Rating: 
Summary: The Quiet Man
Review: I'm glad to see others have noticed the poor quality of film-to-DVD done on this movie. I was afraid I had purchased a bad copy...alas I'll have to live with poor picture and very bad sound until a full restoration is done. It's a pity that John Ford won one of his six oscars for The Quiet Man, Best Direction, and the owners of the film show such a lack of respect. I rate the movie 4 stars but give this particular "Collector's Edition" only one star.
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks to everyone who reviewed this film for the WARNING!!
Review: When I got the impulse to search for 'The Quiet Man' on DVD, one of my favourite films of all time, my excitement quickly evaporated after reading only a few customer reviews. Sadly it seems Artisan does not view the importance of this John Ford film or their reputation as a company to be trusted to produce high quality products. I know I will look with scepticism at any other film to DVD transfers done by this company.Thank you to every one who honestly described the quality of the film transfer. I'll have to be happy with my VHS copy until it can be done with the respect it deserves.
Rating: 
Summary: Two terrible transfer's in row
Review: The first DVD release of The Quiet Man was terrible then they released a Collectors Edition. I purchased it and could not believe that it had not been improved at all! The Color is very bad and the Audio is very second rate. This wonderful film needs to be restored, it's audio remastered and released again. We're getting taken to the cleaners folks!
Rating: 
Summary: DVD alert - great movie, BUT....
Review: The transfer is terrible, especially on the alleged "collectors edition." One of the worst I've ever seen actually. Somebody thought the Irish countryside was so pretty they amped up the hue and contrast making much of what you see blurred and overcolored. Too bad, fans deserve better. And no Dolby either, just enhanced sound,,,whatever the hell that is? BTW, they are ALL like this. If you want your own copy you're better off taping it from an AMC/TCM broadcast. The VHS version ain't all that hot either. "Have the good manners not to hit the man until he's your husband and entitled to hit you back." haw haw haw
Rating:
Summary: This movie is the BEST!
Review: This is one of our family favorites, a movie you must own, because you will watch it again and again! I always thougth of John Wayne as a cowboy, but this movie breaks that mold. One of the first movies ever to be filmed on location, The Quiet Man offers the story of tempestuous lovers, a man with a past, and the beauty of the Emerald Isle. Complete with one of the greatest donnybrooks ever conceived, let alone filmed, the Quiet Man appeals to both genders and all ages. It does appear slightly dated, frankly, in the treatment of women, but that in no way detracts from the magic of the film. Not just for St. Patrick's Day, your whole family will love this. Treat yourself, treat them, to something everyone can watch together. You'll love it!
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Movie - Horrible DVD transfer
Review: Simply put, this is my favorite movie of all time, and I am sad to say I have to agree with others that the digital transfer to DVD of this film is horrible, let the buyer beware. I have the 40th Anniversary VHS and with all of the limitation of that medium, they started with a far better print of the film and it is actually still far more presentable than the current DVD. I am being vocal on this both to warn fans and potential fans of the film of the lackluster transfer, and to let the powers that be know that this is one beloved film and that I would happily purchase it again when a digitally enhanced high quality transfer struck from the original negative is available.
Rating:
Summary: "Here's a good stick to beat the lovely lady with!"
Review: More Irish stereotypes on parade here but in such affectionate fashion that it hardly matters. John Ford's homage to rural Ireland may include the odd unsavoury reference to the IRA but on the whole it is concerned mostly with John Wayne's return home to the poverty stricken countryside his parents obviously felt compelled to leave. Don't be fooled though, I loved this this and if I can set my cynicism aside so can you all. The climactic fight with Victor McLaglan - who was nominated for an Oscar for this - to the strains of the Fox Chase is one of the great sequences of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Story of a quiet peace-loving man
Review: Sean Thornton has returned to the ancestral seat of the Thorntons of old after living in Pittsburgh as a boxer. His being named after his grandfather, a well-respected man in the parts despite his later going to Australia as a convict, aids him in being well-liked in Inisfree. He is made most welcome by elderly and impish Michaleen Flynn, the local matchmaker and pub regular. Actually, they all are, but Flynn seems out of place without a whisky or beer in his hand. Soon, Thornton meets the fiery-spirited and -haired Mary Kate Danaher, a spinster living with her bullheaded bully of a brother Will. He initially refuses permission for Thornton to court Mary Kate, mostly out of spite. Seems that he wanted the old Thornton cottage for himself, but his abrasiveness peeves the owner, the Widow Tillane so much that she sells it to Thornton. However, conspiracies lead to the courtship and eventually the wedding. The pivotal point comes when Will becomes aware of the conspiracy during the wedding banquet and refuses the dowry of 350 pounds. Thornton thinks that it's just money, but he doesn't understand that the dowry also represents Mary Kate's honour and dignity. Nowadays, a dowry is virtually nonexistent, but back then, it was a big deal. It's datedness and lack of female emancipation may not go well with women today. What is the thrust of this movie is Thornton realizing the difference between American and Irish culture, such as the courting and matchmaking functions, taken so seriously in Inisfree. And in a place like Inisfree, secrets are hard to keep in this small village, plus it's that group mentality that can be helpful or not to a person. For instance, Flynn, Father Lonigan, and the other vicar conspire against the bullying Danaher because he is not well-liked and has a point of putting people who speak out against him in his book to get back at them later, yet they become disappointed with Thornton because of his refusal to fight. This was done during the last decade of Victor McLaglen's life--he would be dead in six years, but he does well as Will with that rough voice and craggy face. He starred in John Ford's three cavalry movies with John Ford opposite Wayne, of which the last had Maureen O'Hara. And O'Hara (Mary Kate) would star opposite Wayne in Wings of Eagles and McLintock, where she would be just as mistreated by Wayne in the finale. But Barry Fitzgerald steals the movie as the rascally tippler Flynn. Given my politics, this is one of the few John Wayne movies I'll consider watching over and over. It isn't just John Ford's direction (Best Director) or the refreshing Irish scenery, which won Best Cinematography but Wayne's mostly understated performance compared to that swaggering "Well, pilgrim" attitude. There's something comforting about him wearing tweeds and cap compared to a ten-gallon hat, boots, and a Winchester, or a World War II military uniform.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Film, Disappointing DVD
Review: The Quiet Man is a delightful film, one of these cases where everything clicks -the cast, the music, the cinematography...- resulting in a truly breathtaking masterpiece. But that's a widely known statement, and there are lots of well written reviews around already. What a prospective buyer of this DVD most probably wants to know is: how good the DVD transfer is? Well, I would answer this using a single word which would accurately express what you will find if you buy this one -in fact, I *UTTERED* that very word shortly after I slipped this DVD inside the player and pressed the play button- but I'm afraid this review would be banned if I did so. So, to make a short story long, I'll say that the DVD transfer is pitiful. Terrible. It looks like if they had used some (poor) VHS tape as a master and fiddled with the color sliders, so what you finally have is a blurry picture with annoying, garish colours which results in a completely disappointing and shameful viewing experience, to say the least. I'll have to treasure my VHS copy which -sad but true- has got far more decent colour and definition. It's a pity that a classic of this calibre had been mistreated this way -they even packed it lavishly with a nice carton frame with an engraved "Collector's Edition DVD" silver badge which completes the mockery. I expected far more from Artisan, as I had previously bought their excellent DVD edition of "High Noon", with razor sharp picture, THX certification and all the bells and whistles. So I feel completely cheated and worried, not just because of the 17'99 bucks down the drain, but, most of all, for the fact that once a film has been released on DVD, chances that it'd be released again soon, in a *PROPER* condition, become scarcer. By the way, permit me a brief remark about the fact of how surprisingly poor are DVD versions of John Ford pictures: exception made for three excellent DVDs -The Searchers (Warner), The Man who Shot Liberty Valance (Paramount), and How Green was My Valley(Fox)- the rest of John Ford's filmography on DVD has been, as far as I know, released in dreadful condition regarding image and sound. Which is hard to believe, when it comes to one of the most relevant directors in the History of Filmmaking. Let's hope things begin to change soon and we could enjoy his films, for once and all, in their full glory.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars
Review: John Ford's "The Quiet Man" is one of John Wayne's best roles and best performances. The Irish culture, countryside, and music truly made this film a masterpiece of the 20th century. Maureen O'Hara played the hotheaded Irish native "Mary Kate" - a role for which she is well suited when one considers her other performances in such great films as "McClintock!" Each and every main character is central to this film, and if a single were to be missing, the whole movie would have lost its quality, in my opinion. The tough-minded, levelheaded thinking of Sean Thornton (John Wayne) combined with the rather emotional display of "foolish" honor on the part of his bride, Mary Kate, contrast nicely and do a wonderful job of illustrating some pretty clear differences in the across-the-pond cultures. This is a delightful film and I highly recommend it.
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