I Need a Quick Review

The Quiet Man (John Ford - 1952)


TCM will be showing it tonight, is it worth the watch?

Check the TV Guide or the back of the video box.

I can give you that kind of summation, if you really want: An insurance salseman (Fred MacMurray) is seduced by female client (Barbara Stanwyk), and they hatch a murder plot for her husband. But the saleman's boss (Edward G. Robinson) is busy figuring it out, and the new lovers may not be able to trust each other. Nominated for seven Oscars. Diredted by Billy Wilder. Black & White. 107 minutes.


I'm sure that'll make the prospect of watching Double Indemnity oh so much more appealing.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

I'm not big into John Ford or John Wayne. But The Quiet Man is OK, much more gentle, warmer and kinder than their celebrated and iconic Western pairings. It's a corny little romantic drama when all is said and done. The Duck (I says) and Maureen O'Hara have a nice chemistry together, and some of Ford's stock company are along in good support (Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen). Nice lush Technicolor cinematography.

It's not my thing, but you can do a lot worse.

No, I don't think so. But like I said, I'll be sure to watch it. Thanks anyway for the synopsis.

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TOP 100 | "Don't let the bastards grind you down!"

You know you want to

The 'Holden holds forth on the best TV sauce' guide is only a step away

Nah, seriously, keep up the good work, you mass film appreciator you (no smiling face here, as film is a serious issue. Until some screen heat melts the frame-forming glue)

[Um, right, ok, no more wine for me....]

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

I second Holden's recommendation of this classic. Although it's not my favorite film noir title (The Big Sleep, Out Of The Past, and Sweet Smell Of Success are all better, IMO), it is still a great movie, and Stanwyck is the archetypal femme fatale.

By the way, if you see Billy Wilder listed as the director, you should never need to ask if the film is worth watching. (There are only two other directors I can say that about: Hitchcock and Kurosawa).

Did you watch it? What did you think?

I differ from Holden on this one. This is a terrific movie, and great fun. Maureen O'Hara is beautiful, and John Wayne puts in one of his best performances. Although very different from most of his other movies, John Ford still does a great job directing.

As Holden says, this may not appeal to everyone, but it certainly does to me.

Love The Quiet Man

I wonder what Tactitus thinks of it?

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"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."- Groucho Marx

The scene in the picture above where Maureen O'Hara talks to Ward Bond while he is fishing is a classic.

I've always liked The Quiet Man also. I like O'Hara and Wayne's chemistry as well as the rest of the casts'. And I agree with you Prospero, it's one of Wayne's best. And, Barry Fitzgerald puts a smile on my face.


Ezikiel...did you watch it? Did you like it?

I'm sorry to say I missed it...

It will be on again at some point. Keep your eye open for it. It's worth watching.

Django (1966) looks interesting. Any good?

Bah, just started watching it the other night and was bored senseless after half an hour.

There seem to be a load of sequels, and i picked up the DVD thinking this original was one i'd seen involving a very silly gun with playing-card symbols on the barrel (which i remember enjoying one lazy student night).

It opens intriguingly enough, in a this-is-going-to-be-****-silly-and-amusing way, but the silliness can't sustain the tension-free slowness, sloppy dubbing (apparently the original italian is sharper/more creative), and dubious plot.

If you're very very stoned it might be an amusing view

It's not especially good, no. None of the zillion Spaghetti Westerns that came in Leone's wake are anywhere near the level of his films. Many are watchable fun, and a handful are good. Django has some good stuff in it, and it's watchable, but it's not particularly good. If you're in the mood for dumb Spaghetti Western carnage and over-the-top dramatics, Django is OK. But just OK.

Last Tango in Paris? Been wanting to see more Brando films.

Anyone seen the 1972 film Silent Running? Is it any good?

The concepts of Silent Running are interesting, but effects-wise and sensibility-wise it hasn't dated particularly well. Probably still worth a look, but don't go in expecting much.

Someone gave me Crimes of Passion (1984). Is it worth seeing?

Not really.

Crimes of Passion is a very forgettable B-movie, only notable at the time for Kathleen Turner before she became a whale and totally uninteresting on screen and Tony Perkins still trying to break free of Norman Bates. Ken Russell has made some good movies in his career, but this isn't one of them. It's not horrible or unwatchable, it's just no big deal. You can do worse, but you can do much, much better too. I'd grade it only a flat C.

Eh.

If you want to see a still fun Kathleen Turner movie from 1984, rent yourself Romancing the Stone and be done with it.