It’s been a firm favourite with movie fans for 50 years and now it’s getting the official recognition many believe it should have received decades ago.
The classic Irish-American movie The Quiet Man has been added to the prestigious National Film Registry.
It tells the story of an Irishman, played by John Wayne, who returns to his homeland after making his living in America. He falls in love with a local woman played by Maureen O’Hara, and the two overcome her domineering brother to end up together for a happy ending.
The Quiet Man was made in Ireland in 1952, and the stunning landscape provided the perfect backdrop for the heart-warming story.
Prestige means my grandchildren will see the film
The film has been a favourite for millions of people for more than half a century, and now it has taken its rightful place on the register, it will be forever preserved.
Freelance journalist Laura Bynum played an instrumental role in The Quiet Man’s inclusion on the register. Two years ago she set up a Facebook campaign and an online petition to gather support.
Upon hearing the news of its inclusion she was over the moon, saying “The prestige of the registry means my grandchildren will see this film, and their grandchildren.”
“There is something about Ireland and the beauty of everything from the land to the people who were raw and real, very much like my farming relatives in Illinois. And of course Maureen O’Hara has been one of my favourite icons. She was truly a different leading lady – strong and outspoken, no shrinking violet.”
‘Majestic Ireland’ the perfect setting for the romance
O’Hara recently wrote an open letter to the people of Cong, where much of The Quiet Man was recorded. She stated that the real star of the film was not her or John Wayne, but the beautiful setting for the romance, ‘majestic Ireland’.
O’Hara wrote the letter to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of her being lifted in the air by John Wayne, an iconic shot from the movie.
The National Film Registry was set up in 1988 in America. Each year several classic movies from history are selected and added to the register, and then screened at free shows so they will not be forgotten and can be enjoyed by future generations.
Other films added to the register this year include the warming 1964 classic Mary Poppins and Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 crime drama Pulp Fiction.
To read more about O’Hara’s open letter to Cong, please click here
