Director John Ford made the Western genre of film popular within Irish cinema.  His movie The Quiet Man, shot on location in Ireland meets all the categories that are recognizable in an American western.  The film stars John Wayne, known for his roles in westerns and was written by Frank Nugent, who is no stranger to westerns, writing screenplays for films such as Fort Apache.  I would have classified this film as a romantic comedy but The Quiet Man has all the makings of a western.  For example, the plot of a western is boy meets girl, obstacles are placed in their path which they overcome and they live happily ever after.  Such is the case in The Quiet Man, as the main character Sean Thornton (John Wayne) returns to Ireland, back to the village of Inisfree to the cottage he was born in.  Instead of a gunslinger, Thornton is a retired boxer from America.  He encounters the beautiful red headed Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara) and they fall in love and the obstacle standing in their way is her brother ‘Red’ Danaher (Victor McLaglen).   Red refuses to allow Mary Kate to marry Thornton and refuses to provide her with a dowry.  The local priest and some of the locals conspire to trick Red into letting his sister marry and to provide her a large sum of money for her dowry.

The cinematography is similar to that of an American western which features scenes shot outdoors with vast blue skies and wild rainy landscapes.  One requirement of Western films is the need to colonialize or civilize the West and in this film we see the need for Thornton to civilize Mary Kate and her village. Thornton cannot understand the importance of their customs and what the dowry means to Mary Kate.  She feels the tradition of bringing her belongings into their marriage validates her as a proud married woman.

Interestingly John Ford intended for this film to be more political with an IRA plot but the company, Republic Studios wanted more of a feel good movie. Although there are some political subtleties mentioned in the movie, such as the scene when Father Lonergan meets Thornton and makes a reference to the fact that he knew his grandfather who died in a penal colony in Australia.  Ford does paint a very positive portrait of Ireland in this film; a quaint rural village where a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister are friends.  He also creates the role of Mary Kate as a very strong willed independent woman, which was hard within the confines of rural Irish Catholic society.

One reason to watch this film, it has one of the all time greatest fistfight.  It goes on so long they stop in the pub for a drink!  This film may not have the classic American western look to it but it does have the components that make it a western regardless of where it was shot. 

I am not a fan of John Wayne and I really didn't like the scene where he drags Mary Kate across the fields.   I feel it was a stereotypical macho image that John Wayne seems to always gravitate to in his acting.  

⭐️⭐️