Last night I watched The Quiet Man again. I've probably seen the flick twenty or thirty times. Not only is it one of my favorite movies, it's probably one of the best films ever made.
Locally in Philadelphia, channel 6, WPVI-TV has made a habit of showing this film late Sunday night either before or after St. Patrick's Day. They've been doing it for at least thirty years, maybe more. It's a pretty shitty print to be honest - faded and edited and chopped up, but it's still become a welcome tradition. Back in the 1980s when my mom was still alive we used to stay up and watch it every year. It was never a planned event, we just found ourselves up at that time and watching the film all the way through together. It's one of the only traditions for St. Pattie's that our family ever really had, and I miss it.
I'll probably watch it again today sometime, partly for nostalgia and partly to get the taste of channel 6's lousy print out of my eyes. Brilliant acting, perfect directing and unparalleled casting aside - it's a beautiful film. You get to see the glory of Ireland in big bright technicolor. If you haven't seen The Quiet Man before, take out the time and do it. Romance, comedy, drama, music, it's got it all and it's one of the best.
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