hell if I don't enjoy every minute of it! It starts out as a full on brawl between Thornton's supporters and Danaher's supporters before Flynn finally managed to pull everyone else out of it so that Thornton and Will can settle man to man. And so Flynn can make a little money on the side by taking wagers.
Hey, a man has to look out for himself, right?
The brawl goes all through town, attracting the attention of dying man Dan Tobin (who leaps out of his death bed to catch the fight), Father Lonergan and Father Paul (the former relishing the fight while the later says they should stop it) and Reverend Playfair and his Bishop. And naturally people are making wagers left and right, including the most hilarious one from Will's right hand man against him. Which is not okay with Flynn, for the record.
The brawl pauses in the pub where the first round ends and the two fighters get a drink, on the house, from the pub owner. Of course neither man wants the pub owner's charity and tries to buy the other one a drink. Alas, just moments before they were stating that the other really wasn't so bad and they could actually get along.
Oh well, I guess the fight is back on.
The next scene is at White O'Morning where Mary Kate has dinner on, just in time for Thornton and Will to stumble in, completely drunk. However the pair are laughing and quite chummy, so I guess the good old fisticuffs worked.
The final scene of the movie shows the entire town, mostly Catholic, pretending to be Protestant for the sake of the Playfair's, so that the Bishop won't ship them elsewhere. Furthermore, it shows that Will and the Widow Tillane are now courting, probably because Will has been properly humbled by Thornton. The film closes with essentially snapshots of the supporting characters. The various people about town strike poses, further hammering home just how absolutely gorgeous this film is.
It should be noted that this movie was not expected to do very well. Most major studios passed on it because they were certain it wouldn't make any money, and as I noted before, Republic only agreed to do it AFTER a western that would recoup the losses. And while Rio Grande did well, The Quiet Man out performed it in ways no one could have possibly expected.
There's something about the film that's positively amazing. The first is showcasing Wayne's talent as a romantic leading man with a fairly sharp sense of comedic timing. He drops zingers and one liners like a pro as well as oozes charm. And as I mentioned before, Wayne and O'Hara have remarkable chemistry - there's something about them that just clicks and is a compete joy to watch.
Most of the score is comprised of traditional Irish songs, "The Rakes of Mallow" and "Wild Colonial Boy" are the two that immediately leap to mind. But it never comes off as forced. Everything about this film comes out as easy and natural. It's an easy film to watch.
Further more, it's hilarious. There are a lot of rather dirty jokes (a couple revolving around the bed come to mind) in it, but some genuinely funny moments between Wayne and O'Hara. I don't think I really appreciated the humor of this film until I was older, but now I giggle my way through it. The script has a good number of one-liners (usually delivered by Barry Fitzgerald or Wayne himself) and best of all never tries to take itself too seriously.
Ford was notoriously proud of his Irish roots, and it shows in this film. It's a visual love letter to his forefathers. And certainly worth watching more than once a year.
Long recap/review is LOOOOOONG. Just so ya know.
