Quiet Man scene study

Scene Study of John Ford's The Quiet Man(1952)
by Daniel Robbins
Presented to Prof. Mark Harris - 2 October 2009
FIST 332 - Studies in Genre or Period - UBC

The particular scene in question is opening sequence of John Ford’s film, The Quiet Man. Just after the opening titles we see a green train pull into a green station on what looks like may even be green tracks. The first line is spoken in voice-over narration by Father Peter Lonergan, the town of Innisfree’s Catholic priest. This in a way gives an almost literal meaning to the common way of referring to a narrator as “the voice of God”. This also sets up Father Lonergan’s character before we ever see him. After the train has come to a stop at the Castletown station “three hours late as usual”, our protagonist Sean Thornton, played by John Wayne, hops off. As Thornton unloads his luggage, (a small suitcase, and a sleeping bag) Father Lonergan fills us in on the back story. Sean Thornton is an American, but he is not here traveling, “not a camera on him”. We get the feeling that he is here to stay, suggested by the V.O. and the sleeping bag. He is quickly surrounded by six people on the railway platform, all speaking over each other to tell him how to get to Innisfree. None of them are actually interested in helping Sean get where he needs to go, they seem to be more concerned with competing with the people around them. An argument ensues between the unnamed characters as to which route is the best way to get to Innisfree, possibly suggesting that there is no one way, each person has to find their own way to get there. Sean cannot even get a word in, even though they supposedly are trying to help him. As the crowd loses site completely of what they originally intended to do, a small man in a top hat holding a horse whip comes and takes Sean’s bags away. After a few steps he turns around to say, “Innisfree, this way”. This man seems to be watching over Sean. Throughout the film Michaleen Oge Flynn, plays a sort of godfather role for Sean. He leads Sean to a horse drawn carriage and as they pull away from the station the people of Castletown wonder together “why a man would go to Innisfree”. They make the place out to be a fantasy location that has no place in the real world. The next shot shows the carriage going under a bridge as the train goes by overhead. It is as if Sean Thornton is leaving his life in the city for something more basic. Whatever direction Innisfree is in, it is not toward technology, and big city life. On the carriage ride, while Sean smoothly lights a match for his cigarette Michaleen smokes a pipe. This is another reference to the urban versus rural theme that is starting to appear. They pull onto a little bridge over a brook and stop, unannounced to the audience. Sean gets out and goes to the edge of the bridge and stares a little cottage. Meanwhile, in voice-over, a woman is speaking nostalgically about how the house, town, road, and roses were. We assume this to be the voice of Sean’s mother. He then goes to ask Michaleen who owns it. We then find out Michaleen’s name, and that Sean intends to buy that house, because he was born there. The events that transpire in these first five minutes of the film are director John Ford’s way of filling us in on the whole back story, and telling us everything we need to know to set up the rest of the film. This style of storytelling was very common of Hollywood films at that time.

This scene appears to be shot on location at a train station, and in the Irish countryside. Is suppose one of only ways to romanticize Ireland is to merely shoot there and show how green and beautiful it is. This scene sets up Sean Thornton’s romanticized, fantastic image of what Ireland is. The entire scene is exterior shots (except the one shot of Sean walking through the station). This is really so the audience has time to take in the feeling of Ireland. Few places can pass as Ireland on the exterior, but a scene in a pub can be shot anywhere. The audience needs to experience for itself this fantasy come true for Sean Thornton.

The bits at the train station are pretty exclusively shot with medium shots, and plan américain (American shots). In addition the camera does not move during the shot, save a couple slight tilts and pans. The only thing breaking up the static shots is the editing, which is pretty minimal as well. It keeps the pacing well, but does not do much more. The style of filmmaking employed here is largely meant to keep the viewer caught up in the story. The suspension of disbelief is essential for this movie to work with audiences. The shot of the carriage going under the train is a super wide, panning shot. This is done so that we can see the separateness of the two worlds, the new and the old. This shot is far too long. It is cut several frames too late, just to show the viewer that it is more than just a pretty shot. That it has meaning other than the superficial. The next shot, with the camera ridding along on the carriage rolls for 30 seconds, only to find out how tall Sean is and where he is from. We also get some information about the two characters and their cultures based on the way they are smoking. This continues Ford’s minimalist way of filmmaking to show the viewer everything they need to know without them noticing. The next shot is a wide shot again of the brook and the old, very old, stone bridge that goes over it. It shows we are going somewhere that has been around a long time, and still does things that way. As Sean’s mother speaks in V.O. we see exactly what she is talking about in wide, static shots. These are cut with the static shot of Sean sitting on the edge of the bridge. This is so straightforward and blatant it almost does the opposite of what it is meant to do. It almost brings the audience out of the story in the exact way it is attempting to keep them in it. The shot of Sean on the bridge also seems to be shot in studio, based on the lighting, background, and the fact that Michaleen is not in the shot. This also takes away from the feeling of being in Ireland. We go back to the wide shot before getting back into the carriage with Michaleen and driving away.

No music is heard until Michaleen shows up. It is a very jolly and almost fantasy evoking tune. It is clearly meant to have an Irish feel to it. This kind of tune is associated with Michaleen throughout the film. It is also used when Sean is courting Mary Kate. The tune gives a feeling of motion and helps move the story on down the road on the carriage. A soft harp melody is heard during Sean’s mother’s voiceover which turns into an emotional string piece as Sean reminisces on the memory of his mother and gazes at his Irish home. The music is tells the audience, subtly, how they should be feeling at this point. It helps establish what White O’Morn and his mother mean to Sean.

The acting is rather amusing in this scene. The six strangers that argue about which way to go to Innisfree all seem to have a different accent. They are also playing up the fact that they are Irish. They are almost caricatures of Irish townsfolk. Sean’s cool demeanor is to show how American he is. Michaleen walking on is almost a reference to a leprechaun. This analogy really goes well with the fact that he is almost a fairytale character sent to protect, and help Sean.

The first scene in The Quiet Man tells the audience, in true Hollywood style, all of the back story and setup information they need to know to be ready for the rest of the film. Ford immediately lays out a goal for our protagonist to attempt to achieve. We immediately have a problem that needs a solution. Thornton has come to Innisfree to buy his old home back.