Plot and Character Development “The Quiet Man” and “Beneath the 12 Mile Reef”

[amicus]

Plot and Character Development “The Quiet Man” and “Beneath the 12 Mile Reef”




http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/QuietMan/quietman.htm

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045551/



Produced in 1952 (Quiet Man) and 1953, (Beneath the 12 Mile Reef), before most of you Litsters were even born, let alone cognizant.

And, yes, filled with gender stereotypes, the kind you hate, but more than that, Oscar nominated efforts because both films portrayed a wonderful, lovely, natural love relationship developing and also took into consideration the cultural surroundings and family obligations the go along with the consumation of a relationship.

The Quiet Man, features John Wayne and Maureen O’Sullivan, Beneath the 12 Mile Reef, a very young Robert Wagner, Terri Moore and one of my favorite character actors, Gilbert Roland.

I do not search out the links, do the thinking, or take the time to post without having something to say, although it is seldom seen and less seldom appreciated, but no matter, I see the importance and feel driven to share what I see and know.

Both these films were shown on cable television tonight and I watched them again as they have become classics to me and I realized that some of my thinking, in terms of plot and character, came from the way these two films were written, directed and produced.

I would share my thoughts and observations with my children or friends, but most are too far removed in time as I sense most of you are, to comprehend the passage of time and the changing more’s that come about almost un-noticed as time goes by.

Rent these old films and watch them two times or three, as a writer, not a voyeur, and learn as I did.

Amicus…

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

http://www.theculturedtraveler.com/Archives/AUG2005/Images/Quiet_Man.jpg​

Couldn't agree more, Amicus, at least about The Quiet Man (I've never seen, Under The 12 Mile Reef). While getting that photo of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, I came across this note:

Few films have dated so much in terms of ethnic and sexual stereotypes, but never has there been a film in which any of that mattered so little. It's the overwhelming beauty and passion of THE QUIET MAN that has endured, rendering it among the most beloved films of all time. Besides which, it's set in a fairy-tale version of Ireland (where people really say things like "faith and begorrah"), which enables the film to define its own world and moral boundaries.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I think my favorite line in The Quiet Man was the most shocking the first time I heard it.

"Here's a nice stick to beat the young lady with."

It was said by a little old lady, handing a leafless tree branch to Jon Wayne to beat Moreen O'Hara with. Boy how times have changed since they filmed that.

Also, most of the customs in The Quiet Man were seen as outdated when they made the movie over 50 years ago. You can see Wayne's character complaining about what he has to go through to get the woman, and wondering why she can't just make up her own mind about her life without her brother's permission.

It's a great movie. I very much enjoy it when it is on.

 

[amicus]

Thanks Rumple and Goat, two is better than none, all hope is not lost.

Yes, that scene in 'Quiet', even in the film seemed a little disjointed, as if it were added during editing or revising perhaps.

In "12 mile' Robert Wagner as a teen aged boy, with a great shock of unruly black hair saying, "I'm a very Beautiful Young Man!" and the initial fumbling relationship between him and Terri Moore as teenagers, is so well done with humor and awkwardness and tenderness that it has become a part of my mindset about first meetings and such.

Thanks guys...


amicus...

 

[mjl2010]

I thought it spoke volumes when just a moment later in the film he threw the stick away, even after thanking the lady for giving it to him. It wasn't his way to do that.

Was it on AMC I saw that a while back and the narrater after the movie said that part where he threw the stick away was his own doing, insisting it be included in the movie? Can't recall exactly.

I loved that movie and a lot of others by The Duke. Rooster Cogburn was my one of my favorite characters played by him. He once said it wasn't even acting those parts. All he had to be was himself.

MJL

 

[amicus]

Thanks mjl2010. Yes, some memorable films by John Wayne, I recall another, I think either Maureen O'Hara, or Maureen Sullivan co-starred, a war movie, in which he was paralized and took a long time to recover, and another one just seen recently again, "Hellfighters" about fighting oil well fires and a very lovely Katharine Ross and I think Vera Miles in co starring roles..

so many good films...

amicus...

 

[kendo1]

.....

 

[TE999]

'The Quiet Man' is one of my favorite John Wayne movies.

IMHO, Victor McLaglen stole the show as Mary Kate's father. He was a wonderful character actor. I'll always remember him in 'Gunga Din'.

The extended fight scene was a bit far fetched, but all-in-all an excellent movie. Shot in Technicolor process too, I miss that in today's movies.

Thanks for the nostalgia trip, ami.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

'The Quiet Man' is one of my favorite John Wayne movies.

IMHO, Victor McLaglen stole the show as Mary Kate's father. He was a wonderful character actor. I'll always remember him in 'Gunga Din'.

The extended fight scene was a bit far fetched, but all-in-all an excellent movie. Shot in Technicolor process too, I miss that in today's movies.

Thanks for the nostalgia trip, ami.

It's a shame the original prints weren't preserved better. The visual quality looks like garbage in places. But still worth watching.

I don't think it was on AMC recently. It was another classic movies channel that shows real classics, not the pseudo classics that AMC shows claiming otherwise (I hate AMC )

 

[TE999]

It's a shame the original prints weren't preserved better. The visual quality looks like garbage in places. But still worth watching.

I don't think it was on AMC recently. It was another classic movies channel that shows real classics, not the pseudo classics that AMC shows claiming otherwise (I hate AMC )

AMC was okay in it's early days, but now it bites the big one.

Turner Classic Movies is much better.

There may be some other movie channels up the digital cable tier that I'm not aware of.

The American Film Institute (AFI) has done some excellent work in film preservation and restoration. Around 47,000 titles last time I checked.

Unfortunately, in many cases the only prints of movies that survive are second and third generation copies for theater release. Hence the poor quality.

 

[Guest]

I love The Quiet Man. Probably my favorite John Wayne movie. I love all the music, especially the Irish jig that begins to play before he goes to the train to fetch her home. That tune speeds up until the conclusion of the scene. Nice musical touch.

And Hellfighters was just on yesterday. We watched the last hour of it.

Ami, how strange that we seem to be watching and enjoying the same movies.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I love The Quiet Man. Probably my favorite John Wayne movie. I love all the music, especially the Irish jig that begins to play before he goes to the train to fetch her home. That tune speeds up until the conclusion of the scene. Nice musical touch.

And Hellfighters was just on yesterday. We watched the last hour of it.

Ami, how strange that we seem to be watching and enjoying the same movies.

Sons of Katie Elder is my favorite of his. The bickering between the brothers seems all to familiar

 

[TE999]

Sons of Katie Elder is my favorite of his. The bickering between the brothers seems all to familiar

My favorite of all the Wayne movies is 'True Grit'.

He was nearing the end of his career and seemed more 'human'.

The sequel wasn't necessary and wasn't that good.

And 'The Shootist' was just plain sad.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

My favorite of all the Wayne movies is 'True Grit'.

He was nearing the end of his career and seemed more 'human'.

The sequel wasn't necessary and wasn't that good.

And 'The Shootist' was just plain sad.

Not a fan of True Grit, though I always laugh when the girl shoots the one guy, and he starts complaining, "You shot me? I can't believe you shot me!"

I do enjoy The Shootist though, and even parts of Rooster Cogburn.

 

[TE999]

Not a fan of True Grit, though I always laugh when the girl shoots the one guy, and he starts complaining, "You shot me? I can't believe you shot me!"

I do enjoy The Shootist though, and even parts of Rooster Cogburn.

If you want some vintage Wayne (not 'Stagecoach'), check out some of his 'B' westerns when he was one of 'The Three Mesquiteers'. They run less than an hour and are b/w, but they're fun to watch.

 

[amicus]

[QUOTE=sweetsubsarahh]I love The Quiet Man. Probably my favorite John Wayne movie. I love all the music, especially the Irish jig that begins to play before he goes to the train to fetch her home. That tune speeds up until the conclusion of the scene. Nice musical touch.

And Hellfighters was just on yesterday. We watched the last hour of it.

Ami, how strange that we seem to be watching and enjoying the same movies. [/QUOTE]


Hi, Sweets...I thought about that last comment as I read it for the first time and decided to refrain from commenting. But several hours have gone by now and I find it is still nagging me and I am reminded of a few others here on the Forum that have been chagrined to some degree over finding thing this old right wing capitalist, dinosauric ancient relic from the from the past could share any thing of value at all.

I didn't find it strange before and I don't find it the least bit strange now.

Discerning eyes and minds perceive quality because the quality is an absolute and universal human value. Things done well, expressions that ring true, visual and audio reflections of beauty and symmetry and natural human emotions.

All the things I rant about when I dismiss the subjective humanist value system which honors nothing above anything else.

I don't say that or post this to irritate, but it has nagged me all afternoon long and I had to let the dog loose.

Sorry.


amicus...

 

[mjl2010]

My favorite of all the Wayne movies is 'True Grit'.

He was nearing the end of his career and seemed more 'human'.

The sequel wasn't necessary and wasn't that good.

And 'The Shootist' was just plain sad.

The 'Shootist' was filmed when Wayne was dying of cancer. He knew it and chose that way to go out. If I was dying like that I'd hope to have the courage to choose to go out with a bang and not a whimper, if I had the choice.

I agree it was sad. I was sad when I saw it and how it ended. Then I found out he was dying of cancer when he filmed it and just thought, 'What a great man!'

MJL

 

[Guest]

[/I]

Hi, Sweets...I thought about that last comment as I read it for the first time and decided to refrain from commenting. But several hours have gone by now and I find it is still nagging me and I am reminded of a few others here on the Forum that have been chagrined to some degree over finding thing this old right wing capitalist, dinosauric ancient relic from the from the past could share any thing of value at all.

I didn't find it strange before and I don't find it the least bit strange now.

Discerning eyes and minds perceive quality because the quality is an absolute and universal human value. Things done well, expressions that ring true, visual and audio reflections of beauty and symmetry and natural human emotions.

All the things I rant about when I dismiss the subjective humanist value system which honors nothing above anything else.

I don't say that or post this to irritate, but it has nagged me all afternoon long and I had to let the dog loose.

Sorry.


amicus...

Ami, I apologize - I did not mean for my comment to sound bad.

Actually, what I was going for was there was a unifying theme in our movie tastes, despite other differences, and how that was a good thing.

And it was strange, merely because it hasn't really happened very often.

That's all.

 

[S-Des]

The Quiet Man is one of my all-time favorites (and was also one of my Mom's). There is an interesting mix of old and new (at least new at the time). I thought it told a beautiful story, with a healthy dose of impertinance. North To Alaska is good as well, but it was a touch shallow. It told a very interesting story, but they copped out a bit by doing too much comedy. Katie Elder was brilliant and had the single best hit I've ever seen in a movie (John Wayne smacking the bad guy across the face with an axe handle....OUCH!).

I liked most of his movies. They were over the top and rarely believable (he didn't really strike me as a quick-draw gunslinger), but there was a quality to them that was enchanting. The writing was mostly sub par, with the exceptions of the ones Ami has pointed out. Somehow, Wayne managed to pull it off though. He was truly a movie star (although never a great actor).

 

[kendo1]

.....

 

[LLs Man]

Surely The Duke's smallest part in any movie!

 

[CharleyH]

Plot and Character Development “The Quiet Man” and “Beneath the 12 Mile Reef”

Hm, the particular films are off my radar, though I have always felt Maureen Sullivan (thought O'Sullivan - Mia Farrows mother?) underrated and John Wayne over-rated. Can't comment otherwise on the films ... but can comment on other things ... why not share your thoughts on Blade Runner with your family?

 

[amicus]

CharleyH]Hm, the particular films are off my radar, though I have always felt Maureen Sullivan (thought O'Sullivan - Mia Farrows mother?) underrated and John Wayne over-rated. Can't comment otherwise on the films ... but can comment on other things ... why not share your thoughts on Blade Runner with your family?

[/I]

CharlieH?

Blade Runner? Family? Do I understand you? Went all the way back through each post on this thread, still left with a question mark?

I think I have mentioned the film before, "Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?" The story upon which the film was based. There was discussion, if I recall on a 'Director's Cut' or alternative ending.

Do you mean by 'your family' my Lit family? As I mentioned in this thread, my children are too far removed in age and tastes to even have seen the film, let alone discuss it.

I even gave my youngest daughter, $300 to retrieve her towed car with only the promise that she would at least read, Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand; she never did.

Hell, they don't even read my books or stories, romantica or otherwise, for reasons I do not understand.

I have never rented a movie for myself, although I have, many times, for the children when they were young, all the classics, things they had not seen before. I haven't been to a theatre in years for new releases.

But "Blade Runner" and a few others, "Logan's Run" so seldom appear on commercial television that when they do, I watch again and again.

I even doubt that many on Lit understand when I refer to the personal narrative style of the film, by Harrison Ford, as a 'Mickey Spillane', style narrative, that few understand, although I know some do.

The narrative style still attracts me to the film and secondly, perhaps, off the top of my head is the overall presentation of a post apocalyptic world where huge buildings, massive population, over crowding, martial law, insensitive people and an overall droll and oppressing atmosphere permeates the film. It was the genre of the time period and reflects many writer's views of future history. Which I disagree with, but accept for the film to work for me.

Then of course the androids, or 'replicants' themselves, preceded by out own robotic entities that perform hazardous work in radiation environments, manufacturing and even battlefield environments to protect and preserve human life. Some very interests concepts were dealt with in many later 1940' and early 1950's science fiction novels of this type. And I spent all of my spare time reading every sci fi novel I could find in the local library as a boy.


Then the worn out, burned out, (I forget for the moment what he was called) eliminator, he 'retired' androids, I think they said.

And that plot line provided many an interesting trail as he tracked each one down.

And then just the two left, Daryl Hannah and Rutger Hauer, two of my all time favorite performers and the poor little guy who built toy soldiers for company.

But of course, the central theme, or so I conclude, whether an artificial life form, android/replicant was capable of 'love' with a human; if indeed, Harrison Ford was human as some have suggested he was a replicant also, but I think not.

Then of course, the 'termination date', how long do we live, and Rutger Hauer's truly moving lines about what he has seen and what will be lost to all when he dies, "Like tears in the rain..." and of course it was raining. A line I wish I had written first and cannot ever use in a fiction but wish I could as it is like the ocean sparkling like 'a million diamonds', one of those things once said, so perfectly they can never be duplicated...

So many small things, like the origami of the unicorn...with an erection...priceless.

And the isolated, lonely and alone and remote beauty of the actress, Sean Young, it was almost as if she were created just for that role.

The interplay between Sean and Harrison, was so deftly and tenderly crafted and the actor's interpretation of the roles, so exceedingly well done that I will never tire of watching the film as I sense a difference nuance with each viewing.

And the ending, of course, the very human and universal question, how long will we live; to which no one can ever give an answer and no one can ever know as each minute may be our last.

Thanks for the opportunity to expound, Charlie, hope it pleases you.


amicus...

 

[amicus]

Well...hmmm... I put more than just a 'little' thought as to how to respond to CharlyH's interrogative...and I am a little at a loss as to the absence of response.

Perhaps 'Casting Pearls before Swine', applies, or am I being prickly. Perhaps, none theless...I do tire of giving and not receiving at times...


amicus...

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

There's no question The Quiet Man has not aged well, either physically or in relation to modern sensibilities and its content. But, to me, the film was always a fairy-tale depicting a mythic Ireland, a kabuki play filmed in an almost garish Technicolor that made you think of the scene when Wizard of Oz goes color.

Besides, being a sexiest pig, any film that lets me see Maureen O'Hara in color is an automatic winner in my book.

Rumple Foreskin