Described by Crosby Day in The Orlando Sentinel, The Quiet Man is a successful examination of a love affair'. This film in question is an adaptation of the short story The Quiet Man' written by Maurice Walsh in 1933, just twenty years before the picture itself.
It may be asked how such a short story can take up 129 minutes but the director John Ford has succeeded in this task. He has used a variety of techniques in order to portray the story and also to give viewers his ideas and opinions on the lifestyle and culture of the Irish in the 1920's. As an American director Ford has used his own stereotypical ideas of Ireland and its inhabitants ranging from the aggressive to the calm and friendly.
As the genre of a romance is highly evident in both and text, suitable characters have been adapted in this nave portrayal of Irish Life. We are shown the typical, everyday triangle of two lovers destined to be together and the interfering, objecting individual who strives to cause havoc. Fords idea of the Irish spinster finding the eligible bachelor is different to that of Walsh's depiction of them through the short story. Having being Irish, Walsh has a much more realistic perception of the two lovers' characters. In both, Shawn is a level headed, strong, rich man and who better to play this part than the famous, handsome actor of John Wayne. Wayne is in the film as a characteristic man whom everybody loves and cannot wait to great. This is another indication of how Ford sees Ireland. We see Shawn coming off the train to be surrounded by locals who are excited by his arrival and pleased to have an American to be resident in their country. In the short story there is none of this pleasurable arrival for Shawn and he has simply just in Ireland, settled in his cottage and with a young lady in no time. Regarding the Irish history it is more likely that locals will think the worst of an American making his mark on the land.
