The Quiet Man

Rating:
Summary: You have GOT to be kidding me
Review: I'm a huge fan of the movie itself and have owned the VHS of it for years. Having just built a custom home theater in my basement and being in the business of custom home electronics installation (theaters, audio, smart home integration) I have very high standards for audio and video quality.

I'm going to write Artisan a letter, especially after seeing all the other rightfully negative reviews of this DVD. This is by far the worst quality video reproduction I have ever seen, be it laserdisc, VHS, or DVD. Hopefully, some of you unknowingly bought this debacle will do the same, and perhaps something will come of it from ArtiSCAM Home Entertainment.


Rating:
Summary: Funny, Romantic, Enchanting - One of Ford's Best!
Review: This has to be my favorite John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara movies. It has everything - comedy, drama, romance, music. The collector's edition is wodnerful because it has so many bonus features. There's a commentary with Maureen O'Hara, a documentary ("The Joy of Ireland"), theatrical trailers, "The Making of The Quiet Man", cast and crew information, and so much more! They actually filmed this on location in Ireland, which can only make the scenery more beautiful. The movie and the DVD are fantastic!

Rating:
Summary: Terrible DVD Transfer
Review: i hate giving a classic a 1 star rating. the movie is nothing less than 5. but the dvd transfer is pathetic. i've seen better 2nd generation VHS to DVD transfers than this. what was the distributor thinking when they allowed this to be distributed to the public?? did they even bother to review the final product before its release? there's no excuse for this with todays movie restoration technology. hopefully we will see this movie re-released by a company who cares about art.

Rating:
Summary: Crushing disappointment
Review: I will not, as some feel necessary, go over the story/characters/performances of this film. Suffice to say, this is one the most enjoyable films ever made, blarney or not.

Rather, what I would like to briefly comment on is the utterly pathetic transfer of this classic film to DVD. It states quite clearly on the back of the cover that this film has been digitally remastered. I took that to mean both video and audio. WRONG. The picture quality of this DVD is shocking, one of the worst I have ever seen. Believe me when I say this -- the VHS version I purchased in 1991 has a better video clarity than this. At times it's actually difficult to make out the actors features. The company behind this, ARTISAN I believe they are called, should be ashamed. I have a copy of the recently released and remastered CASABLANCA DVD. That film was made in 1942, yet it looks as if it was just made, such is the sharpness of the video. The Quiet Man deserved the same treatment, but didn't get it. Shame on ARTISAN.


Rating:
Summary: great movie - poor DVD
Review: Even with the collector's edition, DVD picture quality is no better than videotape (1992 40th anniverasry edition). Colors bleed across boundaries as they do on video. This is particularly apparent on a large screen. Artisan should be ashamed of itself for issuing a collector's edition DVD without doing a proper restoration.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely Ireland, lovely story
Review: The movie itself is an endearing story set in the beautiful western Ireland countryside, and follows an Irish-born American (John Wayne) who returns to buy the house he was born in. He meets Kate (Maureen O'Hara) and love sparks fly in that old fashioned way you don't find in new movies anymore. The commentary features Maureen O'Hara telling all the little tidbits that you would never have otherwise known about during production, like family members in the cast, being dragged through sheep droppings, and other stories of the brilliant directing from John Ford. The DVD edition is not the same video and audio quality you would get from a movie made today but that is overlooked when you get pulled into the story and especially after you watch the commentary section. The DVD far outshines the VHS and television rerun editions!! This 'Collector's Edition' is a keeper for my collection of favorites and if you love things Irish, you'll be glad you bought it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Film - Be Careful Which DVD Edition You Get
Review: *****5 stars for the film

Haunted by an incident that happened in the ring, American boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne) returns to his Irish birthplace, seeking only his roots and a quiet, peaceful life.

He soon falls in love with the beautiful, tempestuous Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara). She is equally taken with him, but won't marry without the consent of her stubborn, blustering brother, Will (Victor McLaglen), who disapproves the match.

With the help of a well-intentioned scheme arranged by their friends, Mary Kate gets her brother's permission and Sean and she wed. Relationships spoil soon after, however, when Will refuses to pay the rightful dowry. Sean doesn't care, but Mary Kate is outraged and wants Sean to have it out with Will.

Time and again Sean backs down - determined not to use his fists - his inner tension building the whole while. But eventually he will have to decide between losing his wife's love and respect and facing his greatest fear.

This was an important and personal project for John Ford (whose real name was Sean O'Feeney). That his heart and those of his cast members were in what they were doing shows through. The fact that much of the film was shot on location in Ireland (on location shoots were somewhat unusual at the time) also adds an authentic flavor.

Barry Fitzgerald was at his comedic best here, and Ward Bond's performance as a priest has several simply unforgettable moments.

The Quiet Man is a charming classic and among Ford's best (in fact, it won him an Oscar for Best Director). It's funny, romantic, and always entertaining. It also features an exuberant score (courtesy of Victor Young) and one of the longest and most memorable knock-down, drag-out fights ever committed to film.

-DVD-

Two different editions of this DVD have been released with almost
identical packaging. Be careful which one you buy! (I wish I'd known this).

"John Wayne Collection" edition (*1 star)

This is the one I bought (ISBN 0-7820-1057-1, ASIN: B00000I1KV). It has "John Wayne Collection" printed on a green band at the top. Its special features include "The Making of the Quiet Man" documentary & the theatrical trailer. DON'T BUY THIS VERSION, PLEASE. The sound is decent, but the picture is absolutely terrible: blurry and full of splotches, almost unwatchable.

"Collector's Edition"

Apparently, the sound and picture quality are okay on the "Collector's Edition" DVD (ASIN: B00006JMRD), whose special features include Commentary by Maureen O'Hara, the theatrical trailer, "The Joy of Ireland" documentary with Maureen O'Hara, "Remembering The Quiet Man" Montage, and "The Making of The Quiet Man."

Rating:
Summary: The WORST DVD Transfer I've ever seen
Review: I have over 400 DVDs and 50 VHS's in my collection and I must say that the picture quality of this DVD is worst than the worst of my VHS copy. STAY AWAY from this DVD. It will hurt your eyes so bad.