The Quiet Man (1952)

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BACKGROUND

Ford’s difficulty finding backing for The Quiet Man was a clear sign of his waning influence in Hollywood. He had already made two films about the Irish troubles that possessed an undercurrent of socialist ideals and in that climate of fear none of the major studios wish to gamble on what Ford would do if given the opportunity to revisit the subject. An early draft of the script Ford had developed did focus on the struggle for independence but even when he changed the focus and cast MPA leaders John Wayne and Ward Bond’s in major roles, still nobody would touch it. While discussing that early draft of the script O’Hara explains that Ford: “knew this [left wing political content] would never play to Hollywood studio bosses…”

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PLOT SUMMARY

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A retired American boxer returns to the village of his birth in Ireland where he falls for a spirited redhead whose refuses to condone their union.

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