Rating: Summary: My favorite movie, my least favorite DVD! Review: A beautiful, humorous foundation for Irish stereotypes that even the natives of that gorgeous country find amusing. The chemistry between Wayne and Maureen O'Hara is just phenomenal. Sparks fly, her chest heaves, I lose my breath, and laugh my head off at the constant tension between these two. Stands tall after all these years.Now, the DVD. Why cant they get this right? This so called "Collector Edition" is the worst I have ever seen. Somebody thought the Irish countryside was so pretty they jacked up the hue and contrast rendering the end result completely unwatchable. It's a shame too, fans deserve better.
Rating: Summary: Better than the previous DVD but still has a long way to go Review: This is a great film. That said, the DVD's so far have left a lot to be desired in quality of picture. The first DVD was a mess: poor quality picture and the sound was awful. In one scene the words did not match what Barry Fitzgerald was saying. This Collector's Edition DVD is a little better, but not by much. The sound is improved which is a blessing, but the picture quality still needs work. The VHS edition which used a restored negative is a beautiful copy. Why wasn't this used for the DVD????? On the plus side: Maureen O'Hara's comments are interesting and some are even enlightening, and the additional features are fun to watch. But let's face it: what really counts is the quality of the picture itself, and this is a letdown. Better than the first, as I've said, but certainly still in need of improvement. This film won the Oscar for color cinematography! I know it can look better than it does on this DVD! By the by, one customer wanted to know why this movie wasn't letterboxed/widescreened. It doesn't need to be: it is NOT a widescreen movie. What it needs is a better color transfer to DVD. Let's hope somebody wises up and puts out another DVD with a really good quality of picture quality on it. Great movies deserve great DVD's. As it used to be said when computers were new: garbage in/garbage out. The people who make the DVD copies should remember that. This is too good a film to waste on a poor quality disk.
Rating: Summary: Great movie, mediocre DVD Review: This is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I was pleased when Artisan released this DVD -- I had the old version, which wouldn't play in our newer DVD player. I'm glad to have a working version, but overall I'm disappointed in this release. The color is punched up almost to the point of being artificial. We don't have a home theater sound system, so we can't tell the difference between the regular and "enhanced" audio. Worst of all, though: WHY ISN'T THIS LETTERBOXED?!! With the exception of Maureen O'Hara's commentary (very nice), the extras on this so-called Collector's Edition are no different than those on the previous release. I'll keep this DVD until someone comes out with an edition truly worthy of this wonderful movie.
Rating: Summary: The Quiet Man (Collector's Edition) DVD Review: DO NOT BUY THIS DVD. THE PICTURE QUALITY IS POOR. WATCHING THE MOVIE WILL HURT YOUR VISION. THE PICTURE IS FUZZY AND OUT OF FOCUS. THIS IS A RIP OFF!
Rating: Summary: Outstanding! Review: When fans of John Ford debate his greatest film and when fans of John Wayne debate his greatest film, "The Quiet Man" is surely mentioned with prominance. This movie is a terrific look at rural Ireland and its' archaic customs. John Ford has never disguised his love of his ancestrial home and this movie is as good a testament to that love as any movie he has ever made. It takes place in a small rural setting where a stranger (John Wayne) shows up one day. The stanger reveals that he is Sean Thornton who has come home to his birth place. He immediately falls for Mary Kate Danaher only to find that her brother, Will Danaher, is the town's tough man. Sean also finds out that the ways of Ireland are not the ways of the USA where he was raised. Sean has a secret that he keeps that he keeps to himself. It is a secret that keeps him from fighting the assertive Will Danaher. Through some conniving help from the local clergy, Sean is able to gain the hand of Mary Kate. However, her expectations of Sean and his failure to deliver makes this a marriage in name only. The only way to win her heart and solve his problems with his reputation is to fight his new brother-in-law. What should he do? Each step of this story introduces us to characters, customs, music, and other aspects that bring out the Irish flavor. We may not agree with the customs but we certainly have fun seeing how Sean Thornton is confounded by them. Fans of Wayne will have a special appreciation of his outstanding preformance. He is subdued but not beaten, confused but not lost. He is excellently matched with Maureen O'Hara who brings a brilliant performance as Mary Kate Danaher. She makes for a strong woman in a movie that demonstrates women's weak status in the culture. Andrew McLaglen is also excellent as the imposing Will Danaher who takes a step back for no one. One of the great qualities of a John Ford film is the stock acters that fill the many supporting roles. In this movie we are treated to a number of great supporting preformances highlighted by the acting of Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields, and Mildred Natwick. The cinematography is terrific, the scenery inviting, and the music is superb. Lucky is the person who has the soundtrack of this movie. The music is enchanting from the beginning to the end. Over the years I have met my share of John Wayne detractors. As yet I have not met one who won't secretly acknowledge that they loved this film. This is a movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family and it is one that can be watched over and over.
Rating: Summary: A heck of a good brawl Review: Not being a huge John Wayne fan, I was introduced to "The Quiet Man" by my Grandmother. It ended up being a good flick, and alot of fun all around. I have often heard of "The Quiet Man" being called the "different" John Wayne film, and maybe this is so. It lacks much of the brutish machismo that I associate with the actor, and has a good spirit instead. Maureen O'Hara is great as the spunky Irish lass, Mary Kate Danaher. Her character is as perplexing as it is fun. John Wayne is Sean Thorton, a former Irish, now American seeking the peace of his home town. This is definitely Hollywood's romantic 1950's view of Ireland, full of smart-tongued men with smiling eyes and a belly full of beer and hot-tempered red-haired lasses looking for a real man to tame them. It is alot of fun if you don't take it too seriously or look too closely into the plot. Much like "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" in that way. Of course there are hijinks and mishaps, and the whole thing ends in a classic brawl, maybe the best filmed brawl I have ever seen. Thanks Gran!
Rating: Summary: A study in sexism Review: It is appropriate that the heading for this film mentions only the name John Wayne, although the video box clearly features a photograph of two major actors. I found this film incessantly grating, offensive on myriad levels. In short, it chronicles a relationship in which a woman is disciplined and degraded in a manner normally reserved for hapless children, and the superiority of the U.S. over Ireland serves as an interchangable metaphor for male dominance.
Rating: Summary: DUKE & THE COLLEEN Review: 28 NOV: 2002 THE DUKE AND MAUREEN O'HARA ARE ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING IN THIS FLICK. THE SUPPORTING CAST IS IMMEASURABLE, BARRY FITZGERALD, VICTOR MCLAGLEN, MILDRED NATWICK, & WARD BOND. THE FIGHT SCENE IS THE BEST EVER, AND THE ONE MOST FRIENDLIEST. THE HERITAGE AND INTEGRITY OF THE IRISH, PLUS THE IRISH HUMOR, FLOWS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MOVIE! THE SETTING=FANTASTIC. MISS. O'HARA IS POSITIVLEY RADIANT FROM START TO FINISH!!! JOHN WAYNE, WELL HE'S THE DUKE!!
Rating: Summary: One of Ford's finest... Review: Maureen O-Hara is great, and the Duke is...well...the Duke. Set in Ireland, makes one long for the old country. A must have.
Rating: Summary: Terrible Picture!... Review: Great movie, lot's of extra's but an absolutely terrible picture. Hey Artisan...RESTORE THIS FILM!!! P.S. There is no widescreen version. In 1952 movies were still square.
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